ModNation Racers: Road Trip – Beverly Hills, That’s Where I Want To Be

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ModNation Racers: Road Trip – Beverly Hills, That’s Where I Want To Be
Mark Wilson Community Specialist, San Diego Studios
11 Author Replies

Associate Producer Josh Hart and I recently snuck out of the studio a little early on a Friday to go on, well… a short “road trip” to Hollywood, CA (or La La Land as SoCal natives like to call it) to experience the fun new feature in ModNation Racers: Road Trip – “Mod Explorer”.

Upon receiving a loan from the bank to pay for gas we trekked up the 5 Freeway on our way to our first location for a “Destination Check-in” – beautiful Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

Quickly making our way through the gathering of “celebrity” look-a-like street performers on Hollywood Blvd. one of the “entertainers” (in a square yellow sponge outfit) convincingly hustled my attention for a photo-op. In a surprising low baritone voice said spongeman instructed me that he worked for “generous” tips. Immediately after our awkward (yet AWE-some!) photo taken together I reached into my pocket and pulled out a one dollar bill and a ten dollar bill. Due to his utter lack of effort to not break the actor’s third-wall I decided he would receive the crisp one dollar bill. Sorry spongeman.

But I digress. Again.

Upon arriving at the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre I booted up the game, entered “Mod Explorer” and voilà, the game recognized I had indeed arrived and was prompted to check in. Once complete I unlocked the free location based DLC items and was prompted to snap a photo (posed with my fav Mod and Kart) and publish the Mod Postcard to my Facebook page. Simple, fun and honestly pretty rewarding.

Following our star-studded experience we jumped back on the Sunset Strip and cruised a few miles west before pulling off “The Strip” for another check-in. Now being just two days after the game’s release I must say we were more than pleasantly surprised to find five other players in the area with the game via our first NEAR check-in (see image-right below).

sunset2

Our last check-in at the Santa Monica Pier concluded what turned out to be a really fun day with the game, Mod Explorer and our beautiful new Vitas.

ModNation Racers: Road Trip “Starter Set – Week Three”
This “Starter Set” of ModNation Racers for the PS3 user-created tracks demonstrate a great cross-section of some of the best tracks our community members have made (so far!). You won’t want to miss these!

starter

ModNation Racers: Road Trip “Track of the Week” Iceland by Nathancho17

vitatotw

ModNation Racers: Road Trip – San Diego Studio Faves
These choices can be found in the “search creations” section of the Share Station. Each week we will select five new tracks to be featured. Make sure to download them and show your appreciation to their creators!

sds

These choices can be found in the “search creations” section of the Share Station. Each week we will select five new tracks to be featured. Make sure to download them and show your appreciation to their creators!

ModNation Racers For PS3

Track Creation Challenge: How RAD Can You Be?
RADMANROB and RADBOYROB (same person?… yes!) creates some of ModNation’s more unique and utterly entertaining tracks in the game. Maybe more importantly he is one of the friendliest community members in the game. His life goal seems to be to put a smile on people’s faces with his sense of humor… mission accomplished!

Since “Imitation is the purest form of flattery” we thought what better way to celebrate this creativity than challenging the ModNation to design a track in the spirit of RMR/RBR.
To participate in this upcoming track creation challenge please click HERE.

Top Tracks: Best of RADMANROB / RADBOYROB

top

Hot Lap Track of the Week: Hanging Track of Babylon by mackAttack8000

ps3totw

Monday: Dinosaur Island by ldwfva
Tuesday: Suburb Speedway by JNM-CIM
Wednesday: Son Of Dreamwarp by OnePoppa
Thursday: Arctic Void by John31269
Friday: ZLH Cup – Rock Quarry by zlheck
Saturday: Hanging Track of Babylon by mackAttack8000
Sunday: The Temudjin Complex by atheistsw

Where will your first Mod Explorer check-in be? Will anyone get them all? That would be INSANE!

