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Cars Mater-National Championship

Cars Mater-National Championship Game Cover
84%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
gameplay, grinding
89% User Score Based on 263 reviews
Critic Score 60%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

Playstation 3Xbox 360Playstation 2PCWiiXboxGame Boy AdvanceNintendo DsWindowsPlayStation
Cars Mater-National Championship Game Cover

About

Cars Mater-National Championship is a single player and multiplayer racing game. It was developed by Rainbow Studios and was released on February 24, 2015. It received neutral reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

In "Cars Mater-National Championship," players join an international racing festival in Radiator Springs, competing against new characters and exploring the world. The game features over 20 mini-games like Ramone's Rhythmic Rumble and Fillmore's Fuel Frenzy, and includes appearances from Mike and Sulley of Monsters, Inc. This fun-filled racing experience allows players to test their skills and enjoy various challenges.

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89%
Audience ScoreBased on 263 reviews
story10 positive mentions
grinding2 negative mentions

  • The game is a nostalgic experience that brings back fond childhood memories for many players.
  • Gameplay is fun with enjoyable racing mechanics and a decent soundtrack that enhances the experience.
  • The game has modding potential, allowing players to enhance their experience with various mods.
  • The PC port suffers from poor optimization, including limited resolution options and awkward controls that are difficult to configure.
  • The game lacks content compared to its predecessor, with fewer races and mini-games that feel repetitive and uninspired.
  • Many players have reported bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience, making it frustrating at times.
  • story
    50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it nostalgic yet lacking depth and cohesion. While some appreciate the fun campaign and the inclusion of minigames that expand the narrative, others criticize the main story for being too short and disjointed, often feeling like filler with minimal character development. Overall, the game offers a decent experience for completionists but may not justify its price for those seeking a robust storyline.

    • “The plot is beautiful, the voice acting is Oscar-worthy, the graphics blew my mind.”
    • “This game is a true classic; as an adult, I completed the story in under 4 hours, but as a kid, my brother and I could play this for hours on end, and we did for years.”
    • “Mater-national is a very nostalgic game for me. If you are a completionist that likes to get everything in the game, you will find a whole new layer to this game with even more cutscenes and minigames and an entire new story if you do all the minigames after you complete the game.”
    • “There is also basically no story because aside from the opening and ending cutscenes it never comes into play at all.”
    • “The story is all over the place and not consistent in the slightest sense, and that doesn't help it at all.”
    • “Mater-national has basically no story, even in comparison to the first.”
  • graphics
    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the bright visuals and improvements over previous titles, while others criticize them as outdated and lacking in options, particularly in the PC version. Many users note that while the graphics can be enjoyable, they show their age and are not particularly impressive by modern standards. Overall, the visuals are described as cartoony and nostalgic, but they may not meet the expectations of players seeking high-quality graphics.

    • “The visuals are bright, and the story is easy to follow.”
    • “Amazing and jaw-dropping graphics!”
    • “This game has better looking graphics than the first car game.”
    • “Graphics are pretty bad, I'm not gonna lie at all.”
    • “Overall, the graphics are cartoony, but haven't aged too well and are very unexciting.”
    • “The PC version is also bad as well; there isn't much offered when it comes to graphics options, which are limited. There is anti-aliasing, but it uses MSAA and there is only 'on/off'. The resolution is bad enough that it's maxed out to 1440x900 or something, and no, there isn't widescreen support.”
  • gameplay
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is generally described as enjoyable and nostalgic, featuring solid driving mechanics and decent racing elements, though it suffers from issues like poor optimization and balancing. Players can complete the game in under 10 hours, and while some mechanics are well-executed, others lack clarity and depth. Overall, despite its flaws, many find the gameplay fun and engaging.

    • “Genuinely a fun game with lots to love, but broken and not optimized for PC gameplay.”
    • “The actual steering mechanic of the game is very well made.”
    • “Verdict is that despite the flaws, the gameplay was just too fun to get angry about.”
    • “Only takes 8 hours of gameplay, then you've already finished all of it.”
    • “Genuinely a fun game with lots to love, but it's broken and not optimized for PC gameplay.”
    • “The game doesn't even allow for full HD 1920x1080 gameplay out of the box.”
  • music
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the memorable and nostalgic soundtrack, which includes both new tracks and recycled songs from the first game. However, some players find the exclusive focus on country music limiting and feel that it detracts from the racing experience, suggesting that more upbeat or electronic music would be more appropriate. Additionally, the absence of a jukebox feature and the lack of music in free roam areas have been noted as significant drawbacks.

