Cars on the Go
By: Andrew Hayward |
Wednesday June 28, 2006 |
| Have a strong urge to play a portable version of the latest Pixar flick? We have the scoop on all three titles inside. |
| Disney/Pixar's Cars is unsurprisingly one of the summer's hottest films - however, what is surprising is the quality of the console video-game tie-in. As noted in our review, Cars is a well-made racing title that maintains a lot of the film's charm while providing a fun experience for all ages. Rather than dumb-down the console games for the handheld systems, THQ opted to enlist different developers to create unique experiences for each of the major portable systems: PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy Advance. The folks at THQ were kind enough to provide us with evaluation copies of each of the handheld versions, which I have been playing for the past several days. In lieu of separate reviews, this feature article will look at all three titles and provide opinions and recommendations for each.
I wholly expected the PlayStation Portable version of Cars to be very similar to the console version, but it has been redesigned from the ground up. Developed by Locomotive Games, the PSP version is in some ways better than the console release. How is that possible? Instead of recreating the open world of Cars on the consoles, the PSP game is a straight-forward racer with little emphasis on story. Sure, there is an intro video, and little bits here and there, but the most effort was spent crafting a very good racing experience. In the Story Mode, you can race as Lightning McQueen, Sally, or Mater as you try to take down five opponents. You must finish in first to progress, and you will occasionally encounter one-on-one boss races against the import cars from the film. Cars for the PSP is more of a straight-up arcade racer, almost like Mario Kart without the weapons and power-ups. Dash panels are positioned around the course, and a boost meter fills up as you race. The racing experience is quite good, and the new focus allows for a more varied selection of unique tracks. Perhaps most surprising of all is that the game actually looks better than its PlayStation 2 counterpart. This is likely due to the fact that the game employs closed courses, but the reasons are not very important. Bottom line: it is sharp, detailed, and works well on the PSP. As an adult who mostly enjoyed the film, I found this version of the game to be best for my age group. Children might get more of a kick out of the story and world of the console game, but a strong, portable racer like this is probably best for those of us well out of elementary school. 
In the year and a half that has passed since the debut of the Nintendo DS, we have seen hundreds of touch-screen mini-games. Some arrive in the form of a collection (WarioWare: Touched!), while others are merely secondary bonuses included with full-featured games (New Super Mario Bros.). I'll admit - I was impressed by these interactive bits last year, but at this point in time, there is little new ground to be covered. Developed by Helixe, Cars for the Nintendo DS is a licensed collection of mini-games, and unfortunately does little to make a name for itself on the system. Activities include flicking tires onto a stack, memorizing flashing lights (think Simon), and filling cars up with gas. Mostly, I had a "been there, done that" reaction to the mini-games, and none inspired me to play for more than a couple of minutes.
In addition to the mini-games, there is also a handful of Piston Cup racing segments. From Asphalt GT to Mario Kart DS, we have seen that the Nintendo DS is capable of decent 3D racers. Unfortunately, the "races" in Cars are very poorly done, with a fixed overhead view that makes it nearly impossible to see what is ahead of your car. Despite a full pack of vehicles, you are really only racing against one other car (who constantly swerves and will bump into you). A pit-stop mini-game breaks up the tedium, but it really is nothing to brag about. Younger children might find some fun in this collection, but anyone who has played games for some time should definitely look elsewhere. You might have trouble whipping up the interest to finish this two-hour title - and that is probably the worst thing I can say about this version. The success of the Nintendo DS has led to the accelerated demise of the Game Boy Advance platform. So very few games are being released for the system, and most are the type of licensed junk that just would not sell on more popular platforms. Sadly, Cars does not break this trend. The upside is that Helixe did not try to do too much with the ancient hardware; the downside is that they probably did not do enough, which leaves this title in the middle ground of mediocrity. The game employs a sideways-but-overhead view like you might see in a role-playing game. Instead of allowing gamers to get by on skill, the game is more concerned with luck; the lucky ones will crash only occasionally, not constantly. The viewpoint choice essentially cripples the gameplay. While the game displays a visual guide for oncoming turns, it fails to tell you about oncoming road hazards. So you will crash, you will crash again, and finally... well, you get the picture. Cars for the Game Boy Advance is more of an exercise in futility than an enjoyable gameplay experience. On the upside, there are story sequences that feature much of the same dialogue as the console games, but as mentioned, there are much better versions of Cars available for other platforms. This is the type of licensed game that is quickly tossed together to fulfill contractual obligations. Fulfill your obligation as an informed gamer and avoid this game. |
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