Mark
PS3: ModNationSD
Vita: ModNationSDVita

modnation racers: road tripplaystation gamesps vitasan diego studios

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35 Comments

11 Author Replies

  • Mark Wilson
    March 5, 2012 at 11:20 am PST

    Wow! That ModNationSD guy is very good looking!

  • Cyris
    March 5, 2012 at 11:23 am PST

    Maybe one day you’ll come up with this crazy feature called “online multiplayer”

  • killa1b91
    March 5, 2012 at 11:24 am PST

    Off topic: I’d like to say that Near is very inaccurate. It says I’m on the other side of town! When I’m clearly at home. And I work like 30-40 miles away and it says I’ve only traveled like 8!

    Anyways, I’m addicted to this game! I’ve completed the career and can’t help but feel bored other than playing other tracks. I don’t know anyone else with a Vita so I don’t do any ad-hoc racing. I posted a few mods, tracks, and karts, but the community seems not to care anymore or not too many people have a Vita. I worked hard on my creations and noone even looks at em! The overall community support sucks.

  • Shrapnel__
    March 5, 2012 at 11:31 am PST

    everyone from San Diego is good looking didn’t you know.

    :p

  • Mark Wilson
    March 5, 2012 at 11:31 am PST

    Hi killa1b91,

    Give it some time. ModNation has one of the best communities in gaming! Road Trip has only been out a little over a week and happily there are a LOT of new players that may not know how it all works yet. That’s one of the reasons for this blog, to inform and familiarize newer players to ALL the cool things in the game.

    If you have any creations you would like to share please go to… http://community.eu.playstation.com/t5/ModNation-Racers-Road-Trip-For/bd-p/bUS_MNRRoadTrip

    The community and I would love to see them!

    Mark

  • dragonmagician
    March 5, 2012 at 11:35 am PST

    Mod Explorer is a cool feature, but it’s weird how it doesn’t just use the ‘near’ information, since it already tracks distance traveled. For example, when I want to check-in somewhere, I will need to open the ‘near’ app AND the ModNation game (which we know how long the start up times are). It would be great to just use near to check-in and the game just reads the data the next time I start it up, but maybe ‘near’ doesn’t allow for that.

    Also, the location based unlocks is interesting, but if the data is correct, it doesn’t look like too many people are using it.

    P.S. the racing mechanism is actually really good in this game
    P.P.S. the ad-hoc trophies are impossible…since no one plays this game…

    • Mark Wilson
      March 5, 2012 at 11:40 am PST

      Hi,

      I think once the game has been out a few more weeks and people start to understand Mod Explorer and NEAR you’ll see a lot more action!

  • lisatsunami
    March 5, 2012 at 12:30 pm PST

    Wait, I’m a native of Los Angeles, & a 3rd gen Californian & I thought it was only outsiders who called it “la la land”. I call it by its proper name, truncated to Los Angeles.

    “outsiders” means anybody not born here but can include all those people who moved here, crowd up our fwys and Starbucks, & pretend they’re from here.

    But, back on your topic, I’ve been reading some pretty disappointing reviews of Road Trip, including musings on the IP’s eventual demise in light of LBP adding karting. That is sad speculation, since you personally are providing the best community support in all of Playstation.

    • Mark Wilson
      March 5, 2012 at 1:03 pm PST

      LOL!

      1. As a 2nd gen San Diego native and fellow 3rd gen native (So)Californian you need to know that we all call you that! * he he*

      2. “Los Angeles” was built to be overcrowded. San Diego not so much. note – to anyone reading this.. the weather in SoCal is a hoax. It’s rarely nice here. It’s all a facade. :)

      3. Sadly the reviews do not represent the game in the way we feel it should. What we really strive for is to make a game that the players will like. Those that have bought it love it. Even those on the fence stated that they were glad that they bought it. 99% of our gamers feedback is along those lines. I hope everyone will give it a shot. Heck, for the price of four SoCal favorite “burger places with the cool bumper stickers” meals close to equals a game that offers over 3 mil creations and ENDLESS hours of fun! I’d say that’s a pretty good value!

