Pixar movies really lend themselves
to the world of video games. Not only does the animation style already resemble
that of most games, but the stories are generally light on the plot with great
characters – a big appeal for most younger gamers. Cars is not only one of Pixar’s best works
it is also easily one of the most adaptable from movie-to-game.
While this game is not perfect, it is a good driving game on the Wii and a great
side project from the movie.
The game takes place after the
movie, following Lightning McQueen as he and fellow cars, like Mater, race
around town, challenge fast newcomers, and compete in the town’s up and coming
stadium. The game itself takes place in an open world and lets players pick and choose what
races they want to compete in. The challenges could be the standard three-lap races, tag
games, or item pick-up events. There’s even a fairly satisfying music mini-game
that varies gameplay up just a bit, but all of the mini-games help to keep
things from getting repetitive. As players win challenges they will collect the
flags, and new towns, new mini-games and more challenging races will become
available.
"Ka-Powww!!!"
Strangely, the default steering
mechanic is set to analog on the nunchuck. Players can then powerslide by
tilting the nunchuck and gas with the A button. Although it’s a little loose,
the Wii-Mote steering configuration is adequate, and I’m suprised this wasn’t
made the default control – especially since this game is geared for younger
kids. For both configurations, lifting the Wii-Mote straight up jumps your car
for clearing obstactles or getting big air. The motion steering is a little
loose and the races themselves are only average. Overall, it’s a solid driving
game but one that lacks the punch that say a Burnout has, or the quirky fun a
Mario Kart exhibits.
The graphics in Mater National are not as good as a game like Super Mario
Galaxy, but they’re Ok – better than
most licensed games. The occasional drop in framerate is frustrating and will
slow down those intense races. But the environments you race in look like they were cut straight out of the movie, and in that
regard this game will really appeal to the movie’s fans. Since it is an open
world, you can drive around to all your favorite locales, like the Drive-in and
Luigi’s Garage. You can even take a spin through the canyon!
"At least he isn’t saying ‘Git ir don’"
What really stands out in this game
is the writing and animation. The little skits that drive the minimal plot are
extremely well done and are as good as the movie. On top of that, most, if not,
all of the real voice actors have reprised their roles. The gags are witty and
the easy-going attitude of the game is reflected in them. Where would the
dialogue stand, however, if the voice acting didn’t? No need to worry. The
animation of the cars and all the moving parts that make them talk are nearly on
par with Pixars’ animation. Well, not quite; but trust me, fans of the movie
will be racing through challenges even faster to get to these scenes.
The game is not without flaws,
however. As I mentioned before, I found it strange that motion control steering
was not the default setting. Similarly, the default audio settings have the
music set really low, where you almost have to strain to hear it. Both of those
can be fixed manually, but it’s just annoying. You’ll want to hear the music,
too, because it’s very good. Driving through the canyons and powersliding around
turns is great with "Life is a Highway" blaring in the background. The only
problem is that it is the only licensed track in the game! All of the other
great tunes from the movie are not included (Route 66 anyone?!).
I also don’t like the way the music
halts when you go into a menu. You’re driving into the finish line singing "Life
is a Highway" and then when you get the awards menu, everything halts. That
great tune is stopped abruptly and you’re told via a line of text that you won.
What kind of victory celebration is that? No replays, no confetti – just text
and an exclamation mark. Like this! After that, you’re teleported back to your
starting point in the town, ready for a new challenge.
|
|
Gameplay: 7.0
A decent driving game, but the motion controls are a little loose and
unresponsive. The rhythm game could have used some waggle.
Graphics: 7.5
The environments accurately depict the locales in the movie and the animations
in the cut scenes are superb. Lag creeps in every now and then.
Sound: 6.5
The music is great …. but there’s only one licensed song and you have to
listen to it over and over. The other songs are good driving music but it would
have been great to have more licensed tunes. The in-game quips from A.I. get
annoying and repetitive as well.
Difficulty:Medium
The challenges range from easy to medium. But on general, you’ll be replaying a
race to finally get first.
Concept: 8.0
It’s a very good implementation of the franchise and it works because of the
writing. It doesn’t take itself too seriously either.
Multiplayer: 7.5
Grab a friend and you can extend the life of this game.
Overall: 7.5
Fans of the movie will love this game and I highly recommend it to them. The
game works just as a driving game, but there are better ones out there – like
Excite Truck or Need For Speed. The fantastic writing in this game really makes
it a worthwhile purchase for Pixar fans, but overall the driving aspect of it is
only average.
