Disney Pixar Cars, The Video Game
© 2006 THQ, Inc.
This is a racing and exploration game set in Radiator Springs featuring the cast of the movie Cars. We tested the both the computer (Mac/Windows) and console (PS2, GameCube and Xbox) versions of the game, and found no noticeable differences, besides being much easier to steer the cars using a game controller vs. a computer keyboard. The racing, which is the core of this game, is fun but limited to one player, a major disappointment with testers. While there is no shortage of quality movie-based music and humor, straight from the film, the features are limited compared to most racing games. You can't wander off the track, for example, and if you run into something, the others cars will wait for you. While the power sliding feature is fun, your thumb can get tired from continually holding the accelerator button down. That said, this is one of the few racing games that lets you win easily. The better you race, the more points you score, which can be used to unlock new tracks, car decorations and video clips. So the game unfolds as you play following a tried and true formula. Content includes a variety of movie scenes, which are used for one- and two-player mini-games such as a card collecting race. We briefly played the Xbox 360 and PS2 versions, and found the graphics to be as good as any mainstream racing game, complete with skid marks on the track as well as a glossy shine on the cars. The Nintendo Wii version lets you use the Wii Remote like a steering wheel. Note that there are similarly designed versions for the PS2, Xbox and GameCube (designed by Rainbow studios). The PSP (by Locomotive Games) and GBA/DS (by Helixe) have a different design. The PC/Mac version, called Disney Pixar Cars Radiator Spring Adventures, contains ten mini-games.
$39.99, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PSP, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, Windows XP, Mac OSX
Teaches: no formal learning value; some logic, temporal and spatial relations
CTR Rating: 78%