Modnation Racers

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Basic Information:
Developer: United Front Games
Producer: Sony Computer Entertainment
North American Release Date: May 25, 2010
European Release Date: May 21, 2010
Trophies: bronze: 36 silver: 8 gold: 3 platinum: 1

Overview:
Back in 2008, LittleBigPlanet hit the shelves and became an instant success as people fell in love with the Play, Create, Share formula. Well Sony decided to expand on the idea, and turn it into a full-fledged genre. Two years after LBP, ModNation Racers burst onto the scenes as the second game under this new Play, Create, Share genre. Mixing kart racing and creation tools, is ModNation Racers a worthy addition to this expanding new genre?

Gameplay:
On the surface, ModNation Racers does nothing we haven't seen before in kart racer. There's weapon pick-ups, a plethora of unique tracks, and good controls. However, as you dig down deeper into the game, you'll find yourself surrounded by some really unique things. While MNR doesn't do anything to innovate the racing genre, it makes a great attempt at establishing a personality of its own.

What ModNation Racers brings to the table that other kart racers don't is the fact that you won't be punished for getting out into first place. In the popular Mario Kart, if you jumped out to an early lead in a race you could bet on getting hit with a blue shell eventually. However, in MNR you don't have to worry as much about getting hit with a powerful weapon if you're in first. Thanks to your boost meter that you can fill up by doing tricks, you can not only get a speed boost or sideswipe your opponents, but more importantly you can bring up a shield that will block off all attacks and will last for about a second. Even if a barrage of rockets is coming your way, or some purple lighting is being struck down upon you, you can block it and maintain your lead in the race. While it's difficult to get the timing right on when to bring up your shield, it's immensely satisfying when you block off multiple attacks.

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Racing is fast and fierce.

Not to mention, while there are weapon pickups, they actually work differently than other kart racers. As you race over more weapon orbs, your current weapon gets an upgrade. A level one rocket shoots just one rocket straight in front of you, whereas a level three rocket will shoot over 10 rockets that will home in on one or more racers. It's a cool system, and one that offers the perfect amount of risk and reward. Do you risk losing your level 2 Sonic Rift because you could possibly turn that into the more powerful level 3 Sonic Rift, knowing full on that if you get hit with an attack yourself your weapons are completely gone? The chance is yours to take.

Apart from just racing there are some collectables in the form of tokens that are spread out across each track. There's 3 in each, and you'll have to explore while racing if you want to find them all. Not to mention, there is also an extra set of goals to complete in each race, that will unlock new outfits, stickers, and other creating extras upon completion. The goals can be frustrating to achieve, and they're more of an annoyance than they are a fun addition.

The big problem I have with ModNation Racers is the fact that the racing is unfairly difficult. You may do everything right in a race, and still end up in 4th because of the impossible AI. I'm usually all for a difficult game, but when you're punished for things that aren't your own mistakes, it can get frustrating to say the least. Because of this, I really didn't find the racing to be at all enjoyable. Despite how solid everything is, the near-impossible difficulty really makes the racing a chore.

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It's possible to create mods as good as this one with the creation tools UFG gives you.

However, racing isn't everything in MNR. Packed into the experience is the amazing creation system that is without a doubt the deepest I have ever come across. You can create your own mods (the names for the characters in the game), karts, and even your own tracks. Each creation mode is insanely deep. Hell, there are over 300 eyes, noses, and mouths respectively. If you can't find one to suit your fancy than you're downright crazy. While the creation system is deep, it is however nearly impossible to create something that doesn't look Frankenstein-esque. While disappointing, it's still very fun and cool to mess around with the tools United Front Games has given you. Despite the kart racing becoming a drag, the creation tools kept me coming back for more.

Singleplayer:
While not unusual, it was really pretty unfortunate that ModNation Racers didn't weave a good tale, or really any tale at all. The story follows Tag, an underdog racer who is new on the scene of the ModNation Racing Championship after being given a chance by an old washed up racer simply named Chief.

