Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6718 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: THQ
• Released on: 2006-07-14
• Platforms: Windows XP, Macintosh
• Number of items: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review:

In a nutshell:
Few kids films can be as well suited to video game immortalisation as Cars and just for once a movie license-in hasn’t just been used for a cheap cash-in. Think Ridge Racer, Jr. and there’s plenty to enjoy here for both adults and children.

The lowdown:
When you’ve got a movie populated solely by talking cars it at least means there’s no need to turn the game into yet another third person platformer. Instead you take the role of stock car Lightning McQueen in what is actually a sequel to the movie’s plot, as he works his way up the racing leagues. Whether there’s someone driving Lightning or not he still handles like any other arcade racer, complete with a handy powerslide. The artificial intelligence of the other cars can seem a bit too willing to let you win in the early stages but there are separate kids and adults modes to ensure all ages get a decent challenge.

Most exciting moment:
Although it’s not quite Grand Theft Auto the game features a surprisingly large game world for you to explore, with wide open canyons and towns filled with tons of side quests and mini-games to ignore or enjoy as you please.

Since you ask:
Almost the entire voicecast of the movie reprise their roles, recording original dialogue just for the game. This includes Owen Wilson and, in his first ever role in a video game, the legendary Paul Newman.

The bottom line:
One of the best movie tie-ins for a while and a decent little racer.
HARRISON DENT

Manufacturer's Description
Race to the finish line as you live all the fun and excitement of the next Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film, "Cars." Play as all your favorite characters as you help Lightening McQueen capture the coveted Piston Cup Championship.

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable driving game for a young child.
My 6 year old loved this game from the moment he played it.
I would have given the game 5 stars but we had the following problem. The game kept closing down and then restarting the computer. I rang the games helpline number who on the second call told me to open the "run" program and to type in "dxdiag" and press OK. When the DirectX Diagnostic Tool box opens click on "sound 1" and then adjust the Hardware Sound Acceleration Level down to Basic acceleration which instantly cured the problem. Apparently this is a common fix for this game.
We have now purchased a Logitech Formula force EX Steering Wheel to use with the game which has increased my sons enjoyment of the game immensely.
I would recommend this game to anyone looking for an inoffensive and enjoyable game for a young child.

My 4 Year Old Loves It
My 4 year old loves this game.
The "Cars" film endears itself so well to a video game that a simple racing game was bound to result.
This game runs well on my 4 year old PC (With a 128MB ATI radeon 9800 Pro graphics card). The graphics are good and the sound excellent. The game music is limited and can become somewhat tiresome.
There are essentially 2 modes of play. These are "Arcade" and "Story" mode.
The story mode unlocks higher levels in both the story and arcade modes. If the levels are not unlocked they are not available in either mode (Very frustrating). As a result, evening game playing, when my son is in bed, allows him to open up new levels during the day.
As an adult, I have played MUCH better car racing games but none that my son enjoys as much.

Great pc game
I brought this for my 5 year old son just after christmas and he thinks its fab.He has most of the cars and toys about the film but he always comes home from school to play this on his dad's laptop.It is a bit hard to unlock some games for a 5 year old so his dad help's out a bit when he's gone to bed.It is by far the best PC game he has and I would say that any child that loves the movie will also love this too.