      4. Demise schemise!

      5. Best community support… WOW, Thank you! The community means everything to us!

      You’re new best friend,

      Mark

      :)

  • lPHOENIXZEROl
    March 5, 2012 at 12:47 pm PST

    @3 killa1b91

    WiFi only model? If so you might need to register your WiFi hotspot’s wireless radio MAC address with Skyhook Wireless. Without doing so it’s probably going off the location of your ISP’s gateway. I’d post the link to Skyhook’s site but then I’d probably get flagged for moderation. <_<

  • HandsomeDave85
    March 5, 2012 at 12:49 pm PST

    Hey Mark
    When are we going to get that MNR ps3 DLC track pack price drop you said was “coming soon”
    After dropping $60 for MNR PS3 on release week another $30 for 3 track packs seems a bit steep. Especially since the game now retails for $20 and is commonly found on sale for less than $15
    Don’t forget about the ps3 community.

  • Major_Hoare
    March 5, 2012 at 1:10 pm PST

    Without online multiplayer MN:RT is destined to be found at the kart racer junk yard IMHO where it belongs. That’s too bad since Modnation PS3 was one of my all time favorite kart racers.

  • R0BIN_LEECH
    March 5, 2012 at 1:29 pm PST

    I thought m.n.r.t. Was gonna be like little big planet, but better(so I heard). And… It wasn’t. and to release a game now days without multiplayer Is stupid. I think it should of said that in the games title. MODMULTIPLAYERLESSNATION.

  • atheistsw
    March 5, 2012 at 1:33 pm PST

    Hi Mark,

    I just wanted to say that whilst I have absolutely no interest in a PS Vita (or handheld gaming for that matter) it saddens me to see the negativity surrounding the release of MNR: Road Trip. I cannot believe that SD Studio’s took the insane decision NOT to include online multiplayer, it is the feature that has been absolutely critical to the continued success and sustainability of the PS3 community.

    Without the ability to race and share our creations with the world (not to mention having long and informed discussions about everything from the best home-made caserole dishes to the state of the world’s economy) this game would have been consigned to mine and many of my Modnation friends dust gathering pile of games a long, long time ago. The creation tools are of course fantastic and I’m still totally addicted after all this time, but without a forum for interaction in the form of the casual rooms I’ve been participating in (and building freindships with fellow gamers within) for almost the past 2 years, NONE of this would matter a bit.

  • atheistsw
    March 5, 2012 at 1:34 pm PST

    CONT’D

    I implore you guys to not just think about adding multiplayer support for the VIta but to actually make sure to go ahead and DO IT, because without it Road Trip will simply become another forgotten game in just a few short months.

    Hopefully you can understand why a game like MNR NEEDS to have online racing and how it’s this very thing that has kept the PS3 community so active since the game’s launch almost 2 years ago.

  • FishBoyFive
    March 5, 2012 at 4:06 pm PST

    I returned my copy to Gamestop today .

    I made the mistake of buying a Kart racer in the year 2012 and thought it would have Online multiplayer.

    two hours after i got home and found this out i got back in the car and returned to gamestop.

    what in the world is with the Serious Lack of multiplayer games on the Vita ?

  • ECOsvaldo
    March 5, 2012 at 4:49 pm PST

    Any chance there will be any more DLC for Modnation Racers for the PS3?

  • R0BIN_LEECH
    March 5, 2012 at 5:08 pm PST

    Well “Mark” i’m glad your having fun playing this game cause i’m not. And i’m gonna sell it tomorrow to help buy Mass Effect 3. Oh and it has multiplayer, what a surprise.

  • R0BIN_LEECH
    March 5, 2012 at 5:48 pm PST

    Are you sorry to hear that it has multiplayer? Do you not like multiplayer? I’m confused. You should check out a game with multiplayer like cod or any other game besides this one.