Really, there just isn't much here in terms of story. The plot feels very disjointed, and the fact that Tag never once talks at all during the entire game is very upsetting. You never really get to know Tag as a character, but instead he just feels like a robot who you just so happen to be put in control of.

Despite the disappointment that is the storyline, there is some decent comedy littered throughout. Racing TV show anchors Biff Tradwell and Gary Reasons are there to add some humor and wit to the story, and they're a welcome addition to the otherwise boring plot.

Multiplayer:
Similar to LittleBigPlanet, ModNation Racers allows you to upload all of your creations (whether it be mods, karts, or tracks) online for others to download and use. It's a great system that works well with the most downloaded mods and karts being displayed in the ModSpot, the online hub where you can access all of the different game modes.

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The ModSpot acts as the online hub where you can access the top mods, karts, tracks, and more.

Apart from uploading and downloading creations, there is also competitive multiplayer as you'll be racing against others from across the world in tracks from the singleplayer. What's a really big letdown about the competitive multiplayer is that it does nothing to hold your attention to it. There's no reward for leveling up, so it's difficult to find an incentive to play online competitively. Tack on the horrible matchmaking, and it just isn't a worthwhile experience.

Much like the gameplay, ModNation Racers' online modes offer up a mixed bag in terms of results. While sharing and downloading creations is cool, the competitive multiplayer lacks excitement and the big kick to make you want to play more.

Technical:
From a technical standpoint, there's very little to complain about. The graphics are pretty fantastic, especially when the different weapons are put into play, and the music played throughout the game sounds great and really adds to the cartoony theme. Mods can look downright gorgeous, and they're especially cool because they were based off of vinyl toys that have shown a recent rise in popularity.

Not to mention, very rarely did I ever come into contact with any bugs and glitches, and frame-rate drops are few and far between, which is always great to hear.

However, it's not perfect. Load times can sometimes take up to two minutes, which not only takes you out of the experience, but it's also quite annoying to find yourself spending a large chunk of your time playing ModNation Racers waiting for a load screen to pass.

Trophies:
To be simple, the trophies aren't the selling point here. It's difficult to obtain the platinum, especially now where you'll find the multiplayer to be, for the most part, completely dead. There are trophies for people downloading your creations however many times, which are frankly annoying and tedious, since you have no control over if you earn the trophy. It's best to find a good boosting buddy for this one, as it'd be downright impossible to get the plat nowadays without one.

Closing Thoughts:
ModNation Racers is a mixed bag. It does some really great things such as its creation tools and presentation, but it also does some bad things such as the overly-difficult and unenjoyable kart racing, and the lackluster competitive multiplayer experience. It's a game with a lot of potential, but it just doesn't quite get there. Still if you're a fan of kart racers, or you loved the creation tools of LittleBigPlanet, ModNation Racers is a worthy rental to pass some hours with some decent content.

Gameplay: 8/10
Everything here is solid with the exception of the insane difficulty, which really takes the enjoyment out of the game.

Singleplayer: 4/10
There's little to no story to be found here, which is only helped along by the main character having no voice. The only thing that saves MNR in this category is the humor and with added by Biff and Gary.

Multiplayer: 7/10
Sharing and downloading creations is great, but the competitive multiplayer is lackluster and doesn't give you an incentive to play the game. It doesn't help that matchmaking is downright awful.

Technical: 9/10
The graphics and music are great, and the game is without any major bugs or glitches. The main problem arises with the 2 minute long load screens.

Overall: 6/10 Decent

LittleBigPlanet 2

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Developer: Media Molecule
Publisher: SCEE
Release: 21 January, 2011
Platform: Playstation
Genre: Adventure, Puzzle

Synopsis

The story mode is structured a lot like the first game's, and it serves the same basic purpose. There's an evil force out there, and you'll work with a batch of "Creators" to right the wrongs and get things back to normal. It feels like these levels are largely designed to introduce you to the new mechanics of LBP2, like a grappling hook that you can use for swinging and climbing, or the grabinator, a pair of gloves that let you pick up and toss objects. You'll also start to get a sense of how you might use these new things in your own levels. You'll also get a user's-eye look at the controllinator, which is an in-game device that can be hooked up to allow you to use the DualShock to control objects other than Sackboy. This is what allows you to control cars, play dual-joystick shooters, fly lunar landers, or just about anything else you can come up with. It's a big part of what makes LBP2 so much broader than its predecessor.

