Lightning McQueen and his pals are back and they’ve gotta go fast in the new game, Cars 3: Driven to Win, by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Developed for all major and past-gem consoles and based on Disney•Pixar’s newest film, Driven to Win is a racing game that stars tons of iconic Cars characters competing in high-octane races to see who among them is the fastest car around.
Lightning McQueen and the gang from Radiator Springs are all back to take each other on in tests of both speed and skill. With new faces like Cruz Ramirez and Jackson Storm joining the cast, the classic Cars action is more exciting than ever before.
The game features several different modes. Of course, there’s the classic race mode, in which up to four players can compete in a mad dash to the finish line. Players can pull off tricks and crashes to push the other competitors out of the way and clear a path for first place. Battle Race adds a twist to the racing action by adding weapons like rockets and boosters that players can pick up on the track to give opponents a real run for their money.
Takedown mode (my personal favorite) tests your weapon proficiency as players use weapons and power-ups to take out dummy cars in a timed, point-based bout. A single-player Takedown challenges kids to beat their high score, while multiplayer Takedown turns it into a point-based battle with your friends.
Stunt Showcase lets the cars strut their stuff by pulling off stylish tricks and stunts to score points. Best Lap Challenge will have players zip around the tracks as fast as they can to set some personal time records. For an extra challenge, players can head into the Master Level Events, where they take on characters from the movie like Mater and Jackson Storm in different racing competitions to see who’s the best and the fastest.
Driven to Win is a faithful video game adaptation that stays true to Cars’ high-speed antics and light-hearted fun. Younger, inexperienced players can get a grasp of the controls in the middle of a race as the game will often remind them of how to pull off some daring stunts and neat techniques to get a leg up in any race. But the on-screen tutorials can be blink-and-you-miss-it, so Thomas’ Playground drops players in a sandbox environment where they’re free to cruise around and practice the mechanics. They can also take on various challenges and find hidden secrets around the area. The several modes to play through and unlockables to discover provide tons of playability and entertainment, and the different difficulty settings allow players to start off easy and slowly develop their skills to take on tougher challenges.
For anyone who still wants to see the movie, Driven to Win is pretty spoiler-free of any major plot points, though I might suggest watching the movie first to really appreciate what the game has to offer.
Cars 3: Driven to win is a fast and fun-filled way for gamers to ka-chow their way across the finish line.
