I hate to say it, but in this day and age, kart racers are a dime a dozen. Since Mario first hopped behind the wheel and launched his first turtle shell, nearly every cutesy cartoon character out there has tried their hand at the genre.

I remember the first time I saw Sony's recently released kart Racer, ModNation Racers, as it was unvieled at E3 2009. I was somewhat skeptical of the concept given that the whole "Play, Create, Share" motto was associated with LittleBigPlanet, a platform game that took gamers by storm.

ModNation Racers has been quite the surprise for me personally. When I first saw it during Sony's Conference at E3 I was left unenthused and almost disappointed, but as time went on and I learned more about it I became more and more excited.

Play. Create. Share. A simple yet eloquent development philosophy that Sony should have no trouble capitalizing on. First, there was LittleBigPlanet , and now there's ModNation Racers .

I am hoping ModNation Racers will become something of a fine wine. Sure it is enjoyable straight off the bat, but give it time, as it ages, and it will become a much better and richer experience, as more and more creators add their own tracks into the game via its powerful creation system.

Extensive character; kart and track creation; Longevity in both on and offline modes; Challenging campaign and gameplay

Steep difficulty curve later on is frustrating; Kart performance tweaking would of been good; Long loading times

Just like LittleBigPlanet , ModNation Racers does a fantastic job in offering a charming, entertaining and engaging experience. The number of different creative options available to you is quite superb, and once you do finally start racing, you'll find ModNation to be a very enjoyable kart racer.

" ModNation Racers " is the latest PS3 play, create and share title and whilst it may seem a safe bet to release a kart racing game in this format it proves very successful.

ModNation Racers looked in danger of being rather generic when it was first unveiled – an average kart racer adorned in colourful, player-created clothing, perhaps. So, its exuberant personality comes as a very pleasant surprise.

A must buy for fans of fun. The recipe for success is in the box […]

+ Great creation tools; + Gorgeous visuals; + Spot-on controls; + Massive amounts of content; + Wonderful charm

Long load times; Some balance issues

ModNations Racers expands on the create, play, share concept started by Little Big Planet in a very big way.