Why ModNation Racers Vita has no online head-to-head mode
Sony: "We really wanted to evolve online functionality."
The Sony studio behind forthcoming Vita racer ModNation Racers: Road Trip has explained its perplexing decision not to include head-to-head online multiplayer in the game.
Writing in a post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony San Diego game director Erich Waas said that the developer's aim was to focus on innovating online play rather than falling on back on tradition.
"I know there are some of you that are disappointed that ModNation Racers: Road Trip doesn't let you play head-to-head online other than ad-hoc," wrote Waas.
"But we really wanted to evolve online functionality and take advantage of the PlayStation Vita's unique feature set in new ways. If all we ever did as developers is rehash features that have been done in previous games, we'd still be entering passwords instead of using save files and you'd have to start the entire game over after you lost your three lives (extra 1-ups aside).
"While online head-to-head has been a mode used in many games in recent years, we focused on making a game that is crafted for how portable games are most often played - in quicker 'pick up and play' sessions multiple times in a day. Your online interaction, competition and socialisation will always be when it's convenient for you."
Elsewhere in his post, Waas detailed in full exactly what sort of online features you can expect from the game when it launches this Spring - namely localised leaderboards, downloadable ghost data, track sharing and various geolocation extras.
