Updated: 17 May 2012 7:50 pm
Posted: 14 Jun 2006 12:45 am
To our surprise, Cars for PSP is not only a whole different game than the consoles, but it's actually the best version for any system. Developed by Locomotive Games and overseen by Rainbow Studios, Cars is an arcade-inspired racer that takes hints from games like Ridge Racer and Burnout, while still managing to include all the essentials of the license it represents. Don't be fooled however, as the game quickly drops the learning curve and will have PSP players carving around corners and breaking through shortcut routes in a matter of moments. Though we won't be pitting Cars up against some of the other racers on the handheld, the design does make one heck of a statement: Licensed games can be good.
Cars, as we mentioned, isn't a port of the console versions. Instead, Locomotive Games took their own approach to how racing could be done on PSP, and built their own racer from the ground up. While we do miss the concept of a free-roaming hub like the bigger brothers had, the PSP version instead takes one core design and focuses on it. Whether for good or bad, Cars will feel like an arcade racer rather than a true single-player racing/adventure game. There is no open-ended gameplay whatsoever; just a solid linear progression that follows loosely around a few movie concepts, teamed with an arcade style "Grand Prix" mode to add a little depth. Players choose a character, win races and unlock tracks. Simple as that. The story is amazingly basic, built around a few "evil" cars that have come to take over the tracks, and Lightning McQueen and his friends must beat them one by one in multiple race events. There are 25 events in all, ranging from six-car races to head-to-head "boss battles." After each race is unlocked it can be accessed as a postcard race, which is essentially the same event with a collection aspect included as well.
In creating a solid racing experience, control is key. You can have more tracks and events than any other game, but if the driving doesn't feel right the game is a waste. We saw an issue with control in the console versions, as the power-slide mechanic didn't feel quite right and the basic vehicle control was a bit stiff. Cars for PSP is a different story though, as the control is very tight, and the power-slide has been adapted to more of a two-wheel turn, which feels far nicer than the console mechanic did. Track design follows a more dynamic discipline as well, having the racers navigating far tighter turns, dodging track-specific traps such as lighting blasts, falling rocks and speeding traffic, and on-the-fly shortcuts that are often triggered elsewhere on the path.
In addition, the concept of speed arrows is shared between the PSP and GBA versions, and players can either drive over them to initiate an instant boost or jump them (yes, cars now jump) to pocket the boost power and use for later. Boosting gives off a feel similar to Burnout, and can be earned from drafting behind enemy cars, sliding around corners, taking huge jumps or pocketing the boost from arrows as mentioned. All in all the gameplay manages to stay simple and basic, while still giving enough of a core feel that veteran gamers could actually appreciate what their younger siblings are playing. In short, Cars just feels right, which is certainly uncommon for most licensed games.
Though it's incredibly solid in comparison to other licensed games, Cars isn't without its quirky moments as well. For starters, the collision detection between racers can be a bit odd, and we saw some questionable occurrences while on the track. On a few occasions the vehicles would collide and send the back racer jetting to the left or right in a spin-out, and though the result is expected, the crash seems more like a bug than an actual wreck. In fact, this same collision happens at times with the track itself as well, as cars will nail a wall head on or brush too heavily against a wall and take an odd bounce that just doesn't have the weight or physics that it should. This happens on a very minimal level, but it's still worth noting. In addition, Cars will have players catching some serious air which in turn reveals invisible walls. Any time cars catch substantial height (and believe us, they do) there's always a chance of this occurring, though it also is more of a minor annoyance as opposed to a huge complaint.
The solid gameplay alone puts Cars on the map as one of the highest regarded licensed games we've seen in a while, and though it doesn't blow us away with production value it still holds its own. From a graphical level, Cars looks the part without going above and beyond. The visual style is a tad less detailed and beautiful than the PS2 version, though the high-res PSP screen still provides a ton of clarity which Cars takes advantage of. The entire game has a very crisp look to it, but can often blend colors just a bit too much, as road and rock will often be hard to differentiate on a very minimal scale. There were a few times when we were very happy Cars has an on-screen map to go by, as the darker areas of the game can be a bit treacherous to navigate at top speed. Much like the speed issues in Burnout, Cars can often move so fast that you're practically memorizing the tracks to stay alive, as vanishing points will erupt in hairpin turns that can catch even the fastest players by surprise.
The audio production follows suit as well, delivering above-average sound that could still be improved upon in various ways. For starters, there is far less VO for the characters, so the expressions used will get a bit tiresome after a while. The sound track is built around the same songs as the console versions, and even though there are a few good tracks in there it doesn't have the heart-pumping attitude of racers like Need for Speed or Ridge Racer. The combination of graphics and audio are still quite nice when boosting though, as the sense of speed in Cars actually feels stronger than Need for Speed on PSP through the visual and audio design.
Verdict
We’re not going to sit here and tell you that Cars is a must-have title on PSP. It isn’t. There are plenty of great racers on the system that are simply amazing games: WipEout Pure and Ridge Racer being two of them. What Cars does deliver, however, is a great racing experience for fans of the movie that want what the big boys have, while still enjoying the character and light-hearted feel of the Disney/Pixar label. It doesn’t have the free-roam feel of the console versions, but it does deliver far more entertainment with pure driving and tight control. Expect to see a lot more from Locomotive Games after this, as they’ve set the bar for what licensed gaming should be all about. Cars is simple, fun and delivers entertaining gameplay to its target audience. Enough said.