|
Disney/Pixar: Cars, the title says it all. THQ’s
latest release in their range of lucrative kids releases is based
on the CGI animated movie of the same name, produced by Disney and
Pixar.  Benefiting from release across a multitude of platforms,
with the evidence from releases that have been subjected to the
same treatment at hand – Spongebob
Squarepants: Lights, Camera, Pants!, Bratz: Rock Angelz
and Scooby-Doo Unmasked – a title destined to be average
at best is the expectation. However, it does appear that THQ have
learnt from their mistakes, and learnt a little more about the
functionality of the UK videogames industry in the process.
The NintendoDS release is entirely reconstructed. The game
no longer hinges around the racing aspect – a surprise for a game
with the affix “Cars” – and instead offers personal
characterisation through the use of Mini-Games. Twelve Mini-Games
are on offer providing a wide-variety of play times and intelligent
use of the NintendoDS’s unique features, as well as three races
in the Piston Cup which denote end-of-Level Bosses. Once the first
selection of three Mini-Games in complete, a race in the Piston Cup
will unlock, completion of which will lead to a further three
Mini-Games becoming available.
Each of the Mini-Games in unique and, although many have
taken inspiration from the likes of WarioWare Touched! and
the Mini-Games featured in Super Mario64 DS, the are
entirely fitting to the subject matter. The most basic example
bases itself on the ideal of those all-in-one game units from the
1980’s; a car is based between four lanes, and the player must
touch the lane they wish to move into to avoid the traffic. More
complicated Mini-Games arrive latter such as a puzzle game in which
you have to move cars and trucks around a small playing field in
order to free your own vehicle – however, the cars angles cannot
be changed, and the area is limited to prevent an easy escape. A
favourite Mini-Game of the Electronic Articles office would
be the cow tipping: steering with the Touch Screen, and
accelerating or braking with the D-Pad, the player must drive up to
tractors and blow into the Microphone in order to tip them, whilst
avoid the combine harvester. Most of the Mini-Games feature
three-to-five Rounds for completion, with more being unlocked to
add further replay value.
The Piston Cup races are, bizarre, to say the least. An
interesting take on the idea of handheld racing and one that fits
perfectly with the system and its target market. There is no
accelerator, only a Boost function. The screen scrolls with the
track entering from the top screen and scaling onto the Touch
Screen. The player must move to avoid  other racers whilst battling
head-to-head with your main rival. After a set amount of Laps on
each race – a technique that will be baffling to beginners, as
the player never has to turn a corner – a Pit-Stop will take
place in which you must change all four wheels in thirty seconds.
Wheels are replaced by simply tapping the selected Lug nut on the
Touch Screen in the correct order. As the game progresses,
unfortunately, this is the aspect of the title that feels least
rewarding. With the emphasis on the Mini-Games, the player will
often find themselves battling through these sections simply to see
what lay beyond, rather than for the pure enjoyment of play.
That’s not to discredit the skilfully designed racing aspect;
simply to clarify that in a game with the characters personified as
cars, the “car” aspect is possibly the least inviting part of
the incredibly well constructed game.
The presentation of the title is of a very high standard,
especially when considering the usual half-baked 2D fodder that the
kids are mostly treated to on the NintendoDS. Garnering all the
panache of the First-Party Nintendo releases, Disney/Pixar: Cars
is fully modelled in 3D with bright and vivid Character Models. The
background detail is just as encouraging as the foreground and the
utilisation of the dual screens is simply fantastic. Some time has
been taken as to how to draw the most out of the system as,
clearly, the tem responsible have realised the power of the
NintendoDS – not from a technical standpoint, but from that of a
market vehicle. The NintendoDS version is most likely to be the
best selling release from the diverse spectrum of platform on which
Disney/Pixar: Cars has been released, and to fine-tune a
title so acutely is clearly a sign of recognition of this fact.
The sound quality, however, isn’t so hot. The Midi representations of what would appear to be the film’s Soundtrack
are hardly heart-warming, and the very occasional character quip
will be overlooked before it irritates.
Disney/Pixar: Cars is an odd-ball to say the least.
Having expected the usual treatment kids franchises undergo when
receiving their first release on the NintendoDS – a definite
downgrading – Disney/Pixar: Cars appears to have gone in
entirely the opposite direction. A clean and clever production from
the off-set, the title really has little to complain about. It’s
a smart move and an intelligent product for both kids and adults,
and a platform quickly becoming the industry leader. THQ are
expanding, and becoming bigger year-on-year, and maybe they’ve
finally found that gap-in-the-market for decent film
adaptations. Couple Disney/Pixar: Cars with the likes of Destroy
All Humans! 2, WWE SmackDown! Vs, Raw 2007, Saints
Row, Juiced Eliminator
and The Outfit, and its
pretty clear that THQ have all their bases covered this year.
|
