ModNation Racers: Road Trip – No Luck Necessary

When I first started dating my wonderful wife, her mother asked how I was at playing board games. Puzzled (*chuckle*) my wife answered “why”? Come to find out you can tell a lot about one’s character from playing board games and gauging their reactions/attitudes to the games’ twists and turns. This somehow predicts their “potential spousal aptitude.” I did not know that. Yippee!

• Land on blue…you win! (good luck)
• Roll an eight…you lose! (bad luck)
• Flip a card…”move back two spaces”…start over! (no luck at all)

Pure luck dictating the outcome of a game? Narts to that!

Needless to say I’m not a fan of board games but I do now have a wonderful wife and kids and “a” mother-in-law. Who cares, Mark? (Point taken, I’ll move on.)

So here are but a few of the many reasons I enjoy playing the fun (and FAIR!) ModNation Racers: Road Trip. Less luck, more skill!

Choosable Weapons: Weapon classes are distinguished by their item pod color. This means I get to choose what weapons I want to use when and where I want to use them. If I find it necessary I can also “cash in” any weapon I posses to convert into a boost with a simple touch of my weapon icon. Cha-ching! That was me coming from out of nowhere!

Personalized/Balanced Matchmaking: With my frail ego, the last thing I need is to compete against players soooooo much better than me that I get chills from the winds they produce whizzing by me. ModNation Racers: Road Trip’s matchmaking system searches for those closest to my (we’ll call it) ability to place me in some winnable heats. I love that!

Defensible Weapons: YES! Not only will I receive audible clues (can be toggled off) of incoming attacks, but I’ll have the advantage of a visible “lock-on” reticule over my mod’s icon on the status bar, helping me time my protective shield. This means on my long plane flights I’ll finally have a fighting chance to defend myself in races. Trust me, the person sitting next to you in coach does NOT want to hear the increasing, whirling, crescendo of your warning tone. Go figure. (They must be board game lovers.)

Amnesty Shield: Have you ever experienced that gut feeling that, right as you’re about to let loose your level-three hydras, the kart behind you is about to do the same thing to you? Problem solved! The new Amnesty Shield feature protects you from any similar weapon launched from an opponent until your devastation has been imposed. Pretty fair I say.

Refined/Controlled Drifting And Braking: I like my racing straight up. Literally. That’s how I roll. Some enjoy “snaking” or frenetically “zig-zagging” down the track to build up their boost meter. ModNation Racers: Road Trip refinements allow much more controlled, subtle yet powerful drifting. This means I’ll always be moving forward on the track instead of constantly battling the under and over-steering issue present in most racing games. I think you will notice and enjoy the difference, too.

Race Assist: Although I may not have a need for racing assistance, it’s good to know it’s there for others to use. I know my mother-in-law is going to need all the help she can get when I deliver her a new Vita and ModNation Racers: Road Trip for her upcoming birthday. I’ll show you, “mom”! Mwahahaha!

Have a great week everyone!

Mark

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