ModNation Racers

About

ModNation Racers is a kart racing game centered on building and customizing vehicles and tracks. Players tweak paint jobs, body styles, and performance parts to create unique rides, then race them across circuits designed by others or crafted locally. The split-screen mode lets two players compete on the same console, while online leaderboards track times and creations. Combat elements like item pickups add a layer of strategy, letting you boost or hinder rivals during laps. Progress through a loose story mode following a rookie racer's rise in a fictional championship, though the focus stays firmly on the mechanics and creativity. The game's user-generated content system is its strongest asset, with tools that make track design accessible yet flexible. Though Metacritic scores hover around 70, the community kept it alive through shared tracks and mods. Availability on PS3 and PSP in 2010 made it one of the first major kart titles to support cross-play between consoles. The split-screen mode and customization depth still stand out compared to newer entries in the genre, offering a distinct mix of racing and creation that appeals to tinkerers.

Storyline

The story is focused around the player, commonly referred to as 'Tagger' or 'Tag', who remains silent throughout in-game cutscenes. Biff Tradwell and Gary Reasons, commentators of the Modnation Racing Championship announce the qualifier of this season's MRC tour. Tag lives with his mother at their family run paintshop, where business has been slow for a long time. Upon showing an MRC poster to race to his mother, she informs him that his grandfather, Chief, is a crew-chief, which along with his own kart is all he requires to enter the qualifier. Chief, while critical of Tag's choice of kart decoration, agrees to be his crew-chief. Upon qualifying for the MRC Tour and already becoming a popular contestant with fans for his unique style, Tag's Uncle Richard, head of Conservative Motors, a company responsible for cheap, bland and uninteresting karts, attempts to sign him up for a sponsorship deal which is quickly turned down. Halfway through the Home Tour, Tag's mother reveals that they are unable to afford the constant repairs to his kart. When the kart blows out, Tag's mother is inspired from her son's newfound popularity to reopen the paintshop as a bodyshop garage, becoming an instant hit with customers and allowing them to stay financially afloat.