  • thenoobinator50
    March 5, 2012 at 5:50 pm PST

    Poor, poor Modnation Racers. I still like it despite its lack of online multiplayer, and Now I feel sad because of all the negativity surrounding it. If they would only add that multiplayer, or at least mention it to keep our spirits up.

  • play654321
    March 5, 2012 at 5:51 pm PST

    Hey, for people looking for another cool track, check out Windmill Hill! :)

  • ROLO_ONFIRE
    March 5, 2012 at 5:58 pm PST

    Everyone said it already but please reduce loading times and add online

  • cjmc18
    March 5, 2012 at 6:04 pm PST

    ok, i have a vita with golden abyss. tomorrow im picking up unit 13, i would really love to play modnation after playing the demo. (I DID LOVE IT) but with no online play its hard to see myself playing it after a while. i really want to buy this game, but no online play kills it for me. I really like online play to meet new people and play with everyone around the world.

  • massimodo
    March 5, 2012 at 6:45 pm PST

    Is online play going to be implemented, yes or no? If its no, MNR: Road Trip is done, you can stick a fork in this game. If its yes, then announce it already. BTW, your community forum for Road Trip is about as dead as it gets.

    No amount of posting or cheerleading is going to change the fact that you guys screwed up royally by not including online mulitplayer. Acknowledge the mistake and rectify the situation, otherwise, pay the consequences of having a game that is a sales stiff. The choice is yours. Gamers and reviewers have voiced their wishes. Honestly, guys, get a clue.

  • R0BIN_LEECH
    March 5, 2012 at 7:14 pm PST

    @#22 high five!

  • HandsomeDave85
    March 5, 2012 at 7:15 pm PST

    Hey Mark
    Don’t worry about all these people complaining about MNR:RT online play.
    You know what is an easy fix? price dropping the MNR ps3 dlc track packs!

  • Toyboyz
    March 5, 2012 at 8:37 pm PST

    3 Weeks after release of this game and still nothing on the Online Multiplayer Patch, and with Mark adamantly avoiding patch questions suggests that there is little, to no chance that the patch will ever be released.

    I suppose it makes sense the developers have probably already abandoned the game for the next title, because it doesn’t look like this one is going to do very well. Happy to be proven wrong but at this stage this looks unlikely.

  • JNM-CIM
    March 5, 2012 at 8:45 pm PST

    Hi Mark! Thank you for the Hot Lap spot! Kudos to mackAttack8000 too! He kind of came out of nowhere and has really been dishing out some great tracks!

  • JNM-CIM
    March 5, 2012 at 8:46 pm PST

    I finally got to get my hands on a Vita for the first time at a local store. I tapped the MNR Road Trip bubble, and it was off to the races. Track loading times are lengthy, but the original start up loading time is much faster than on the PS3.

    From the one track I was able to try, the game looks amazing! While still not on par with the quality of the PS3, it looks brilliant on the OLED screen and comes pretty close. My favorite addition though was the new weapons! To actually have 10 or more different categories to work with made the racing experience a lot more fun.

    From the weapons I was able to fire off in the demo, my favorite would probably have to be the pea shooter (I think that’s what it was called) because it was like having a mini machine gun on the kart.

    Personally, I don’t really see the need for online racing in this game. It’s the type of game that is great to pick up and play for a little while and then get back to reality. I could easily see using this while on the road, even for short trips. It still has online creation sharing, and I think it complements the PS3 version nicely.

    • Mark Wilson
      March 6, 2012 at 10:09 am PST

      Hi JNM-CIM,

      First of all congrats on Hot Lap!

      Thanks for the kind words.

      I am glad you gave the game a chance. I really do wish more players like you would wait to make a final opinion until after giving it a chance. You speak for the majority of people that have actually played it and given us their feedback.

