Cars Race O Rama

by THQ

• Advanced competitive AI and improved drifting provide challenging, but entertaining action, while mini-games both related to the pixar universe and otherwise, provide the fun.
• Customize your world by customizing your cars. Modify paint color, wheels & rims, different hood options, side skirts, rear bumpers and spoilers.
• Game features 15 new playable characters to the Cars franchise.
• Eight racing environments, four brand new; Radiator Springs Speedway, Santa Carburera which takes you to the beaches, Motoropolis City where you can experience street racing and Autovia which gives you off road racing in the desert.
• Experience the fun as you race against a friend in arcade mode which consists of mini games, lap races, missions and more.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002BUQFXS
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches ; 3.2 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: October 12, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,379 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #1 in Video Games > Wii > Games > Simulation > Driving

Product Description

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Amazon.com

In the Cars Race-O-Rama video game, players get to race against new characters either by themselves or with a friend, through action-packed tracks to win the Race-O-Rama trophy as their own personalized Lightning McQueen. Join Lightning McQueen in Radiator Springs as he prepares his academy of student racers for the Race-O-Rama competition. Story Lightning finds out that Chick Hicks has his own set of academy student racers who don't always compete fairly. These student racers are preparing to race in the same competitions in order to propel Chick Hick's academy to the #1 spot. The races take place at various tracks from the beaches, into the cities and off to the Baja desert. Along the way, racers are upgrading their abilities and customizing their look. The finale consists of a fully modified, ultimate Lightning McQueen racing against a fully modified Chick Hicks for the Race-O-Rama trophy. Let the race begin. New Characters There are over 30 playable characters of which 15 are brand new; Doc Hudson academy of student racers, Chick Hicks academy of student racers, Motor CO Pit Crew, Not Chuck, Guido, Tater, Tater Jr., Bubba, Trophy Girl, Chick Hicks Pit Crew, Doc Hudson Pit Crew, Vin Racer along with major boss characters who are Chick Hick’s protégés; El Machismo, Candice and Stinger. New Mini-games Experience a vast world of new mini games based in the Pixar universe and elsewhere. These include: Mack Track Challenge based off of the Mattel toy, three different games based on Disney Pixar’s Cars Toons episodes (El Materdor, Mater the Greater, & Tokyo Mater), plus many new original games like Photo Op, Auto Cross, Tractor Stampede, and Transporter. A new Lightning McQueen adventure. View larger. Key Game Features New Customization Options – Customize your world by customizing your cars. Modify paint color, wheels & rims, different hood options, side skirts, rear bumpers and spoilers. New Characters - Game features 15 new playable characters to the Cars franchise. New Worlds of Racing – Experience eight racing environments, four of which are completely brand new; Radiator Springs Speedway, Santa Carburera which takes you to the beaches, Motoropolis City where you can experience street racing and Autovia which gives you off road racing in the desert. Play With a Friend – Experience the fun as you race against a friend in arcade mode which consists of mini games, lap races, missions and more. Dynamic Game Events – Experience the reaction you get based on performing stunts throughout the game from paparazzi taking your picture to the crowds going wild. Advanced Competitive AI System – Stay on top of your game as other characters employ cheat mechanisms to get you to loose the race. New and Improved Drifting – Take control as you immerse yourself in the game by employing newly designed drifting abilities throughout the various races. New Mini-Games – Experience a wide variety of mini-games both related to the pixar universe and otherwise. Screenshots: New racing worlds. View larger. Crazy new characters. View larger. Mini-game madness. View larger. Extreme customization. View larger.

Product Description

In the Cars Race-O-Rama video game, players get to race against new characters through action-packed tracks to win the Race-O-Rama trophy as their own personalized Lightning McQueen. Join Lightning McQueen in Radiator Springs as he prepares his academy of student racers for the Race-O-Rama competition. Lightning finds out that Chick Hicks has his own set of academy student racers who don’t always compete fairly. These student racers are preparing to race in the same competitions in order to propel Chick Hick’s academy to the #1 spot. The races take place at various tracks from the beaches, into the cities and off to the Baja desert. Along the way, racers are upgrading their abilities and customizing their look. The finale consists of a fully modified, ultimate Lightning McQueen racing against a fully modified Chick Hicks for the Race-O-Rama trophy. Let the race begin!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun Overcomes Some Problems August 22, 2010

By Rich T.

Platform for Display:Nintendo Wii

Fun: 4.0 out of 5 stars   

This review's late to the party, but I'll chip in my family's thoughts in case there are any other Wii-owning Cars fans out there still on the fence about this one.

To put it short: Cars fan? Buy this. Not a Cars fan? Nothing here for you.

