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Cars 2

Cars 2 Game Cover
73%Game Brain Score
gameplay, replayability
graphics, story
74% User Score Based on 483 reviews
Critic Score 70%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

Playstation 3Xbox 360PCMac OSWiiWindowsPlayStation
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Cars 2 Game Cover

About

Cars 2 is a multiplayer racing game. It was developed by Avalanche Software and was released on October 6, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

In Cars 2, players enter the world of Disney/Pixar's sequel, joining characters like Lightning McQueen and Mater in a global spy adventure. Players can engage in high-speed racing and explosive combat, switching between characters and using their unique abilities. The game features single-player and multiplayer modes, allowing players to test their skills in various challenges and environments.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Cars 2 screenshot
Cars 2 screenshot
Cars 2 screenshot
Cars 2 screenshot
Cars 2 screenshot
Cars 2 screenshot
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74%
Audience ScoreBased on 483 reviews
gameplay9 positive mentions
graphics30 negative mentions
  • The game is a nostalgic trip for fans of the Cars franchise, providing fun gameplay and memorable characters.
  • With the right mods, such as the 'Cars 2 Deluxe,' the game can significantly improve in graphics and mechanics, enhancing the overall experience.
  • Despite its flaws, the core gameplay remains enjoyable, making it a solid choice for casual racing fans.
  • The PC version is a poorly executed port of the Wii version, featuring significantly downgraded graphics and missing content compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.
  • Frequent crashes and bugs, including a black screen issue and audio looping, detract from the gameplay experience.
  • The game only supports 2-player split-screen, unlike the original versions that allowed for 4 players, limiting multiplayer fun.
  • graphics
    103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users expressing disappointment that the visuals are significantly worse than those of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, often resembling the Wii version instead. Players have noted issues such as flat textures, lack of detail, and misleading promotional images that do not reflect the actual in-game graphics. While some mods exist to enhance the visuals, the general consensus is that the graphical quality detracts from an otherwise enjoyable gameplay experience.

    • “The graphics are well-crafted, offering a visually pleasing experience, while the sound design, though not exceptional, complements the gameplay effectively.”
    • “There's even a mod in progress that adds the entire playable roster of Cars 3: Driven to Win, and new discoveries may just lead to the addition of arcade courses, bringing this port's graphical quality up to where it always should have been.”
    • “Fast game with modern day graphics with easy controls that moves from location A to B to C and so on.”
    • “The graphics are a disaster.”
    • “It's borderline false advertising—the in-game visuals are awful, with flat textures, no lighting, and maps that look like they were made with 200 polygons total.”
    • “The pictures on the store page are a complete lie; the actual in-game graphics are just HD versions of the Wii graphics, yes, this is a port of the Wii version!”
  • gameplay
    37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is generally described as fun and engaging, featuring solid mechanics and a variety of racing elements, though it can become repetitive over time. However, many players express frustration with the poor graphics compared to previous console versions, technical issues, and the choice of the Wii version for the port, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the game retains charm and offers enjoyable moments, especially for fans of the Cars franchise.

    • “The gameplay is exciting, with races, stunts, and spy missions.”
    • “It's a fun racing game in my opinion with cool mechanics that make it replayable.”
    • “It had 4 player split screen (for all modes, even the campaign), slick racing, and tons of mechanics such as drifting, driving on 2 wheels, driving backwards, jumping, ramming, and boosting that gave the game a surprisingly high skill ceiling.”
    • “The gameplay is bad and the graphics are too.”
    • “But really the worst issue is just the gameplay; it is unnecessarily convoluted to be played with young kids. You pretty much have to master the full control set and every single trick to have any chance to win a race, which wouldn't be such a big deal if at least the tracks were interesting in some way.”
    • “Looks terrible for a game from 2011; gameplay is often repetitive and boring (yet I suppose you could say that about any racing game), and levels are either way too easy or too difficult.”
  • story
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in the game is largely criticized for being minimal or non-existent, with many players noting that it lacks depth and context, reducing the experience to repetitive missions without a coherent narrative. While some missions are described as fun, the overall lack of a compelling storyline detracts from the gameplay, leading to disappointment among fans of the franchise. Additionally, technical issues such as game crashes and save failures further hinder the storytelling experience.

    • “The game is amazing; there is an actual final goal (get all the cars), but there is one major bug that annoys me sometimes when moving to the next mission my screen just turns black and I can't do anything. So it forces me to restart my PC, but apart from the bug, the game is 9/10. Keep in mind the graphics aren't the best.”
    • “Back in Radiator Springs, Mater tells everyone there about his story, just when Finn and Holley stop over.”
    • “Mater declines an invitation from Finn and Holley to go on another mission, choosing to stay in Radiator Springs.”
    • “The story is non-existent.”
    • “Track design is for the most part very boring and playing every mission feels like jumping to another map in the basic rotation where you will do a mission with no context story of everything.”
    • “Cars 2 has just a menu with missions you boot into, with a lot of repeated maps (with sometimes very slight alterations or reversed) and repeated missions.”
  • music
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the soundtrack and its connection to the film, while others report significant issues such as music cutting out, repetitive notes, and audio bugs that disrupt gameplay. Additionally, there are complaints about the volume levels being excessively loud, leading to an unpleasant experience for some users. Overall, while the soundtrack has potential, technical problems detract from its enjoyment.

