Have a Fun Race-themed birthday party with ModNation Racers for PS3

If you have a young racecar fanatic on your hands, how do you throw him the best birthday party ever? Just follow these handy tips:

Hang racing flags and balloons by your front door so guests will be greeted with some cool racing-themed decor.


Cut out black roads and yellow road dividers from construction paper and tape them up on the wall; get a black-and-white checkered tablecloth for the party table.


Mini burgers or sliders are round, just like wheels, and every kid loves them.

To keep guests entertained, try these 3 games:

Short (1 min): Instead of guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar, fill your jar with racing wheels!

Medium (3-5 min): Divide the party guests into 2 teams and have them race each other! Choose the race depending on the kids age; options range from 3-legged races to egg-and-spoon relays to racing toy cars down some tracks.

Long (10-60 min): Turn on your PS3 and break out the ModNation Racers! This racing videogame is perfect for racing-themed birthday parties because everyone can play it, no matter what their age or skill level, and everyone will have fun. PlayStation sent us a copy of ModNation Racers to play with, and my boys have been having so much fun.



The basic premise of ModNation Racers is simple: choose a car, choose a driver, choose a racetrack, then use the PS3 controller to maneuver the car around the racetrack. The screen gives you a "3rd-person" view, as though you are looking at the track from the point of view of a camera that is mounted just behind your car and driver, so you can see the road's twists, turns and obstacles. Beginners only need to steer the car, while more experienced players can jazz things up by making their race cars drift, accelerate, brake, spin, leap, even sideswipe other players!

You can race by yourself (single-player mode or time trials), race with your friends (up to four players can race at the same time; the screen splits into 2, 3 or 4, showing each racer's point of view), or join an online race. Naturally, for a birthday party, the most fun option is to race against your friends!

Preparing to race is just as much fun as the racing itself. You can create your own players (or Mods, as they are called) by selecting their features, outfits, even skin tones (and I'm not just talking shades of tan and brown -- you can really go crazy with colors and patterns).

You can create your own racing kart by choosing wheels, body, colors, patterns, exhaust and other features.

Best of all, you can even create your own race track! I've never seen this before, and I thought it was such a fun, unique feature. The boys spend just as much time creating their racing world as they do playing it; it's another example of how ModNation Racers brings together the best of my kids' competitive and creative natures. It's sure to be the hit of any racing-themed birthday party!

Good luck with your party, and happy birthday to your little ModRacers!.

Disclosure: As a PlayStation Family blogger, I received a copy of the videogame to facilitate my review. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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