Last year, THQ released their video game tie-in for the smash hit Disney-Pixar
film, Cars. The game sold very well, prompting THQ to ready a sequel to tie-in
with the film’s recent launch on Blu-Ray disc. Cars: Mater-National Championship
for the Nintendo DS is a racing game that offers new tracks and mini-games while
revisiting the popular characters from the film.
The game offers voice work by some of the film’s stars (including Larry the
Cable Guy reprising the role of Mater), and bright and colorful graphics that
represent the film’s world quite well. However, the gameplay itself leaves quite
a bit to be desired, with floaty handling and an overall lack of challenge.
Still, younger fans of the movie might get a kick out of the game.
Cars Mater-National has Mater, the yokel tow truck from the film, starting up
his own racing festival to celebrate the construction of Lighting McQueen’s new
racing headquarters in Radiator Springs. The story isn’t much to get excited
about as nothing terribly consequential happens at all.
You’ll play as a number of characters from the film, including Mater and
Lightning McQueen himself, as you race through a variety of tracks both original
and inspired by the movie. The tracks are pretty diverse, and have a good amount
of shortcuts in them in order to help you get the lead on your opponents. You
can also hit specific targets that will allow you to open up more areas on the
track, letting you collect secret items and trophies. As you complete the races
and gain bonuses, you’ll be able to unlock new characters to race with.
The racing mechanics leave a lot to be desired, not feeling the least bit
challenging or realistic. All of the cars handle about the same, with the only
real distinction between them being their look. If you memorize the shortcuts
for each track, there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t be able to wipe the
floor with your opponents.
The game’s graphical presentation is its strongest point, with nice looking car
models and colorful, detailed environments. Everything also moves at a smooth
framerate as well, keeping the action fast.
The sound effects are Ok, with voice work from the original actors from the
film. The music is MIDI-fied guitar riffs that grow a bit tedious and repetitive
after a while. The sound quality also could use some work, as the voice acting
(while pretty good) sounds a bit too compressed.
Cars Mater-National Championship won’t bring much of a challenge to more
seasoned gamers, but will likely appeal to the younger, more casual crowd.
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Gameplay: 6.0
Cars:
Mater-National offers up a variety of tracks complete with shortcuts and
environmental changes that the player can catalyze themselves to reach special
items or get the drop on their opponents. Unfortunately, the driving mechanics
are sub-par when compared to other cartoon racers on the market, like Mario Kart
DS. The handling between the different characters is virtually indistinguishable
and steering feels very floaty and unnatural.
Graphics: 8.0
The graphics look quite good, with a smooth framerate and nicely rendered
characters. The environments also look quite good and have lots of details to
them.
Sound: 6.0
The music is a bit repetitive and has the same MIDI-fied riffs playing over and
over again. The voice work is pretty well done and features clips from several
of the film’s actors, but sound a bit compressed and unrecognizable through the
DS’s speakers.
Difficulty: Easy
Concept: 5.5
The
game’s racing model is very simplistic, so anyone expecting any sort of
challenge will be disappointed. The storyline doesn’t really add anything at all
to the Cars universe.
Multiplayer: 5.5
The
game allows you to race against up to three friends in a few different local
wi-fi matches.
Overall: 6.0
Cars:
Mater-National doesn’t add much to the racing genre, with unimpressive driving
mechanics and simplistic gameplay. The game will be far too easy for all but the
youngest set of players, making it hard to recommend for anyone but really young
fans of the film.