    • “Memorable soundtrack, races, minigames, and world.”
    • “The music is very relaxing and goofy in a sense.”
    • “Nostalgia with a great soundtrack, worth the purchase even when not on sale.”
    • “The only problem I have with the soundtrack is that this is the only type of music played during the entire game.”
    • “Imagine having to listen to country music while racing.”
    • “In my eyes, during racing there should be electronic music, or something more upbeat and cheerful to get you into the exciting mood of racing.”
  • humor
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is largely derived from the original Pixar voice cast, with many cutscenes delivering entertaining and funny moments. Players appreciate the lightheartedness of the storyline, particularly the comedic elements surrounding Mater's international racing tournament. Overall, the game is noted for its amusing characters and situations, contributing to an enjoyable experience.

    • “As far as I'm aware, all the original voices from the Pixar movie are present during the cutscenes, and actually many of them are funny or at least a little entertaining.”
    • “The story is as follows: Mater, best friend of our main character Lightning McQueen, is hosting an international racing tournament titled the Mater-National (hahahahahahahaha very funny m8r hahahahahahahahaha) where, hence 'international', racing champions from all over the world come to Radiator Springs (and its three returning surrounding areas: Ornament Valley and Tailfin Pass) to compete and win the... well, no reward is ever specified.”
    • “A lot of different races with some new cars in it, the Japanese one is funny.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find grinding to be a tedious and time-consuming aspect of the game, often requiring excessive effort to obtain all items, leading to frustration and a sense that it demands an unrealistic time commitment.

    • “If you want to get all the items, grinding is a pain in the ass.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is notably compromised by numerous bugs and glitches, including texture conflicts and frequent crashes, which detract from the overall experience. While some players report smooth performance on SSDs, the general consensus suggests that the game's low budget has resulted in significant technical issues that may make it a less worthwhile purchase.

    • “I am running it on an SSD, and it runs great.”
    • “The game has been incredibly stable; I haven't experienced any crashes or major bugs.”
    • “Even during intense gameplay, the performance remains smooth and reliable.”
    • “With a not-so-high budget and various bugs and glitches throughout the game, it may not seem like a worthwhile buy.”
    • “Texture conflicts, micro-freezes during gameplay, buggy tracks, and weak game code - all of this leads to the game's frequent crashes.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the game enjoyable and believe it offers significant replay value, making it a worthwhile purchase at its price point of $20.

    • “It's fun, has a pretty impressive amount of replay value and is actually worth the $20 in my opinion.”
    • “The game offers so many different paths and choices that I find myself coming back to it again and again.”
    • “Each playthrough feels fresh due to the variety of characters and strategies available.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is enjoyable and has many appealing features, but it suffers from significant optimization issues on PC, including poor controls, low-quality textures, and a lack of overall polish.

    • “Genuinely a fun game with lots to love, but it is broken and not optimized for PC gameplay.”
    • “Controls are janky, textures are bad, and there is almost zero PC optimization.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of "mater-national" is largely negative, with users expressing disappointment over its lackluster story, uninspired characters, and overall inferior experience compared to the original cars video game. The game fails to evoke the same emotional connection, feeling like a downgrade in nearly every way.

    • “In conclusion, Mater-National is a downgrade from the original Cars video game in nearly every way; a worse-controlling racing game with less interesting new content, more reused content, less original ideas, a boring story and characters, and an overall inferior way to experience Radiator Springs and the Cars universe.”
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60%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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8h Median play time
8h Average play time
8-8h Spent by most gamers
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Frequently Asked Questions

Cars Mater-National Championship is a racing game.

Cars Mater-National Championship is available on PC, Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and others.

On average players spend around 8 hours playing Cars Mater-National Championship.

Cars Mater-National Championship was released on February 24, 2015.

Cars Mater-National Championship was developed by Rainbow Studios.

Cars Mater-National Championship has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Cars Mater-National Championship is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

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