Cars for the Nintendo DS is a game that takes place in the universe contained within the movie of the same name, created by Disney/Pixar all those years ago. The events in this game contain both some happenings you see in the movie, as well as some original adventures. There isn’t an overreaching story arc to the game as it is basically a collection of mini games you need to complete on the way to helping Lightning McQueen beat Chick Hicks for the Piston Cup.
The main menu on this game is one of it’s coolest features and isn’t the traditional type of main menu you’ll find in most games. In Cars you are taken to the Radiator Springs Drive-In and then must tap on different objects to access the various features of the game. The primary objects you’ll be tapping on are the assortment of Cars characters who will show up to occupy the parking spaces at the Drive-In. At first there are only three characters available. When you tap on one of them you will then be taken to play a mini-game that is related to that character. Once you complete all three of these characters’ mini-games Mack will show up at the Drive-In. Tap on him and you will then be taken to a Piston Cup race where you take control of Lightning McQueen and square off against Chick Hicks. Rinse and repeat this formula a few more times and you’ve beaten the game!
The characters you’ll find at the Drive-In (in order), include Snot Rod (his game is called Gesundheit!: Sherriff is determined to rid the town of speeders, you must escape with Snot Rod down the highway and reach the town limits), Flo (Flo’s V8 Café: you must fill up the increasing amounts of customers at Flo’s gas bar, not letting too many of them go away empty and angry), Fillmore (That Blinkin’ Light: watching the blinking street light with Sarge you must memorize and then repeat the sequences in which the light blinks), Sheriff (Fishin’ Mater: at Sheriff’s urging you take Mater to the river and use his tow hook as a fishing rod, cleaning up the floating garbage), Mater (World’s Best Backwards Driver: in an effort to reach the moon you take control of Mater and drive him backwards off a ramp, collecting as many stars as possible as you soar through the night sky), Lightning McQueen (Highway Hassle: Mack falls asleep on the highway and Lightning’s trophies go bouncing out of trailer, using Lightning your job is to collect and sort said trophies), Tractor (Tractor Tippin’: with Mater you must infiltrate some fields in the dead of night and scare the tractors, without being caught by Frank!), D.J. (Ramone Style: using Ramone you must replicate the sequences of “sick” beats D.J. is playing from his car stereo), Luigi (Casa Della Tires: after a tractor knocks over Luigi’s leaning tower of tires, you take control of Guido and build the tower back up again), Sally (The Drive-In: on a date with Sally you take control of Lightning and head to the concessions to get snacks, navigating the gridlocked vehicles in order to do so), Ramone (Hydraulic Jump Jam: showing off his hydraulics you must get Ramone in to a rhythm and jump as high as possible) & Doc (Willys Butte: taking control of Lightning you must race Mater backwards around Willys Butte). A lot of these mini-games consist of a number of rounds you must compete in (usually 5) on your way to victory, after beating the mini-game for the first time you then unlock additional rounds that you can go back and play afterwards. As for the Piston Cup races you play between each trio of mini-games, they get longer and harder each time out, consisting of races of 6, 8, 10 and then 12 laps (with increasing pit stops in each race also). Win that fourth race of the season and the Piston Cup is yours . . . and you’ve beaten this game!
Back at the Drive-In the next thing you can tap on is the blimp up in the sky. By doing so you can replay the Piston Cup races you’ve unlocked during the main mode of the game. When you first enter this mode you must choose either Multiplayer (Host Game or Join Game, playing against somebody else who has a DS and a copy of Cars) or Quick Play (single player). You then choose what track you want to race at, including Palm Mile Speedway, Motor Speedway of the South, Sun Valley International Raceway & Los Angeles International Speedway. It’s then off to the races for some one-off fun.
In between each character on the main menu you’ll see a post that represents the sound being pumped through the Drive-In for the movie they’re watching. By tapping on any of these posts you’ll be taken to the audio options screen. Here you can adjust a slider that alters the level of volume between game music and character voices, or there are 2 icons in the middle of the screen you can choose between, which will optimize the audio depending on if you are using the system’s speakers or if you are using headphones.
