Cars
Score: 80% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: THQ Developer: Buena Vista Media: CD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Action/ Racing/ Arcade
Graphics & Sound: Capturing the excitement of a summer blockbuster is a hard thing to do. Playing off a winning visual style is apparently getting easier and easier. The Wii version of Cars looks about as good or better than anything else on the system. Radiator Springs come to life will prompt immediate oohs and aahs from the little chilluns, but they won't be as enamored of the mediocre gameplay. Still, you can't knock the opportunity to cruise around scenes from the movie. Cars brings a lot of free driving opportunity and exploration that allows you to really appreciate the grandeur of your surroundings. Light flashing through the mountains, tumbleweeds and oil cans scattering as you blast through them going 80 mph... monster jumps across scary gaps and lots of other vehicles cruising the trails around town. Secret passages and undiscovered areas make it really fun to just get lost in the scenery. I felt a bit like I did back when the first racing games for PS2 came along. The realism was like a narcotic. I have since become accustomed to photorealism, but seeing the great movie setting brought some wonder back again for me. The voices and music are right out of the film. There are clips from the movie you can unlock and watch. If you like watching scenes from the making of the game or trailers of other games soon to come, you can watch them in a special bonus section. There are opportunities to tweak the soundtrack of the game to include just the songs you like to hear. The music of the game and the movie is excellent, but everyone has a favorite or two. The in-game effects and voices lend even more credibility to Cars as being connected directly to the movie. Hearing Mater and watching him clown during cut scenes is made better by the fact that the game doesn't try to retread the movie.
Gameplay: Don't think that if you loved the movie and get this you'll be buying a lemon. It isn't a waste of time and money, but you have to come expecting the right ride. When you get in a Toyota expecting a Lexus you are bound to be disappointed unless we're talking a top-of-the-line Sequoia or that new Avalon... Cars is the nice looking Camry that will never be mistaken for a Lexus after a brief road test. The Cars experience is similar because the racing enjoyment here is a let down. The Wii-mote is a nice steering wheel after a fashion, but it isn't nearly responsive enough. The races are too far between and seem too hard in one spot then too easy in another. Inconsistent. The missions are also a mixed bag. Starting the story, you can choose between a simplified version and a full version. The simple one is supposed to be for younger kids, but it still doesn't manage down the difficulty. There is a sense of free ranging action that feels good, but Cars goes too far and leaves strings untied all over the place. Missions don't have enough tether to any story and after the first race, you just wander around looking for things to do. Multiplayer and mini-game action is a nicer way to spend one's time. The mini-games have to be opened up in the story, so if you really want it you'll have to earn it. Racing with another player is a nice way to kill time, but the problem with control isn't fixed just because you have another player in the room. At least you have someone to laugh at and laugh with. The CPU races feel pretty cold and you'll either win or lose by a mile. This takes the excitement away and that quality was what made the movie worth seeing. Making it easier to launch two-player racing and incorporating multiplayer more into the core game would have improved the Cars experience on Wii. The mini-games are a fun addition to the story, but you may not care to play them over and over after you beat them in the game. They aren't the teeny-tiny mini-games you see in other titles, so beating them in the game won't compel you to rush and play again from the Main Menu.
Difficulty: Uneven difficulty is strange in a game like this. The mechanics for controlling Lightning McQueen are simple enough and the action is very similar. Why everyone can't get the balance for a game of this type is puzzling. The mini-games are also a mix of easy and hard objectives. Goals that pass for treasure hunts don't include any detail on where to find objects. If this is a tactic to prolong the game, it's very annoying. If it is a genuine attempt to program a balanced difficulty there should be another evaluation. No demographic, including seasoned game reviewers, will make sense of the muddled objectives that crop up again and again during the game. Rather than push for a more linear structure, we have a very free-form and open Cars game here. At least controls are consistent...
Game Mechanics: Everything in Cars uses the Wii-mote in some form and the Nunchuk comes into play infrequently. For mini-games, you'll have some creative uses but the majority of the game has you using the Wii-mote on its side to turn and drive like a steering wheel. Selecting menus or backing out of selections is accomplished through the 1 and 2 buttons. Tilting the Wii-more from left to right will turn the wheels and you can powerslide using the B button or the D-Pad. There isn't a high level of sensitivity in the Wii-mote and this creates a stickiness to the steering. An option to use a more sensitive control scheme or an easier way to powerslide would have been better. It is also odd to have some controls for driving on the Wii-more, but not all of them. Why not tilt the Wii-mote forward and backward to accelerate and decelerate? Instead we get a very safe implementation that doesn't feel that great and fails to impress. The best part of the game was yanking up on the Wii-mote to jump long distances. At times, this will earn you prizes and in other cases you'll find yourself impaled on some object and be required to hit reverse. A very impressive looking title that fails to impress with gameplay. Nothing is broken about Cars and it does use the Wii-mote in some creative ways. The problem comes when you watch the movie and think that the game is going to let you rekindle that excitement you had from the film. Not only will you be let down, but you'll come to resent Cars for what it is not. Instead we can celebrate what Cars means to people now that it is a game property. Racing games are a dime a dozen, but Cars has a great license that generated great, imaginative game settings and action. The problem comes with execution and the failure to make a Cars game that lets you feel the fun and awe you had in the theater. If there's a sequel, you can bet there'll be another Wii game, so we'll all get a second chance.
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
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