Cars: Mater-National Championship is the third installment in the Cars video game franchise, as well as the sequel to Cars: The Videogame. It was released on October 29, 2007 for the Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3. It became available on Xbox One via backwards compatibility on November 14, 2017.[1]
Story[]
Mater forgets the name of the championship.
Lightning McQueen is hosting an international championship in Radiator Springs, to celebrate the construction of his new racing stadium and headquarters. While reporting about the event on television, Mater forgets his lines and calls it the "Mater-National Championship." Several international racing superstars arrive in Radiator Springs and befriend McQueen, including Giovanni, an Italian Ferrari; Otto Von Fassenbottom, a German endurance racer; Gudmund, a charismatic Swedish competitor; and Koji, a Japanese drift racer.
Meanwhile at the Rustbucket Stadium, a young rally car named Emma has arrived to compete in the Rustbucket demolition derby races. Mater and his cousins take an interest in her, and Mater and Emma soon become friends, with Mater eventually winning the Rustbucket final.
The group photo.
McQueen hosts a series of races at his stadium, with Otto competing in the first, and Gudmund joining in the second. The friendly rivalry between Giovanni and ?McQueen is settled during the third Stadium Race, with the latter placing first. After McQueen's victory, the two agree to a rematch, this time in a Relay Race. McQueen wins the race, and he and his friends drive back to his headquarters, where a group photo is taken to remember the championship.
Full Story[]
We open on Mater adjusting a camera, and then telling everyone that behind him is where Lightning Mcqueen is building his new racing headquarters as well as Radiator Springs own racing stadium. Mater then tells us the best part is that there will be racers coming from all around the world to race in the first Radiator Springs "Mater-National" since Mater couldn't say international. As he explains Mater gets more and more excited about the upcoming events that he accidentally knocks down the camera and he replies with "Ah, dang".
That same day, Lightning Mcqueen is just driving along the road. A red car driving on the opposite side of the road and almost crashes into him. Mcqueen asks the car that if he knew if he was driving on the wrong side of road. The red car says that he does but he was still getting the hang of it as he was visiting from England. The red car then recognizes Lightning and is very excited to see the racing superstar. Lightning then tells the red car who's name is Phillip if they can practice driving on the other side of the road. But Phillip sees it as a "Racing Lesson", later on Fred comes in and is up for the "lessons", Doc then comes in introducing himself but then Sonny comes in asking if they are preparing for a race, and so they do.
Later that day, Lightning and Mater notice Luigi and Guido's paint job and they got painted to get ready for the arrival of Giovanni. Giovanni and Lightning meet and Giovanni tells Lightning that he is a big fan of his and they all decide to do a race but Luigi and Guido take Giovanni's side with Lightning wondering what he has to do to impress folks around the town.
After the race, Lightning drives around until he notices Sherriff pulled over Otto Von Fassenbottom for speeding but he says he came from Germany for the races. Lightning then tells Sheriff he'll take Otto of his hands with a race. After the race Lightning tells Otto to maybe take a break to do some sightseeing while he's there and maybe get a souvenir. Otto agrees since he has a girlfriend named Jenny back home and she wouldn't like that he comes back home empty-handed. So Lightning tells him to go to Lizzy's Curio Shop, and Otto thanks Lightning as he drives away.
Sometime after, Lightning catches up to Doc to check out the new stadium and they notice someone covered in stickers trying out the new stadium.
The next day, Mater interviews Lightning about the upcoming events and Lightning tells them that he gets the best racers from all around the world, but then Mater runs off to go practice when Lightning tells him that there's a big cross rally champ from England he'll be facing off at the Rustbucket. After the interview, Lizzie even gives Lightning a new decal.
During the night, Lightning finds Mater warning him not to go in Ornament Valley believing he saw "the Ghostlight". Sarge arrives tells them he has gotten reports of unidentified phenomena when he hears a sound as well. Mater runs, Sarge goes as it is a "Military Operation" and Lightning just stays there.