Graphics

The graphics in LittleBigPlanet 2 are outstanding, it is always smooth and enjoyable without any bad graphics, my favourite feature of the graphics is your main character, he looks so evil, good, depending on whatever you're doing.

Controls

The controls in this game are very hard if you're new to this type of game, when i first started i had to learn for about 20 minutes just because i was confused.

Everyone knows that x is to jump, but when you recieve a power-up all your controls change, and you don't know what to do, so mess around with the controls and you will find out how to do whatever you need to do.

Levels

The levels in LittleBigPlanet 2 are amazing, you complete puzzles to work your way through the game while killing enemies and unlocking outfits, unlocking the outfits must be my favourite as you always want to change your character when playing.

The storyline is also good, as they all relate to eachother, so say if you kill a boss, then in the next level his friends will give you grief, i love this!

Overall

Overall i love this game, i used to play it on my PSP when i got bored, and it was never ending fun, great game if you're bored i.e. on the bus going to school, (That's what i did) and this game can be frustrating at times, but that's the fun of it, who would like a game that you can complete straight away? im sure i wouldn't. Anyway i reccomend buying this game and enjoying it, as i did myself!

Ratings

Graphics : 9/10
Gameplay : 9/10
Controls : 7/10

Overall rating : 8.7/10

Medal of Honor: Rising Sun

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Developer: EA LA
Publisher: EA LA
Release: November 11, 2003
Platform: Playstation
Genre: FPS

Synopsis

Step into the boots of a World War II soldier and survive Pearl Harbor. The epic saga of World War II continues with Medal of Honor Rising Sun. The war has shifted to the Pacific Theatre, and its outcome depends on you. Play as Marine Corporal Joseph Griffin in a far-reaching tale of two brothers that weaves its storyline from this title into the next game in the award-winning MOH franchise. As Japanese forces seek to expand their dominion over the Pacific, you must use stealth, commando tactics, and sabotage to turn the tide in your favor. Featuring real-life historical battles like Pearl Harbor and Guadalcanal, over 20 authentic WWII weapons, highly intelligent enemies, and a heroic cast of characters that fight on your side from level to level, Medal of Honor Rising Sun delivers the standard-setting experience for all action games.

Graphics

The graphics for this game aren't deffinately the best out there, but this is because Medal Of Honour is so old now! back in the day it used to be amazing, this game brings back alot of memories as my dad always used to play this and say how he has completed it and what not, i used to play it also when he found a hard level, but hey! nobody can be the best, graphics could be improved now, but they won't improve as this game is so old now.

Controls

The controls for Medal Of Honour are the same as any other fps, x to jump, square to reload, triange to change weapon, R1 to shoot, R2 to aim down sights, click left analog stick to run while moving forwards, i used to think these controls were very easy, and easy to get used to because they're so simple! even my little brother got the hang of it in the first 5 minutes and that's unusual.

Levels

The levels in Medal Of Honour are outstanding, you go from roaming the streets of london to flying airplanes around the world, and going on boats that're travelling a county or country. You also get an option to choose between easy, medium, hard which is a must for all great fps games, because if it's too hard then you know what to do, and if it's too easy then take a little challenge, it may be too hard but what game's good being too easy? i personally hate easy games, and i love challenges, so this game is great!, also don't get fooled in this game, there is alot of hidden objectives to find, and some of them took me days to find which can be very frustrating at times.

Overall

Overall i can't say this game can get any better for how old it is, it's one of the first FPS games that ever came out and had a very good success rate! i personally love how you can also play online if you have the PS2 online adapter which is very un-usual for PS2 games, and i must say that this game is a must have if you're into FPS games, i think this game is simply amazing.

Ratings

Graphics : 6/10
Gameplay : 8/10
Controls : 9/10

Overall rating : 6.9/10