A word on load times as I don't think people are aware of why they're that way.
Unlike I'd guess most Kart/Racing games, Modnation Racers uses an approach where the track is basically 'built' every time you play it from a file containing the info on what the track should look like.
this was to ensure super fast upload/download of tracks and support the editor aspect of the game.
While I'm sure they'll patch it and may manage to make them a bit smaller I think people need to be realistic about the design here.
As I understand it everything in a track exists simply as coordinates and a flag for what it is. The long load times are in fact the engine reading the file super fast but then having to build the track from the info before you can play.
This means very quick sharing of assets in support of the Create/Share aspects of the title (and I have to say the speed of sharing is fantastic) but the downside is that the time taken to essentially create the track from the file is sure to result in loads that are longer than more traditional engines where the assets may actually be large but the load and play aspect is fast.
The problem with traditional racing engines is that sharing content would be slow and could be horribly slow with slower connections.
So in summary, the load times are tied to the engine and the design being built around sharing and rapid transmission of assets as well as the play aspects.
Just like LBP I'd bet every developer level was built in the editor using the same tools. I suppose the developer could have used a hybrid where official levels were created and loaded differently, but this would have created a big split with the experience for user created levels and would also have complicated the engine design.
I'm curious how they'll approach this. The obvious answer will be too try and further optimize the code around creating the level from the instruction file, but given the retail code (for those not aware) seems to be faster than the Beta I wonder how much time they can really optimize code they've clearly been trying to optimize for a while?
Personally for the most part I've found the load times haven't been too bad - 30 to 40 seconds mostly, and given I intend to split my time between creating/racing it has less impact for me too.
If you're just getting this for the racing then I'd say go ahead, just be realistic you're going to trade really fast loading for access to what is sure to be a huge number of tracks, karts, etc. and a fun experience.
Try to be reasonable... its easier than you think...
