ModNation Racers

Can the create-a-kart gem survive a shrink?
ModNation Racers on PSP features many of the same tracks as the PS3 version, the chance to customize your own karts and drivers, and make your own circuits. It should, by all rights, be an impressive title. But playing ModNation Racers on PS3 has spoilt us. We were delighted by the endless possibilities of the big brother, so the poor old PSP version doesn’t quite cut it.The creation tools – at least for the karts and drivers – feel more like dress-up options than artistic aids. The track-making is also an understandably watered-down version and, though still pleasantly user friendly, doesn’t quite encourage you to goof around with finer details. You’d need to be made of stern stuff to want to carefully place 100 match-head sized trees…But our biggest problem is one that’s shared with the PS3 version – the driving itself. The drift mechanic is rigid and lacks flow, and you’ll get attacked by power-ups that you won’t even see. It just feels dull compared to the intensity of ‘pure’ arcade racers such as Wipeout Pulse or MotorStorm: Arctic Edge. To give ModNation Racers its due, even this smaller-scale alternative is stacked with more options than you’d get from any other handheld racer. And, if it gets support from the PSP online community, it could evolve into something special.