      Send me PSN friend request at ModNationSDVita. I can’t wait to see what creations you come up with. If it’s anything like your PS3 creations, this game just got even better!

  • HeroKane
    March 6, 2012 at 1:22 am PST

    Hello, I had an Idea that I would like to get out there to Vita game developers and to Sony. It’s a control scheme for people who prefer regular controls as opposed touch control. All PS Vita games should have it as an option, as well as all PS1, if they do PS2, and all remote play PS3 games. If you’re looking at the rear touch panel and imagine a plus sign so the rear panel is divided into 4 equal parts. Top left is R2, Top right is L2, Bottom left is R3, and Bottom right is L3, This mimics the PS3 controller and gives plays a control scheme there used to. Call it the “PS3 controller” in the control settings. It’s logical, simple for players to use, And very effective. Please share this with Sony and other developers as I cannot.

  • lovelyblueness
    March 6, 2012 at 1:57 am PST

    Hi, Mark.
    Where can I see your Mod Postcard you took in Grauman’s Chinese Theatre?

  • DarktaxFA
    March 6, 2012 at 6:44 am PST

    i bought this in good faith that this game would be getting an online patch but from what i have heard and see on this blog that doesn’t seem to be happening due to no news of it coming or even mentioned …… so unless there is soon i will probs sell or trade this in

  • Tecnoboy1
    March 6, 2012 at 9:35 am PST

    Hi Mark, I’ll be getting this when I finish WipEout 2048!

    • Mark Wilson
      March 6, 2012 at 10:13 am PST

      Finish Wipeout?! Man, that’s a tall order but we’ll be here. Can’t wait to see your new Vita creations!

  • JNM-CIM
    March 6, 2012 at 12:01 pm PST

    @Mark Wilson:

    I don’t actually have a PS Vita yet, I was just trying the demo out at the store. But thank you for the invite anyway!

  • Elvick_
    March 6, 2012 at 12:20 pm PST

    I caved and bought it because I kept getting tons of Near items for it. Didn’t want them to go to waste since I would have probably picked up the game eventually anyway.

    I do still hope for an online patch, however this game is super fun. I think it’s a lot more fun than the PS3 version (which is fun don’t get me wrong). So despite no story, which does (as I suspected) make it a little less charming and the lack of online, it’s a great game. Lots of neat online related features, just no actual racing which is a shame. Ghost racing is quite satisfying though I must say.

    And the weapons are so win. Well done overall, but again… I hope for an online patch so I can have this fun online.

  • leithal7
    March 7, 2012 at 4:31 am PST

    I love modnation on my PS3, but my favourite thing about that game is the multiplayer. Which the PS Vita version doesn’t have. Who thought of the horrible idea to have no multiplayer in a kart racing game?!

  • DeathHeart_86
    March 8, 2012 at 8:21 am PST

    Wassup Mark!!

    Dude, i love Modnation!! Really i do. But i have to say, i prefer the ps3 version. Not because the Vita version sucks (i bought it and it is awesome) but because i prefer to play Modnation a the bigger screen. I don’t know man, the ps3 version looks more real to me. And i’m not speaking about the graphics because i know what i signed up for when i bought my beloved Vita. Plus, the touch control of Road Trip are not perfect… they are resistive most of the time and my giant fingers don’t make it any better. With all that said, i will still be playing Road Trip on the crapper or when i’m on the move.

    PS: I hope future updates will fix the touch issues and… cough cough… MULTIPLAYER!!!!!

  • techey91
    March 11, 2012 at 4:07 pm PDT

    if only the loadtime was a lot faster

  • mkddforever
    March 20, 2012 at 10:05 am PDT

    this game is great, just like the ps3 version, but its amazing on the ps vita n i like this 1 is better. i like it more cause, of the new weapons system, but im kinda bit devo that they changed the sonic rift to do somthin else, i was hoping it would do the exact same thing as the ps3 version, any chance that can be changed?

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