    • “The controls and maneuvers feel super smooth, and it includes a lot of cool set pieces from the film, like all the racers, great maps, and a killer soundtrack.”
    • “The physics are spot-on, the game has a good amount of game modes, it has a good amount of characters, it has a ton of achievements, the soundtrack is good, and I always liked the Wii aesthetic, so I'm perfectly fine with having that.”
    • “Music?”
    • “The music bugs almost every time and plays the same note in every race.”
    • “SFX/music: Are you trying to kill my ears? The start is at least 90 decibels.”
    • “I don't even know if there's music there... maybe a hint of it, but yet again: boring.”
  • stability
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is severely compromised, with frequent crashes, audio bugs, and graphical issues reported by users. Many experience game freezes, particularly during loading transitions, requiring a complete restart of their systems. Overall, while some minor glitches exist, the game suffers from significant optimization problems that detract from the overall experience.

    • “There's a game-crashing bug where the audio starts looping continuously like a skipping CD and then the game freezes to a black screen upon trying to exit or go on to the next level.”
    • “And to add on top of it, the game crashes every 2-5 levels, and I wouldn't mind that if it actually shut down, but the game instead freezes on the loading transition, stops me from accessing my task manager, and makes me need to restart my PC every time this happens.”
    • “They are confusing and buggy, like the whole game which keeps crashing into blank screens from time to time.”
  • optimization
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback, with some users reporting bugs, glitches, and performance issues, particularly on PC, including slow performance and crashes. While the PC version runs smoothly at 1440p, it suffers from a lack of UI resolution scaling and downgraded graphics compared to earlier versions. In contrast, some players have experienced no significant performance or stability issues, highlighting a varied experience across different setups.

    • “This PC version at least looks clean and runs smoothly at 1440p, which feels preferable to me despite the downgrades in texture, effects, and world detail.”
    • “The Wii version allows 4-player multiplayer, so I'm not sure why it was cut to only 2 players for this version. There are some bugs and glitches that are a result of poor optimization, which some have been fixed from earlier PC versions.”
    • “There are also laptop resolution scaling bugs, and no UI resolution optimization, meaning the UI will not scale to fit higher resolutions.”
    • “On PC, some players have had issues like slow performance or crashes, which can be annoying.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers enjoyable racing mechanics that enhance its replayability, with ongoing mods promising to expand the roster of cars and potentially introduce new arcade courses. While the graphics may be lacking, the core gameplay remains engaging, encouraging players to return despite the visual shortcomings.

    • “It's a fun racing game in my opinion with cool mechanics that make it replayable.”
    • “There's even a mod in progress that adds the entire playable roster of cars from 'Cars 3: Driven to Win', and new discoveries may just lead to the addition of arcade courses, bringing this port's graphical quality up to where it always should have been.”
    • “Same game modes, same characters, just bad graphics, but they are playable, so they don't really bother me.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is noted for its absurdity and comedic moments, particularly in the interactions with police and the chaotic gameplay, such as the amusing antics of car chases. However, some players criticize the overall experience, suggesting that the humor is overshadowed by poor graphics and limited gameplay features. Overall, while there are funny elements, they may not be enough to elevate the game's appeal.

    • “Funny 100% speed run in like 2-3 hours”
    • “Ha ha funny car go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr”
    • “The game has some hilarious moments, especially when the police try to stop you. It's even funnier when you steal your car back after they impound it!”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players indicate that grinding in the game can be quite demanding, often requiring significant time investment or additional lives to progress effectively.

    • “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
    • “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
    • “I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting an immersive experience that transcends mere gameplay, evoking deep feelings and personal engagement.

  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development in the game is noted for its realistic portrayal of themes such as racism, particularly through the dynamic between Lightning McQueen and Francesco Bernoulli, which resonates with players familiar with motorsports.

  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for misleading advertising, particularly through false screenshots, yet the gameplay remains enjoyable as a solid kart racer.

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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

Cars 2 is a racing game.

Cars 2 is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows, PlayStation 3 and others.

Cars 2 was released on October 6, 2014.

Cars 2 was developed by Avalanche Software.

Cars 2 has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its graphics.

Cars 2 is a multiplayer game with local co-op support.

Similar games include Need for Speed Rivals, Toy Story 3: The Video Game, Cars Mater-National Championship, FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction, Silent Hill: Homecoming and others.