A great attempt at a UGC game but has flaws with both gameplay and limited creation tools.
Unfortunatly, MR also lacks a number of the features that make Mario Kart so accessable. Now, keep in mind that I am not going to make a comparison between the two games.
Firstly, MR lacks any kind of charm. The characters have no personality, nothing that stands out, and are all physically identical, despite the number of cosmetic changes you can make. This is reflected in the uploaded UGC characters that other gamers have made, where they are nothing more than users attempts at making existing, well known charcters: mario, zelda, spongebob, batman, etc. This is clearly the only way that gamers can draw SOME character from the otherwise boring characters. However the number of cosmetic options you can apply to a character are impressive, although many feel utterly pointless and will never be used.
Tracks have a similar issue. There are only 4 different types of theme and they can dull very quickly. They are based on realistic Earthly locations and are not particularly exciting. Creating a track is very simple and even has an option where it completes the track for you, which removes any motivation you may have had to make a track your own and just let the game finish it for you.
The music is appalling and some of the worst I have heard in a current gen game. It sounds like some kind of attempt at funk but just like the rest of the game, it has no personality and every tune sounds identical. That, and you feel like you are listening to the same tune no matter where in the game you are; be it the creation station, racing or just sat in the lobby.
The racing itself is quite fun but the controls are awful. They are overly sensitive no matter how you customize them and in the end, they can lose you a race just because they are so twitchy. The items do not add anything to the race. They do not add an element of excitement and just cause frustration. The incorporation of weapon levels from 1 to 3 is a good idea and does add a tactical level to their use, although most will just save up for level 3 and blast everyone. The incorporation of shields and boosts also adds a tactical level to races which is a great idea and works well.
Unfortunately, racing seems to be all you can do. There are no themed races, team races, battle modes or anything. It is just races.
The online racing is fun though. It uses an XP system which adds an incentive to racing online and they can be fun and chaotic. Far more enjoyable than the empty single player mode.
Modnation Racers is a fun game but it lacks any kind of character or personality, the races can be frustrating, the music will grate and the creation tools are limited. However the game can be just as fun as it can be annoying but its flaws are too numerous to overlook. Rent it, borrow it, see what you think before you buy it, otherwise you might find yourself feeling disappointed the this attempt at a Mario Kart beater.