Genre: Racing
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Rainbow Studios
Release Date: June 6, 2006

I held my breath as I made the turn, hugging the inside and speeding to first. As I passed the other racers, they appeared to me as mere blurs of light. With the finish line in sight, I cranked it up just one more notch to ensure my victory. I am speed.

While in the movie Cars, Lightning McQueen may have put himself in a humble third place to help The King to the finish, he is back in the video game to reclaim the Piston Cup trophy for the next season. Now that he has set up camp in Radiator Springs, he can practice on the curvy dirt roads to train for the big race.

Story Mode is an open-ended adventure, driving from mission to mission in an effort to get prepared for the Piston Cup. To check for new events, you can look on the circular mini-map on the lower left corner or press select to bring up the world map. Most of the events are road races against different cars. In these, McQueen and other cars will race on the rugged roads of Radiator Springs … and beyond. Eventually, you will learn to powerslide, boost, and jump – abilities that will greatly help you during road races. Each time you complete a road race, depending on how you place, you will receive a certain number of trophies which determine whether you are ready to enter the next Piston Cup race.

Another type of event available in Story Mode is the mini-games, in which you usually play as different characters. As Mater, you get to do the stealthy tractor tipping that he loves so much. When you play as the Sheriff, you get to experience the joys of law enforcing as you chase down those pesky speeders. There are many different mini-game events to choose from, with increasingly difficult levels as you progress. Of course, this can only mean more trophies.

The final category of events available in Story Mode is the Piston Cup races. In order to qualify for one of these, you will have to acquire enough trophies from the various mini-games and road races. These events are much like NASCAR races, with a set amount of laps going around a monotonous track. Admittedly, these aren't as exciting as the twisty-turny tracks in which the road races are set, and you aren't able to use your boost, jump, or powerslide abilities, but it does offer some variety of gameplay. Once you complete the last Piston Cup race, you can be proud to say that you beat Chick Hicks fair and square.

In Arcade Mode, you are able to play any mini-games or races you have unlocked in Story Mode, while earning bonus points to spend on some unlockables. You can also use Arcade Mode to try and achieve the best high scores for your records.

Throughout the game, you'll be earning bonus points. During races, you earn them by powersliding, doing big jumps, and simply staying on your side of the road. Outside of events, you can find bonus points lying around. Most are easy to get, while others will require you to do some big jumps or complicated maneuvers to find. However, the payoff is pretty nice.

With these bonus points, there are plenty of things to unlock. You can get new characters, paint jobs, concept art, clips from the movie "Cars," and even deleted scenes from the game. The unlockables alone will be enough to keep you collecting bonus points to add new characters to your roster in Versus Mode.

The multiplayer in Cars is a good bit of fun for anyone. While the game is no Gran Turismo, it isn't just for youngsters, either. Many of the cars you unlock may not be as fast as Lightning McQueen, but it is definitely fun playing as your favorite character from the movie. Given the variety and its wide appeal to a broader audience, it is clear that a lot of time was spent on this title.

One thing of note is the sheer size of the game world. The "Cars" movie seemed like an attempt by Pixar to show off landscapes and scenery, and it translated quite well to the PlayStation 2. Not only do you have the local town of Radiator Springs to explore, but if you traverse to the outskirts of town, you'll also discover two new areas: Ornament Valley and Tailfin Pass. All of these locales are decorated nicely with roads, bonus points, and jumps.

While the scenery in the game looks brilliant, no time was wasted on the cars, either. Almost all of the characters from the movie appear in the game, and while they obviously don't look as good as they do in the feature film, you can tell that the character models weren't just slapped together. They are as detailed as they are in the movie, right down to the custom license plates.

In addition to all of the fictional characters coming back, the real voice actors also make a return. While the cut scenes had the humor of the movie, sometime they just felt awkward because of bad jokes and odd silence. Nevertheless, the return of the film cast really helps keep the player immersed in the storyline, considering it is a direct continuation of the movie.

The music, however, doesn't seem to quite fit. Some of the county songs have the same feel as the ones in the film, but when the track changes to some of the rock-and-roll tunes in the game, it just throws you off. With the game and movie being set in a quiet town in the middle of nowhere, you don't expect to hear tunes by Autopilot Off.

Cars is a game that may be shoved aside because of its kiddy appearance, but once you look past that fact, it provides quite an enjoyable time. It was refreshing to play through a title that wasn't simply a copy of the film, either; the game picks up right where the "Cars" movie left off and lets you decide McQueen's fate. During the summer when good games are scarce, Cars is a great rental and a good buy for big fans of the movie.

Score: 7.7/10