Cars was a
masterpiece. Not just the movie, but the game as well. It was creative,
innovative, and a lot of fun to play. The only thing that prevented it from
achieving racing game perfection was a cluster of technical problems. Still, the
fun gameplay – which encompassed every automobile from the film plus several new
ones – seeped through. Rainbow Studios, the genius developer behind Splashdown
and the original ATV Offroad Fury, had produced another classic.
When it was
confirmed that Cars Mater-National would be released this fall, the announcement
was somewhat unexpected. Unlike other hot movie licenses, Pixar flicks aren’t
usually milked for all their worth. They rarely receive more than one game per
movie release. But Cars was unusual – its story was great, the settings were
taken right from the movie, and the racing missions were very entertaining. This
sent the game’s replay value through the roof, leading to higher-than-average
sales. I know I’m not the only one who craved a sequel. It was an opportunity
Pixar and THQ couldn’t pass up.
All
Aboard
Cars
Mater-National takes players back to Radiator Springs for another ride through
the canyons. Lightning McQueen, Mater, Ramone, and a few other familiar faces
(including a surprise appearance from characters featured in the film’s credits)
are revved and ready for the first Mater-National championship. Headlined by
Lightning McQueen, this race has garnered attention from all around the world.
Luigi’s beloved Italian cars will attend, and they’re not the only ones whose
countries are represented.
Race, relay,
Ramone music, and canister collection stages are the leading objectives in
Mater-National. The race and relay challenges have only one difference: during
relays, you change vehicles every lap. Relay races tend to be longer than a
regular race, even though they both contain the same amount of laps.
The Ramone
music stages are just what they sound like: another mini-game that’s trying to
cash in on the success of Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution. Four different
music notes scroll across the screen. That’s nothing you haven’t heard before,
which is why Mater-National changed the formula. Hoping to kick it up to a
higher, more challenging level, the game displays four separate notes. Each of
the four notes corresponds to a different button. Two of the notes scroll from
the left to the right side of the screen, the other two scroll from the right to
the left.
I’m sure
this sounded like a great idea on paper, but there’s no way to view the notes
coming in from both sides without going a little cross-eyed.
In addition
to Radiator Springs, Lightning McQueen-wannabes will get to explore Tailfin Pass
and other locales that were either from the film, from last year’s game, or
appear that they were. Most races are conducted right in the middle of Radiator
Springs and the other featured locations.
All, Uhh,
Bored
Cars
Mater-National takes players back to Radiator Springs for another ride through
the – wait a sec, I seem to be having a bit of deja vu. In June 2006, I played
through Cars on PlayStation 2. I played through the game again on Xbox 360 later
that year. Now I’ve just played through Cars Mater-National, the official
sequel, yet I felt like I was playing the first game. But something didn’t fit.
The game felt distinctly different from the way I remembered the first Cars.
Then it hit
me. The engine was the same plus two additions: slowdown and clipping. Those are
horrendous flaws – inexcusable for PlayStation 3, especially when the engine was
clearly made for PlayStation 2 and merely ported to the next-gen platforms.
(This differs from Ratatouille, whose engine was made for next-gen consoles and
scaled down for older, less powerful machines.) With such a weak engine, PS3’s
power is technically free to take care of clipping and other problems that
usually appear in gorgeous, high-polygon games.
Then it hit
me again, this time leaving tire marks across my face. The camera has been
stabilized (finally!) but the controls aren’t silky-smooth anymore. Lighting
McQueen and his friends steer with an awkward resistance. The jumping mechanic
feels the same, but his other tricks aren’t on par with last year’s model.
Lightning is also more prone to getting stuck between rocks, fences and other
objects after crashing, and is likely to jump several feet into the air
following a head-on collision. Adding insult to injury, the load times are much
longer than the PS2 and Xbox 360 versions of the first game.
I got hit
one more time before grabbing a helmet. Remember the wonderful races and
engrossing mini-games of the first Cars? Remember how much fun it was to scare
tractors into tipping over? Remember the cool lighting elements that
corresponded to this mini-game? Cherish those memories, because you won’t be
making any new ones with Cars Mater-National. The “new” tracks aren’t really
new, they’re rehashed from the last game and have longer straightaways (not an
improvement), fewer opportunities to speed boost effectively, and a much slower
frame rate.
Opponent AI
has two fluctuations: cheap and clueless. You’ll either end up behind a racer
that can drive faster than you for no apparent reason, or you will be able to
beat your opponents so severely that the amount of seconds between you and the
other vehicles is enough to recover from three or four accidents.
By the time
your head stops spinning from confusion (how can this be the sequel to
one of 2006’s best racers!?), the game is over.
It’s great
to know that developers are now looking into the prospect of continuing classic
Pixar stories with additional game releases. Unfortunately for myself and
everyone else who appreciated the first Cars game, Mater-National misses the
bull’s eye by a mile. If the series is to go any further, let’s hope they go
back to the formula that made the original game a classic.
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Gameplay: 4.9
A snooze-fest
with lackluster courses and boring mini-games.
Graphics:
4.0
Cars
Mater-National’s visuals are not redeemed by the fact that the cars themselves
look great. Not great by PS3 standards, but still great. The other graphic
elements, however, are below average for PS2 – and a complete eyesore for PS3.
Sound: 6.0
Big-name voice
actors (such as Larry the Cable Guy) can only sound as good as the script, which
is nowhere near the quality of the first Cars game.
Difficulty: Easy
Could this game
get any easier?
Concept: 3.0
Unlike Hollywood,
there are no excuses for repeats. It wasn’t the game industry that went on
strike last week.
Multiplayer: 4.5
The entertainment
rating isn’t suddenly increased by dragging a friend to your television.
Overall: 4.9
Cars
Mater-National plays like one of those “me-too!” games that follow the release
of huge hits. Me-too games don’t usually come in the same series; I would have
expected to see this happen with a knock-off game called Trucks, SUVs, or
Crossover. But not the sequel to Cars.