As for the dumpster you’ll see, by tapping on it you can erase all of your game’s saved date and start fresh on a new game.
And finally, if you tap on the movie projector booth you will view the game credits, seeing a list of the people who made this game for us.
Once you are out and about in the various mini-games this title has to offer, there really isn’t anything to be aware of or look out for. There are no items or powerups to collect, the only thing to really be aware of, and only in some of the mini-games, are environmental hazards like rocks and cacti, or other vehicles, whether they be civilians or competitors. It’s a pretty simple game to play.
With regards to the game screens, because of the nature of this game there is no set scheme for their layouts. What is displayed on each screen depends on the particular mini-game you happen to be playing at the time. A number of the mini-games utilize both the bottom and top screens for displaying gameplay action (like Casa Della Tires and Hydraulic Jump Jam), but most of the games use just one screen and the action for these will all unfold on the bottom screen (the top screen displays alternate graphics related to the game in progress). Again depending on the mini-game in question various timers, counters, gauges, etc. can be displayed in all four corners of both the upper and lower screens, and some larger gauges even appear across the top and bottom of the lower screen. When you pause the game you are faced with between 2-3 options, including: Reset Round (only applicable on some games), Resume & Quit Game.
Much like the game screens the controls for this game vary, depending on the mini-game in question. The bulk of the mini-games simply make use of the Nintendo DS’ stylus, you will use it in various ways on that lower game screen to perform your objectives. There are a small number of mini-games though where some of the buttons will come in to play as well. On these mini-games the analog button/control pad is used for navigation/steering, the A button is used to accelerate, the B button to brake, and the R button to jump. And of course the Start button is what pauses the game action! It is important to note that before each mini-game a subtitled cutscene will play that sets up the action that is about to unfold. After this cutscene plays you will then be taken to the mini-game, but before the action begins you are given a brief description of both your objectives and the game controls.
The presentation behind this game is simply average. It does a good job at fitting in to the overall Cars universe with the look and feel of it, but although the graphics in this game are solid at their core, they are quite rough around the edges. The music and sound effects too are solid at their core but not outstanding. The only aspect of the presentation of this game that is above average is the control scheme. I found that the controls were all very simple and easy to use, and respond just as they should.
Unfortunately the cons well outnumber the pros in the case of Cars for the Nintendo DS. What do I like about the game? Well, I enjoy the fact that it further explores the Cars universe and offers some unique and different perspectives on the movie’s characters. I also like the different vibe it has to it, with the interactive main menu and the fact that it is one of those titles that is a collection of mini-games, like more of a party game. However, the downsides to this title are many. First of all, it’s way too short. With only 12 character mini-games and then 4 Piston Cup races to partake in, this game is over in a hurry. An alternate game mode or two would have gone a long way to help counteract this deficit, but there are none in sight. And I do believe that this is the first game in a long time that has contained absolutely no unlockable content, which seems absurd in this day and age. Factor in the sub-par presentation and you have a game that is fundamentally decent at it’s core, but that’s about it.
As for tips and tricks I can offer on this game, there really isn’t much to say in that regard. The mini-games are pretty simple and straightforward and won’t offer you too many challenges. The only area of the game I had troubles with were the Piston Cup races against Chick Hicks, particularly the very last one. The key is to stay away from Chick as much as possible and cross that finish line first. In the many attempts I tried to do just that I learned that you shouldn’t just try and zoom by him with the accelerate button at all times, but to also use the brakes and fall in behind him every once in a while. You need to be on your toes during these races!
In summary, although Cars is a decent game at it’s root level, the limitations imposed upon it by it’s developers mean that what could have been a great game falls to being just mediocre. It’s still a fun game, even though it’s one that won’t take you long to complete. Cars is worth a play, but only if you find it for a cheap price.