Nov 1, 2007

As the second adaptation of a now-sixteen-month-old Disney/Pixar CG animated film, Cars: Mater🔯-National absolutely 🅰screams cash-in. But considering the quality of the original release and the pristine pedigree of Rainbow Studios, we remained optimistic that Mater-National would prove to be an evolutionary upgrade over its very solid predecessor.

It's not - it's a total cash-in. In fact, Cars: Mater-National is one of the more blatant retreads we've seen in some time, as the core elements of the original - environments, vehicles, minigames, and even parts of the soundtrack - have been copied and pasted into Mater-National, 🎃albeit with modifications and light additions. For example, while the three open-world environments (Radiator Springs, Ornament Valley, and Tailfin Pass) are essentially as-is with slight cosmetic alterations, the race routes have been remapped ღ(same backgrounds, new paths).

But as the millions of Cars owners can attest, drawing heavily frꦯom the original isn't an especially bad plan. While the loose, arcade-style racing was merely adequate in the first adaptation (and still is in Mater-National), the presentation and use of the license was top-notch, recreating Radiator Springs and the surrounding areas with races and minigames that set it high above many of its licensed contemporaries. Mater-National maintains a similar blend of familiar characters/settings and relevant events, though the lack of a direct film tie-in (the first Cars game continued the films narrative) and a depleted sense of originality hurt the title.