Reviewed: November 3, 2006
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
THQ

Developer
Rainbow Studios

Released: October 23, 2006
Genre: Racing
Players: 1-2
ESRB: Everyone

8
8
8
8
8.0

Supported Features:

Cars is one such game, and it probably doesn’t hurt that it’s based on what, in my opinion, is one of the best animated tales of all time. And much like the movie, this is one game that will appeal to gamers of all ages. My younger niece and nephew had a great time playing it and so did their 42-year old uncle.

Cars has all the classic ingredients; charming characters, professional voice acting, stunning graphics right from Pixar, and some truly inspired gameplay that blends puzzles, adventure, action, and pure racing. Players can even pick from the Full Story or a Compact mode targeted toward the younger drivers out there.

You’ll play as Lightning McQueen, starting off in Radiator Springs where you get to explore the town and surrounding areas as well as engage in all sorts of challenge races and even hunt down some missing postcards. Once you hook up with Mator you’ll get to go tractor-tipping, which is probably the most fun I’ve had in a stealth mission since Splinter Cell.

Cars is delightfully simple with intuitive controls that make it easy to steer, brake, powerslide, boost, jump, tilt up on two wheels, and even drive backwards. You’re guided through the multi-chapter story through a series of goals and race events you can do in any order you choose. Once complete, new chapters and new areas become available. It’s a pretty clever system that keeps you in certain sections of a very large map through natural obstacles or manmade ones like a road that is under construction preventing you from going into the desert.

There are lighting bolt pick-ups scattered about the levels as well as dozens of missing postcards you must located to complete one of the larger missions that spreads across the entire game. These postcards represent the hardest challenge in the entire game since they are hidden under bridges, in caves, and on the highest mushroom mesa. Getting these requires some very tricky jumping puzzles.

You’ll acquire numerous trophy points that track your progress through the story. These lead to major racing events on actual tracks and it all leads up to the Piston Cup. The big race events are usually not that difficult to win, but they do offer a really fun and interactive pit crew mini-game where you have to match button-presses to changes tires, clean the window, etc.

There are 30 mini-games that offer some of the more memorable moments in the game. You’ll get to chase down speeders as the Sheriff, or compete in a military obstacle course, race Mator backwards, or try some dirt racing with crazy jumps and even crazier powerslides. As you complete these games within the story they are unlocked for future replays in the other game modes.

The map is huge, even when you are initially restricted to certain zones, but when the game is over and you can go back and just free drive, it can take you a good 15-20 minutes of real time to go from one end of the map to the other, and the scenery is breathtaking. Remember that movie moment where Lightning comes out of the tunnel and sees the giant waterfall and the pine trees? The game captures that moment with perfect clarity. In fact, that entire section of the map is not only a showcase moment for the game but the 360 in general.

The HUD and map screen is fun and friendly with a nice overview map that lets you change chapters and access events. The entire presentation of the game has a Cars flavor from entering your name on a license plate to selecting your events from road signs.

There are some excellent cutscenes and movies that take the visuals to near film-like quality and seamlessly transition with the game graphics. Cars on the 360 is by far the closest thing to playing an actual CG movie as we’ve seen to date.

Sound effects are excellent with all sorts of engine sounds and environmental noises. There is a fantastic 3D mix that really envelops you as you drive through the desert and scream down Route 66 at 200mph.

The soundtrack is short but oh so sweet, even if it is aimed at gamers my age rather than the kids who are likely to be playing the game. With groups like Los Lobos, Stray Cats, and The Edgar Winter Group, there are 9 licensed tracks that will keep your toes tapping while you race around Radiator Springs and explore the desert.

The multiplayer is great fun, at least for the younger racing audience, offering split-screen racing action for any of the tracks and courses using any of the cars already unlocked during the story mode. Sure, there are better racing games out there with a lot more substance, but they don’t have the charm of Cars.

There are 15 Achievements that will earn you a cool 1000 points and none of them are all that hard. Well, maybe the postcard hunt and tractor tipping, but the rest pretty much just come naturally through the progression of the story. You will have to play the Full Story to get all the points.

Best of all, Cars is just plain fun to play, with races, exploration, and even some tactical stealth puzzles, making this truly a game for all ages. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face, Cars is one of the most delightful games you can play this holiday season.