ModNation Racers first impressions

You've never been behind the wheel like this - take your imagination for a spin in one of the most customisable racing games ever made.

How do you like your kart racing? In this case, the question isn't about whether you like it at a particular speed, the type of vehicles, weapons or anything like that. It's about how you like your vehicle and driver to look, how you want the tracks to take shape by your own hand. Here, ModNation Racers asks all these questions- and you provide as many answers as you want...

Start your imagination...

ModNation Racers is built for you, for you to build. With the philosophy of creative gaming at its core, the racing game is all about... you. Starting off in a hub area, you're free to drive your default character and car around to get a feel of things.

By ducking into the Creation Station garage you have the option to take advantage of ModNation Racers' tools. Take your toy styled driver, for example. Already looking quite cute, here you can change its colour, give it a certain nose, mouth, eyes, ears and voice, equip it with facial/head hair, deck it out in all types of clothing (although the driver will sometimes show embarrassment if it's an outfit they don't like) and a snappy range of accessories and custom made decals to match.

Which means if you want your driver to take the style of a Frankenstein's monster gone slightly wrong, then you can. Or if you prefer a glove wearing, night vision goggles rocking cat-eared cutey, then that's cool too. Something in-between or entirely different? Why not...

Driven

You'll want to cast your gaze over the kart you'll be driving, next. Well there's just as much tinkering to be had on that front, whether you decide to go for a truck, jeep, sports car, buggy, even a fire engine style racer. Engines, suspension, wheels, seats and steering wheels are just the start. Fancy some hood ornaments or accessories? And that's not even going into paintwork, decals and the ability to fine-tune your drift/handling preference and whether you prefer speed over acceleration or a carefully honed balance.

Then there are the tracks. With a batch of simple and accessible tools that the game designers used to make the pre-made courses, you can get to work on creating the track you've always wanted to race on. Various terrain from Jungle to Seaside can be selected, which you can then sculpt and form, switch the time of day, add environment details, and lay the shape of the track before you give it a test.

Your creation can be big, wide and winding, with slopes and troughs through a sunset cityscape, or just a nice jaunt around a dark and hilly plain - all easily and quickly created. There are lots of pre-made tracks to take inspiration from, and you can share your designs, drivers and cars with the world on PlayStation Network, meaning there's always a fresh challenge around the corner that you can tweak, rate and enjoy.

Clocking up the miles

Even outside of its comprehensive modification and sharing options, the classic karting action has plenty to keep you occupied, with a story campaign mode to compliment the single and multiplayer (on and offline) features, including challenges and leaderboards.

ModNation Racers is a garage full of fun, wrapped up in an inexhaustible package - and its glossy surface has only just been scratched. Keep checking www.playstation-mea.com for the next lap of this deep and fast paced racing title.