NYDAILY NEWS - Review: "Cars 2: The Video Game" gets kids revved up
LOVED IT: Solid visuals, nice courses . . . and you get to do more than race
HATED IT: Sound can be shaky, noticeable rubber-banding
GRAB IT IF: You loved 'Mario Kart,'' or four-player split-screen multiplayer - or both
July 11, 2011
By Ebenezer Samuel
Daily News Staff Writer
Swap Lightning McQueen for Super Mario, change cartoony cars into go-karts, slap a Nintendo label on it and "Cars 2: The Video Game" could easily be confused for the latest iteration of "Super Mario Kart."
And that's definitely not a bad thing. Developer Avalanche's latest movie tie-in game channels an old-school soul and that's a big reason why it's actually, well, fun. Unlike other movie tie-ins (cough, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," cough), "Cars 2" doesn't try to stuff itself into some random, nonsensical 3D platformer/shooter package and it isn't overly concerned with replicating its source material. Avalanche did something even better: It simply made a FUN game.
This is a kart racer that steals a few elements from other hot-shot racing games and draws children in. "Gran Turismo" vets need not apply, but children will be drawn to the "Cars 2" name. Avalanche gives you a robust collection of 20 cars, meaning you get all the big names from Pixar's hit, plus a host of anonymous characters that only my niece would actually recognize. You'll tire of each character's handful of fully voiced quips after just a few races, but the vehicle models look excellent and feature a surprising amount of lighting effects.
All that setup feels distinctly "Cars 2," but the rest of the gameplay is largely stripped from classic kart racer. You'll careen through three-lap race after three-lap race and, after a handful of brief tutorials to teach the racing ropes (these seem more meant for young kids than anyone else), you're introduced to the idea of - wait for it - random question-mark powerups.
Everything you'd expect from a kart racer - from oil slicks to missiles to electric-type bombs - is available for your racing pleasure, each with some kind of spy-car feel . Avalanche also injects a few other additions, too, letting you fill a speed boost meter by showboating.
Showboat moves are controlled with the right stick. You'll find yourself trying to flip your car during jumps, skating around turns on two wheels, even driving backwards - all in hopes of filling a tiny meter and gaining extra speed.
That extra juice is hardly essential in single-player mode, because "Cars 2" has some ultra-friendly A.I. It's a kid's game, right? So that must be why you can spend the first two laps of a race trailing, then almost inexplicably cross the final finish line in first place.
Thankfully, "Cars 2" brings more than bland racing to the table. There's a four-player multiplayer mode that can satisfy an entire family of wannabe spy racers and a handful of other endearing modes. One has you circling the track while looking for batteries to maintain your shield; another requires you to continually kill enemies to restock an ever-draining clock.
It all adds up to a solid kart racer. "Cars 2" doesn't always capture the feeling of Pixar's spy-car series, but despite that, it'll still get the kids in your house revved up.
Reviewed on Xbox 360
LOVED IT: Solid visuals, nice courses . . . and you get to do more than race
HATED IT: Sound can be shaky, noticeable rubber-banding
GRAB IT IF: You loved 'Mario Kart,'' or four-player split-screen multiplayer - or both
July 11, 2011
By Ebenezer Samuel
Daily News Staff Writer
Swap Lightning McQueen for Super Mario, change cartoony cars into go-karts, slap a Nintendo label on it and "Cars 2: The Video Game" could easily be confused for the latest iteration of "Super Mario Kart."
And that's definitely not a bad thing. Developer Avalanche's latest movie tie-in game channels an old-school soul and that's a big reason why it's actually, well, fun. Unlike other movie tie-ins (cough, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," cough), "Cars 2" doesn't try to stuff itself into some random, nonsensical 3D platformer/shooter package and it isn't overly concerned with replicating its source material. Avalanche did something even better: It simply made a FUN game.
This is a kart racer that steals a few elements from other hot-shot racing games and draws children in. "Gran Turismo" vets need not apply, but children will be drawn to the "Cars 2" name. Avalanche gives you a robust collection of 20 cars, meaning you get all the big names from Pixar's hit, plus a host of anonymous characters that only my niece would actually recognize. You'll tire of each character's handful of fully voiced quips after just a few races, but the vehicle models look excellent and feature a surprising amount of lighting effects.
All that setup feels distinctly "Cars 2," but the rest of the gameplay is largely stripped from classic kart racer. You'll careen through three-lap race after three-lap race and, after a handful of brief tutorials to teach the racing ropes (these seem more meant for young kids than anyone else), you're introduced to the idea of - wait for it - random question-mark powerups.
Everything you'd expect from a kart racer - from oil slicks to missiles to electric-type bombs - is available for your racing pleasure, each with some kind of spy-car feel . Avalanche also injects a few other additions, too, letting you fill a speed boost meter by showboating.
Showboat moves are controlled with the right stick. You'll find yourself trying to flip your car during jumps, skating around turns on two wheels, even driving backwards - all in hopes of filling a tiny meter and gaining extra speed.
That extra juice is hardly essential in single-player mode, because "Cars 2" has some ultra-friendly A.I. It's a kid's game, right? So that must be why you can spend the first two laps of a race trailing, then almost inexplicably cross the final finish line in first place.
Thankfully, "Cars 2" brings more than bland racing to the table. There's a four-player multiplayer mode that can satisfy an entire family of wannabe spy racers and a handful of other endearing modes. One has you circling the track while looking for batteries to maintain your shield; another requires you to continually kill enemies to restock an ever-draining clock.
It all adds up to a solid kart racer. "Cars 2" doesn't always capture the feeling of Pixar's spy-car series, but despite that, it'll still get the kids in your house revved up.
Reviewed on Xbox 360