Parents' Guide to

ModNation Racers

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Fun, customizable kart racing, but watch online voice chat.

Game PSP , PlayStation 3 2010
ModNation Racers Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • ModNation Racers Game: Screenshot #1
  • ModNation Racers Game: Screenshot #2
  • ModNation Racers Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Ernesto M
Ernesto M Adult
January 25, 2013
age 7+

Fun

Its a fun game im sure kids will love it. But the game has a really aweful feature were your crew cheif insults the player. But overall its a fun game.
CountryMom27
CountryMom27 Parent of 4 and 6-year-old
January 10, 2011
age 8+

Only for older kids 8-9 and up - very hard to play for young kids

Requires a lot of use of the buttons on the controller - making it much too difficult for most children under 8. My kids found it frustrating and hard - and while they've played racing games with the Wii, the fact that it is not Move-enabled and that it requires a lot of button work (shields, shooting) in addition to steering, braking, and accelerating, made it very difficult and not fun. I'm a pretty decent gamer and I couldn't play it well.
See all 5 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Fans of kart racers -- those over-the-top cartoon driving games that let you use weapons to slow down opponents -- will find Sony's latest offering a fresh take on the classic formula. Personalization is the name of the game in MODNATION RACERS, as built-in tools let you easily create your own unique racer, kart vehicles, and tracks, and then share them with others online (not unlike what Sony did with LittleBigPlanet). While designing your own track might sound difficult, you simply pick from one of the preset themes -- seaside, desert, jungle, or alpine -- and then twist and turn the road by pushing the Sony PlayStation 3 controller's analog sticks in a given direction. You can also drop down buildings, bridges, animals, or environmental eye-candy (lakes, sunsets, or mountains, for instance), or select "auto populate" for the game to do it for you. Your custom-built track can be used immediately and uploaded to the PlayStation Network. You can also download the highest-rated tracks made by other players and modify them, too.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (6 ):

This pick-up-and-play racer will be immediately familiar to fans of the genre. Rip around some wild tracks (peppered with ramps, shortcuts, power-ups, and obstacles); drift around sharp corners and press the boost button for a quick speed burst; and select a weapon to use to on rival drivers to temporarily stun them (such as missiles or electric bolts). The controls are tight and responsive. Along with the single-player modes are multiplayer options that allow for two gamers on the same TV or up to 12 players online. Finding people to race against is easy with the intuitive lobby system.

There are a couple of minor issues with the game, such as frequent loading screens and not enough weapons to choose from, but overall ModNation Racers is a blast. Note: A Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) version of the game is also available, but was not tested for this review.

Online interaction: This game offers rich multiplayer options, including the ability to share content by uploading and downloading custom creations. Note, though, that it supports open voice and text communication, which could lead to the sharing of personal information and conversations with inappropriate language and subject matter. Note that text chat has a profanity filter, and voice chat can be disabled by setting the PlayStation 3 console's parental controls to level four.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why there aren't more "E"-rated first-party games for the Sony PlayStation 3. Do you think Sony's audience is older than that of the Wii? Even if it is, do you think older players can't have as much fun with all-ages games as younger players?

  • Families can also talk about online safety in games. This game holds appeal for children, yet it offers sophisticated and open online communications. You may want to discuss the sort of subjects of conversation in which kids shouldn't engage, and what to do when confronted with unpleasant online personalities.

Game Details

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