When you think of quality kart racer, your mind immediately goes to the Mario Kart series. Nintendo has always gotten the gameplay just right while others have struggled to find that proper balance. United Front Games threw their hat into the arena with ModNation Racers, the second game in the “Play Create Share” game library on the PS3. Combining solid kart racing gameplay with immense creation tools, you would think this would be a sure fire hit. In most cases, you’d be right. A few nagging issues keep it from being that perfect game we’ve always wanted, but it’s a damn fine affair.

ModNation Racers uses a nifty hub area, the Mod Spot, as your jumping off point for all things in the game space. Whether you’re looking to create or run amok either alone or with friends (locally or online), just drive to that portion of the Mod Spot and you’re off to the races (pun intended). The creation tools are fantastic, with Mod, Kart and Track creation all intuitive and extensive. If you’re new to the “Play Create Share” mantra, you’ll have no problem hopping in and making your own tracks in no time. I found the creation aspect much easier to get into than LittleBigPlanet, which is a nice touch. Those looking to get deep into customization have those options as well. The actual kart racing, the most important aspect, is top notch. The controls are spot on, drifting and drafting feel just right, and finding that perfect path on each track is a good old time. With new tracks being added daily by the community, there is an endless supply or new areas to race.

While the online portion of the game and offline Quick Race modes are great, I can’t say the same about the Career. The story is flat and throw away, with a few funny quips here and there by the racing commentator Mods. The big problem there is the rubber-banding AI which will frustrate you in most Career races. If you’re really into the creation aspect and need those extra doodads to complete your track of destruction, you may not be able to avoid Career. In all other cases, pass on by. No matter which mode you enter, however, you’ll run into my biggest issue of ModNation Racers: the load times. Even after the 3.5GB+ install (which takes 15 minutes), you’ll still encounter up to one minute load times between various areas of the game. This is something that needs to corrected, either by a patch or in the next installment of the series.

Load times and sub-par career mode aside, ModNation Racers delivers a very fun kart racing experience. If you’ve ever enjoyed your time with Mario Kart and want that same feeling with friends on your couch or online, do yourself a favor and check out ModNation Racers. United Front Games did a pretty damn good job on this one.

[A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes.]