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When
making a Film Licence-based videogame, the idea is rarely to
innovate or raise the bar; more to make a title that is accessible
to as many people as possible, and thus sell as many  copies as
possible. Given the PlayStation2’s dominance in sales when
compared to its rivals, it’s hardly surprising that many
developers make their Film Licences primarily with SONY’s format
in mind. This trend may have continued in Disney/Pixar: Cars,
as the PlayStation2 version once again features an identical plot as
its GameCube and Xbox counterparts. However, given the respectable
reviews these have received, can the PlayStation2 keep-up the
standard?
Although
principally a Racing game, Disney/Pixar: Cars’ Story Mode
also features various Mini-Games and Events through the use of a HUB
System similar to Need For Speed: Underground and its
inspiration Midnight Club, in which the player controls
Lightning McQueen and can roam freely between Missions. The
Mini-Games add some variety to the proceedings, but essentially all
involve driving, usually collecting items, which can become a little
tedious after a while. The basic racing is quite fun, mainly due to
the simplistic, child-friendly control and generous availability of
Boost. When turning, holding the R1 Trigger initiates a Power-Slide
which, although not as helpful as the Power-Slide in the PSP
version, allows negotiation of most corners with ease. The Boost
ability is also less helpful, but still potent enough allow an
experienced player to cruise  through most of the Races with ease.
Unfortunately both of these features are absent from the Chapter
advancing the Piston Cup, which become available as the player wins
Trophies in Story Mode, however since these are fairly simple oval
Tracks, perhaps the developers decided that allowing the player
access to these aides may have made the title a little too easy.
In
Arcade Mode Disney/Pixar: Cars allows player to race through
any of the Stages or play any of the Mini-Games they have unlocked
in Story Mode. Although initially few of the film’s characters are
playable, many can be unlocked through the spending of Bonus Points
earned through Power-Sliding and stylish driving in Story Mode –
similar enough to note inspiration from the Kudos feature in the Project
Gotham Racing series. These Bonus Points can also be used to
purchase Bonus Content from the film - something sure to please fans
of the movie. Split-Screen Multi-Player is also available, taking a
similar form to Arcade Mode.
Given
that Disney/Pixar: Cars was probably built with SONY’s
aging hardware as the priority, it comes as little surprise that
graphically the PlayStation2 version holds it’s own against its
rivals. Car Models are nicely rendered and detailed, and look almost
identical to their inspiration. Although Disney/Pixar: Cars
maintains a solid Frame-Rate throughout - a twist when considering
the more powerful Xbox couldn’t give it’s version the same
justice - there are a number of instances of Polygon
Cross-Pollination and other graphical flaws which, although not
making the game unplayable, and perhaps still remaining better than
the average Film Licence, are still disappointing. The Lip-Synching
in-game is definitely one of the better points of the graphics, but
in general the visuals are basically average for a PlayStation2
title. Disney/Pixar: Cars features a liberal amount of aural
content from the film and it definitely helps to give the game an 
official feel. The Voice-Acting features work from the original
actors of the film, a definite plus and not something developers
should neglect as Take2’s The Da Vinci Code proved,
although the repeated quips from the film protagonist can become
irritating. Licensed music from the film is also present, which
although offering a more legitimate feel, can start to grate due to
repetition.
Disney/Pixar:
Cars is a decent story-driven Racing game and definitely better
than the average Film Licence. Although not particularly difficult,
the game’s driving is fun and the excessive recharging of the
Boost Meter makes for a highly unpredictable but amusing experience.
Although getting to end of the story probably won’t take an
experienced player a particularly long time, there are plenty of
other activities available to pad-out the time a little and more
than enough for a casual gamer to get their teeth into. Simply put, Disney/Pixar:
Cars achieves every ideal it set-out to do, and fans of the film
can rest easy in the knowledge that the game is above the usual Film
Tie-In standard, in-fact, it’s actually quite good.
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