Cars

Cars is not the most complex racing game around, but it manages to capture the Pixar spirit very well. Aside from this, it’s an enjoyable game with solid gameplay and a great presentation.

It's kind of like a junior sandbox approach that younger gamers will enjoy because they can just trundle around without crashing or waiting for loads and older kids will love because it allows them to explore a large area and find characters and items that they'll recognize from the movie.

Surprisingly polished. [Aug 2006, p.76]

Although by no means perfect, Cars certainly raises the bar, and hopefully the public's expectations of what a video game tie-in should be. For this more than anything, Rainbow Studios should be applauded.

Almost a must-buy for fans of the film. Cars is a top-notch adventure/racing game with an unwieldy camera. It’s challenging, but the challenges won’t be enough to keep gamers – young or old – from beating it quickly.

It was refreshing to play through a title that was[n't] simply a copy of the film, either; the game picks up right where the "Cars" movie left off and lets you decide McQueen's fate.

It's hardly the next big thing in driving games, but it still manages to deliver the most authentic Pixar film experience to the video game medium of any previous attempt, and it's certainly one of the better kid-oriented games to come out this year.

The main downside is the poor map that's supposed to show where to find the objectives. Also, the loading times times tend to hold up the progress. Those quibbles aside, this exceeds all expectations. [Sept 2006, p.64]

An easy racing game for children. It has minor graphic problems and a much too easy story mode, but the soundtrack is awesome. [Oct 2006]

Cars really becomes a balancing act in the end, and it will be up to the individual players to decide if the sum is greater or weaker than its parts. It’s definitely worth a rental for fans of the movie, though we’d strongly encourage people to weigh their possibilities before dropping the full purchase amount.

The best thing that can be said about Cars is that it lays down solid racing gameplay without feeling generic.

Whichever version you play, Cars is a likable little racing adventure. The gameplay is nothing outstanding, but it's fun enough while it lasts, and overall it looks pretty slick.

It's an odd place to be in; on the one hand, the racing bits, the core gameplay just doesn't feel as solid as it should -- and certainly not on par with Rainbow Studios' other projects -- yet the presentation manages to replicate the charm and looks of the source material so well, that it doesn't feel like a licensed game, it feels like something that was developed alongside the movie in terms of how it matches the big screen product.

But what really makes Cars stand out from the pack is the excellent driving controls and physics created by Rainbow Studios.

Cars isn't a highly innovative title and it has a few problems such as slow pacing and some technical errors, but for the most part the game is enjoyable and a great for fans of the film.

What happens when a game does all of the little things right, but doesn’t deliver much in the gameplay department? That’s exactly what happened with Cars.

It's possibly the first decent Pixar game. Young gamers who liked the movie will get a kick out of it, but older gamers will be better off with the dozens of other racing games out there.

This certainly shouldn't beat "Burnout" or "Need for Speed" for your racing dollars, but it might if you're shopping for the family. [Aug 2006, p.81]

Squarely aimed at young gamers, but Cars provides more fun than most kids titles - this is a welcome step in the right direction. [Sept 2006, p.88]

A quality driving game disguised as child fodder. [Sept 2006, p.84]

If you attempt to unlock everything in this game you can expect it to last about 15 hours or so. The average gamer will probably get five to eight hours out of it before they've seen most of it and start to get bored. I would definitely recommend renting this for a weekend before committing to a purchase.

While Cars is fun and inventive at times, it does manage to stay a cut below most of the competition.

The racing in Cars is fun and accessible for children, and the story is appropriate for all ages, but frustrating mini-games and lack of direction at key points in a children’s game are both unforgivable oversights.

Many youngsters will simply enjoy hooning around Radiator Springs, although some might get frustrated not knowing where to go next.

There’s little variation among the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox versions of Cars, and each hits the mark in terms of racing game basics such as framerate and sense of speed. Rainbow Studios has performed admirably here.

With care and consistency, Cars encases the player in memorabilia lifted straight from the cinema screen. For that, the developer should be commended. It’s just a shame they forgot to ship a game with it.

The racing is by no means terrible, and will serve its purpose for those interested in a Cars video game, but had that aspect been nailed, the whole experience would have been elevated a notch or two.

It’s clear that this game is aimed at children. If you have a child that’s a fan of the film, this will no-doubt appeal to them and they may well find it a lot more enjoyable than older gamers.