1st Impressions: Cars is a suprisingly good kiddy racing game based on the terrific Pixar film.
The Bad: Graphics aren't that spiffy, collision detection problems, some mini-games are lame.
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For the most part, games based on movies suck. This year, we had a bunch of bad games based on mostly bad animated movies. One exception to that rule is Cars, based on a great movie and makes for a solid, kiddy themed open world racing game. The video game version of Cars actually takes place after the film, which is sort of a bridge between the movie and what could be a Cars 2 in the distant future. You get to play as most of the lovable automobiles from the film, but mostly as Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson of Wedding Crashers. One major plus of Cars is the fact that the source material leads itself pretty darn well to a game. Was there any doubt as to what kind it would be? If there was, that person should be shot... :P Developer Rainbow Studios has some experience with racing games, putting out the first two ATV Offroad Fury games for Sony and MX Vs, ATV Unleashed for THQ, so making them the developer of the Cars game was another good move.
The game also features the voice cast from the movie in the game. Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman and Larry the Cable Guy are all featured voices and do pretty well. The visuals of Cars aren't the best. It is essentially a port of the Xbox version released when the film was, but it turned out to be enough of an improvement to not be completely dissappointing. The soundtrack features some good road trip songs, but no Rascal Flats or most of the music from the actual movie. The achievements in Cars are extremely easy. The lowest amount you can get in the game is 50 gamerscore, so achievement hunters should at least give this a rent.
The actual gameplay is surpisingly good. You get street races on Radiator Springs' dirt roads, NASCAR style races on your quest for the Piston Cup along with a few suprises thrown in for good measure. There are some slight collision detection issues, but these can easily be forgiven, because this is a kiddy game. The entire game is set in an open world, so you can pick and choose what to complete when you want to complete it. Several of the mini-games, including tractor tipping and pit stop games are fun and cleaver, while others like the police chaces can be irritating. Overall, Cars is one of the best movie based games of the year and is worth checking out for fans of the movie young and old.
Gameplay: Massive open world and solid racing mechanics make Cars a suprisingly good game.
Graphics: They are clearly ported, but aren't that bad on the 360.
Sound: With the celebrity voice cast from the movie involved, the sound is pretty good as well.
Value: It's quite a bit more expensive for the 360 than it is for the PS2 or Xbox, but for achievements and XBLM content, it's better to get this version.
Final Thoughts: "You hurt your what?" Mater.