By Matthew Scott Hunter
‘ModNation Racers’ (M)
Start your engines
****
Sony Computer Entertainment
PlayStation 3
Many game developers have tried to capture the magic of “Mario Kart” in their own kart racers, but it isn’t easy to find that elusive, perfect blend of addictive tracks, crazy power-ups and luck-vs.-skill balance that has you crying foul as often as you’re rubbing your opponent’s face in a last-minute reversal of fortune. And now you can see first-hand just how hard it is to concoct that formula. “ModNation Racers” gives you the same level of customization as “LittleBigPlanet.” You are the game designer. Every well-worn kart racing convention is at your disposal, and you’re free to Frankenstein them together in just about any way imaginable. You may not be able to build a perfect “Mario Kart,” but it won’t be for a lack of parts.
“ModNation Racers” is most impressive simply as a level-builder. With a series of user-friendly tools, you can quickly sketch out a track, change elevation by throwing a mountain here or a canyon there, add a few houses and trees purely for aesthetics, pepper the road with power-ups at strategic points and have plenty of time left over to build your driver and his ride from scratch. Standard missiles and mines make up the somewhat generic power-ups, but what your weapons are isn’t as important as where you put them, and you can force players to choose between staying on track or veering off course to pick up an item. In the end, “ModNation Racers” will probably be remembered more for its robust customization than as a contender for Mario’s kart-racing throne, but I can’t wait to race the tracks of all the amateur game designers who will try to prove me wrong.
‘Blur’ (E10+)
***1/2
Activision
Xbox360
Following close on the bumper of “Split/Second,” “Blur” is the second game this month to try to blend traditional, arcade-style racing with the aggressive aspects of a kart racer, and unfortunately, it’s the least creative of the two. Where “Split/Second” had racers using the environment against their adversaries, “Blur” settles for dispatching drivers with standard missiles and mines. These threats do a good job of keeping your eyes glued to your rear-view mirror, but no matter how fast you drive, you won’t escape the feeling that you’ve driven these laps before.
‘UFC Undisputed 2010’ (T)
***1/2
THQ
Xbox 360
The octagon looks much the way it did last year, but looks were the best thing about “UFC Undisputed 2009.” The graphics and animation are so realistic, you can almost feel the sweat on your opponent’s grappling hands. Small tweaks to the mixed martial arts mechanics allow you to pick your favorite moves from many different styles, but the menu-heavy training in the career mode is still a drag, and it has to be done if you don’t want to wind up pinned to the floor by some guy’s crotch.
‘Kick-Ass’ (M)
*1/2
WHA Entertainment
PlayStation Network
Since professional superheroes seldom manage to come out with a decent movie tie-in game, how well do you think the amateur vigilantes of “Kick-Ass” are going to fare? This repetitive beat’em-up isn’t worth the time it takes to download, let alone the four hours of button-mashing it takes to reach its merciful end.
