Cars is a 2006 adventure racing game published by THQ. The game is based on the 2006 film of the same name. It was released for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Dreamcast, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable in June 2006, with versions for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii released later that year.[1] The Wii version includes functionality geared towards its Wii Remote controller and was a launch game for the system.
Cars | |
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Developer(s) |
|
Publisher(s) | THQ |
Series | Cars |
Platform(s) | |
Release | PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360Wii |
Genre(s) | Adventure, racing |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Taking place after the events of the film, the player controls the protagonist Lightning McQueen as he participates in the new racing season with the end goal of winning the Piston Cup for the first time in his career, while also racing and training with the local community of Radiator Springs. In the PSP version, the player again controls Lightning McQueen. After meeting and narrowly avoiding a collision with the Delinquent Road Hazards gang, he challenges them to a race to which they agree. The console versions feature the full voice-over cast from the film, including the likes of Owen Wilson, Michael Keaton, Paul Newman, and Larry the Cable Guy. However in the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS versions, Lightning McQueen is instead voiced by Keith Ferguson.[2]
The home console and Microsoft Windows versions received positive reviews from critics, though the Game Boy Advance version was met with a negative reception.
Gameplay
The console versions of the game are set in the fictional town of Radiator Springs, where it takes place after the movie. The player must compete in 19 road races, 8 mini-games, and 5 piston cup races to help Lightning McQueen win his first Piston Cup. In the PSP version, the game presumably takes place on an alternate timeline. The player must compete in 13 races, as well as 5 boss races, to help Lightning McQueen claim Radiator Springs back from the Delinquent Road Hazards gang. The game takes place in a open world in the vein of Need for Speed, Grand Theft Auto and Midnight Club and features ten playable characters from the film (16 in the PSP version), all voiced by the original voice talent.[3][4] The game also features a number of minigames and items for the player to collect.[5]
Development
On May 8, 2002, video game publisher THQ acquired the rights to the next three titles from Pixar Animation Studios – Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Cars.[6] Cars was announced on February 7, 2006,[7] and was later announced for Wii and Xbox 360.[8][9] On June 6, 2006, THQ announced that the game would be shipping out for all platforms except Wii and Xbox 360.[10][11] The Wii version was released on November 19 as a launch title for the console.[12] The current-generation and 360 versions were developed by Rainbow Studios, while the Wii version was developed by Incinerator Games.[13]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | DS: 54/100[14] GBA: 50/100[15] GCN: 71/100[16] PC: 73/100[17] PS2: 71/100[18] PSP: 70/100[19] XBOX: 70/100[20] X360: 65/100[21] WII: 65/100[22] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Eurogamer | (PS2) 4/10[46] (J2ME) 9/10[47] |
GameSpot | (DS) 6.5/10[29] (GBA) 6.5/10[30] (GCN/PS2/XBOX) 7.6/10[31] (PSP) 7.4/10[32] (X360) 7/10[33] (WII) 7/10[34] |
GameSpy | (DS) (GCN/PS2/XBOX) (PSP) (WII) |
GamesRadar+ | (DS) (GCN/PS2/XBOX) (PSP) |
GameZone | (DS) 4.9/10[38] (GBA) 6.4/10[39] (GCN) 8/10[40] (PS2) 7.8/10[41] |
IGN | (DS) 5.8/10[23] (GBA) 3/10[24] (GCN/PS2/XBOX) 7.2/10[25] (PSP) 7.5/10[26] (WII) 6.8/10[27] (J2ME) 7.2/10[28] |
Cars received "mixed or average" reviews.[22][18][14][17][19] GameSpot gave 7.0 out of 10 for Xbox 360 and Wii versions, 7.6 out of 10 for the GameCube and Xbox versions, and 7.4 out of 10 for the PSP version.[48] Metacritic gave 65 out of 100 for the Wii version,[22] 54 out of 100 for the DS version,[14] 73 out of 100 for the PC version,[17] 71 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version,[18] and 70 out of 100 for the PSP version.[19]
The PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS releases of Cars each received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[49] indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies per version in the United Kingdom.[50] In total, the game sold more than 8 million copies as of May 2007.[51]
The GBA version was criticized as being "the worst version of the game" because of its incredibly short length, zoomed-in camera, a lack of a multiplayer mode, and a lack of any depth.[citation needed]
References
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- ^ Bozon, Mark (May 18, 2006). "Wii: The Launch Games". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2006.
- ^ "Cars for Xbox 360". G4tv. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- ^ "The Voices of Cars (2006, Video Game)". Voice Chasers. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- ^ Orlando, Greg (July 6, 2006). "Cars Review for Xbox 360". G4tv. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- ^ "THQ Grabs Pixar's Load". IGN. May 8, 2002. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ Surette, Tim (February 7, 2006). "THQ Details Cars". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ Casamassina, Matt (March 2, 2006). "THQ's First Revolution Game Revealed". IGN. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ Surette, Tim (May 8, 2006). "E3 06: THQ queues up E3 games". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 27, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ Adams, David (June 6, 2006). "Cars Rolls Out". IGN. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ Surette, Tim (June 6, 2006). "Shippin' Out June 5-9: PSP Gradius, PS2 GTA: LCS". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ Surette, Tim (October 16, 2006). "THQ confirms Wii launch quartet". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ Thorsen, Tor (July 21, 2006). "Incinerator Games firing up Wii Cars". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Cars for DS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
- ^ "Cars for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- ^ "Cars for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 19, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Cars for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Cars for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Cars for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 11, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
- ^ "Cars for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- ^ "Cars for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Cars for Wii Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 5, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
- ^ Harris, Craig (8 June 2006). "Cars". IGN. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Bozon, Mark (8 June 2006). "Disney/Pixar's Cars". IGN. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Bozon, Mark (23 October 2006). "Disney/Pixar's Cars". IGN. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Bozon, Mark (13 June 2006). "Cars Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Bozon, Mark (27 November 2006). "Cars Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Buchanan, Levi (2 June 2006). "Disney/Pixar's Cars Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Provo, Frank (13 June 2006). "Cars Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Provo, Frank (13 June 2006). "Cars Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Navarro, Alex (5 December 2006). "Cars Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Navarro, Alex (13 June 2006). "Cars Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Navarro, Alex (27 October 2006). "Cars Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Navarro, Alex (25 June 2007). "Cars Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Elston, Brett (14 June 2006). "Cars review". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Reparaz, Mikel (14 June 2006). "Cars review". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Reparaz, Mikel (19 June 2006). "Cars review". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ jkdmedia, GameZone. "Cars – DS – Review". GameZone. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ jkdmedia, GameZone (4 May 2012). "Cars – GBA – Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ jkdmedia, GameZone (4 May 2012). "Cars – GC – Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ jkdmedia, GameZone (4 May 2012). "Cars – PS2 – Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ VanOrd, Kevin (12 June 2006). "Disney/Pixar's Cars". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Speer, Justin (13 June 2006). "Disney/Pixar's Cars". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Speer, Justin (14 June 2006). "Disney/Pixar's Cars". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Leeper, Justin (12 December 2006). "Disney/Pixar's Cars". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Reed, Kristan (2 August 2006). "Cars". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Eurogamer, PocketGamer.co.uk (17 October 2006). "Cars". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "Cars (The Movie) Reviews". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014.
- ^ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Platinum". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Disney/Pixar Cars Video Game from THQ Crosses the Finish Line to Prestigious Sales Milestones". Business Wire. Berkshire Hathaway. May 21, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2019 – via thq.com.