Let's face it, young or old, you don't buy a CARS game expecting Gran Turismo. You buy a CARS game because you like the characters, and you enjoy the unique experience of racing around in a living, breathing (they don't have lungs, but they definitely inhale and exhale) automobile while other vehicles taunt you and Doc Hudson offers encouragement over the radio. In what other race game can you play as an aging Sheriff car who--as the race begins--sighs, "Am I getting too old for this sort of race? I sure hope not." Then, after pulling off a tight maneuver, chuckles "I didn't know I could still do that!" and, upon winning, declares "Sit-choo-ation is under control." (Or, in a loss, grumps, "This is a complete and total disgrace!") These cars have personalities. Their mood changes depending on their place in the race, they whoop with joy when catching big air, and they yelp when they hit obstacles. THAT is why ya buy a CARS game, and this game delivers that element in great generous heaps of humor and fun.

If you're a huge fan of the movie, you'll enjoy this game a lot. You'll just learn to avoid the problem areas and spend more time with the sections that work great.

PROS:

* Better controls this time around--Wii Wheel works great with this one.
* Sheriff's a playable racer again!
* Sharp graphics
* Radiator Springs Speedway is a fantastic track & environment.
* Tons of gameplay.
* Huge environments to explore.
* The banter between cars is as entertaining as ever.
* Power Boost and Backwards Driving available from start.
* Some fun new characters (Bubba's awesome).
* Slick menus.

CONS:

* Framerate gets AWFUL when many cars are ahead of you in busy environments. This is, by far, the game's worst flaw. Stay in first place, and it's not an issue!
* Terrible pop-in scenery in Tailfin Pass area. Ugly, ugly trees will appear just yards ahead of you. And you'll wish they'd just stayed unseen.
* Story's not very compelling. The generic little cars that make up the competing schools are not very interesting as playable characters.
* Sound glitches crop up during Pre and Post-race info windows--these moments have a rough, unpolished feel to them.
* Still no replay camera feature.

That framerate issue will be the deal-breaker for a lot of players. It's very inconsistent, and seems to depend on how hard the environment is pushing the Wii's limits. The opening races on Radiator Springs Speedway play fairly smoothly, while later areas like Tailfin Pass and Santa Carburera suffer greatly. If you stay out if front, no problem. If more than three or four cars get ahead of you, prepare for framerate chaos. I guess you could view that as your punishment for racing poorly! Despite those problems--and the terrible pop-in trees in Tailfin Pass--the game, in general, looks great. The cars are detailed and sport nifty reflective effects, and everything has a sharp, detailed, colorful look. I wish the developers had been given more time to tweak the game engine to run more smoothly on Wii--maybe dropping some detail to save the frame rate during crowded situations, and redesigning Tailfin Pass, which is clearly asking more of the Wii than the poor little white box can pull off.

BUT...and here's the good news...IF you can overlook those cringe-inducing moments, there's still a ton of fun to be had in this installment of the Cars franchise, because most of the game plays well, looks great, and delivers all the charm and personality you're looking for in a Cars game.

Besides, the framerate isn't always an issue. Most circuit races play fine, Free Driving is a pleasure, and the Rustbucket and Monster Truck races are entertaining and smooth, as are the fun little Guido Kart mini races and Sheriff's chase. Another trick is to switch to first-person camera, which not only increases the framerate, but provides a genuinely thrilling sense of speed.

Add in the Point-to-Point races, Relays, Tractor Stampede and the shallow-but-fun Car-Toon Challenges and you've basically got a Cars theme park on a disc. It's got some glitches, but most of it will make Cars fans smile.

It'll also help tide us over until Radiator Springs Racers (and the rest of Cars Land) opens at Disneyland Resort in 2012! :)

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun for young boys December 2, 2009

By Kristin L. Brand

Platform for Display:Nintendo Wii

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

I have 2 boys, ages 4 and 6, who love the Cars movie and racing games, so this is perfect. They've played this game on the Wii over and over again. Even my 4 year old, who has been hesitant about playing the Wii, started playing this game and loves it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just drive baby!!!! December 29, 2009

By Howard Van Ackooy

Platform for Display:Nintendo Wii|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

This game is a blast. It's fun to play a game that you can just play for the fun of it. You have choices, and there are plenty of them. I actually found some cheats online to unlock races, custom parts, cars, etc. I've had the most fun with this just speeding down the countless tracks and roads (winding country roads, highways, dirt roads, etc., on all types of terrain) with no worry about being timed or having to solve some problem. You can also play the many mini games, as well as the circuit challenge tracks. There is so much landscape to explore and it's fun just to go cruising down the countless roads, or go off road if you like. The graphics aren't bad, and I'm sure there are some games that look better, but I definitely like this game for playability and just plain fun!