Pixar movies really lend themselves to the world of video games. Not only does the animation style already resemble that of most games, but the stories are generally light on the plot with great characters - a big appeal for most younger gamers. Cars is not only one of Pixar's best works it is also easily one of the most adaptable from movie-to-game. While this game is not perfect, it is a good driving game on the Wii and a great side project from the movie.

The game takes place after the movie, following Lightning McQueen as he and fellow cars, like Mater, race around town, challenge fast newcomers, and compete in the town's up and coming stadium. The game itself takes place in an open world and lets players pick and choose what races they want to compete in. The challenges could be the standard three-lap races, tag games, or item pick-up events. There's even a fairly satisfying music mini-game that varies gameplay up just a bit, but all of the mini-games help to keep things from getting repetitive. As players win challenges they will collect the flags, and new towns, new mini-games and more challenging races will become available.

"Ka-Powww!!!"

Strangely, the default steering mechanic is set to analog on the nunchuck. Players can then powerslide by tilting the nunchuck and gas with the A button. Although it's a little loose, the Wii-Mote steering configuration is adequate, and I'm suprised this wasn't made the default control - especially since this game is geared for younger kids. For both configurations, lifting the Wii-Mote straight up jumps your car for clearing obstactles or getting big air. The motion steering is a little loose and the races themselves are only average. Overall, it's a solid driving game but one that lacks the punch that say a Burnout has, or the quirky fun a Mario Kart exhibits.

The graphics in Mater National are not as good as a game like Super Mario Galaxy, but they're Ok - better than most licensed games. The occasional drop in framerate is frustrating and will slow down those intense races. But the environments you race in look like they were cut straight out of the movie, and in that regard this game will really appeal to the movie's fans. Since it is an open world, you can drive around to all your favorite locales, like the Drive-in and Luigi's Garage. You can even take a spin through the canyon!

"At least he isn't saying 'Git ir don'"

What really stands out in this game is the writing and animation. The little skits that drive the minimal plot are extremely well done and are as good as the movie. On top of that, most, if not, all of the real voice actors have reprised their roles. The gags are witty and the easy-going attitude of the game is reflected in them. Where would the dialogue stand, however, if the voice acting didn't? No need to worry. The animation of the cars and all the moving parts that make them talk are nearly on par with Pixars' animation. Well, not quite; but trust me, fans of the movie will be racing through challenges even faster to get to these scenes.

The game is not without flaws, however. As I mentioned before, I found it strange that motion control steering was not the default setting. Similarly, the default audio settings have the music set really low, where you almost have to strain to hear it. Both of those can be fixed manually, but it's just annoying. You'll want to hear the music, too, because it's very good. Driving through the canyons and powersliding around turns is great with "Life is a Highway" blaring in the background. The only problem is that it is the only licensed track in the game! All of the other great tunes from the movie are not included (Route 66 anyone?!).

I also don't like the way the music halts when you go into a menu. You're driving into the finish line singing "Life is a Highway" and then when you get the awards menu, everything halts. That great tune is stopped abruptly and you're told via a line of text that you won. What kind of victory celebration is that? No replays, no confetti - just text and an exclamation mark. Like this! After that, you're teleported back to your starting point in the town, ready for a new challenge.

Gameplay: 7.0
A decent driving game, but the motion controls are a little loose and unresponsive. The rhythm game could have used some waggle.

Graphics: 7.5
The environments accurately depict the locales in the movie and the animations in the cut scenes are superb. Lag creeps in every now and then.

Sound: 6.5
The music is great .... but there's only one licensed song and you have to listen to it over and over. The other songs are good driving music but it would have been great to have more licensed tunes. The in-game quips from A.I. get annoying and repetitive as well.

Difficulty:Medium
The challenges range from easy to medium. But on general, you'll be replaying a race to finally get first.

Concept: 8.0
It's a very good implementation of the franchise and it works because of the writing. It doesn't take itself too seriously either.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Grab a friend and you can extend the life of this game.

Overall: 7.5
Fans of the movie will love this game and I highly recommend it to them. The game works just as a driving game, but there are better ones out there - like Excite Truck or Need For Speed. The fantastic writing in this game really makes it a worthwhile purchase for Pixar fans, but overall the driving aspect of it is only average.