The next day, Mater goes to his cousins and asks them why they aren't getting ready and one of them replies that they have been watching a rally car who came from England for the event, they immediately fall in love with her. While that is happening, Lightning checks in with Sarge. Then out of the tunnel a rally car named Gudmund jumps into the scene and then Lightning and him race and Lizzie gives him a gold star. Meanwhile at the Rust Bucket, Mater meets the car and learn her name is Emma and after the race he shows her around the town.
At some point, Gudmund tells Lightning about how his lights keep a monster called "The Haunted Hook" away and Lightning tries to introduce Gudmund to Mater but Mater and Gudmund drive away from each other in fear thinking one another are "The Ghostlight" and "The Haunted Hook". Later that night, Mater interviews Lightning again about the process and thinks he made Lightning cry but he didn't.
The next day, Lightning drives a long and notices a red drift car and Otto racing with two other cars. After Lightning meets the car and is named Koji but it's hard for him to understand Lightning as he speaks Japanese. Mater also speaks Japanese and after hearing Koji's request to a race, and Mater had to think about it for 28 seconds. He then told Lightning that he apparently said if he wanted to race him blindfolded driving backwards with four flat tires, which probably isn't true. After the race Mater drifts but then trips, does some flips in the air, and then lands on his tires after asking for Lightning to ironically to call a tow truck. Later that day, Mater tells everyone that the stadium is nearly complete. Lightning then tells him that cars on his team get in for free and Mater gets free snacks out of it when Lightning is trying to tell Mater about drift-racing.
The next day, Lightning goes Luigi seeing if he still has those monster truck tires he used last time and but they aren't there, so Lightning looks for them. After he puts them on, Mater sees him and wants to be a monster truck too, and Lightning tells him he can find some tires for him and Mater is very happy about that. But after he puts those tires on, Luigi tells Lightning that he made a "Monster Mater". Lightning goes to see Mater and he is very different with a certain "Crush everything in his path" attitude and Lightning tells him he should take off the tires but Mater doesn't want to take them off, ever. He leaves with Lightning thinking that it was a mistake to find those tires for Mater. Eventually Mater decides to take the tires off, and at night Lightning and Mater do some tractor tripping. But then some tractors go loose and they go round them up. Then even later that night, Sheriff catches Mater letting the tractor loose and tells Mater how he doesn't want him to go back to field since people are saying they saw "The Ghostlight". After Sheriff pranks Mater with a blue lantern hooked to his hook and tells him to head home.
The next day marks the race between Lightning and Giovanni. Giovanni even admits he feels a bit bad and would hate to see Lightning lose on his home track, but on the other hand he won't let him win. Lightning expects nothing less.
Lightning then wins the race, and Giovanni says up for a rematch someday. Luigi and Guido try to make it out that Giovanni should have won but he was distracted. Giovanni says that they will race again for Luigi, but Lightning says that they should make the race a 3v3. We then cut to Mater telling us that the Mater-National is wrapped up and presents the audience with Lightning Mcqueen's new Racing Headquarters or "Clubhouse".
Then everybody gets in to take a picture to commemorate the end of the festival.
Gameplay[]
A race in Radiator Springs.
Cars: Mater-National Championship is a racing game, and allows the player to use a variety of techniques and controls to emerge victorious in a competition against other vehicles. Races generally contain 5-9 contestants, and there are many different types, including Road Races, Stadium Races, Rustbucket Races, and more.
Many elements return from Cars: The Videogame, in addition to a variety of new features. A new racing mode called Luigi and Guido's Team Relay allows players to take control of more than one vehicle in a given race, with each car completing a lap. This game also introduces Monster Truck Waypoint Races, in which competitors must race against each other while also driving through a number of checkpoints.
A new minigame called Ramone's Rhythmic Rumble.
In addition to races, there are also several minigames available, including the return of Tractor Tipping, in which Mater or McQueen must drive around and tip Tractors while avoiding Frank. Players can also help Ramone move to music in Ramone's Rhythmic Rumble, play a game of tag in Doc and the Law's Race 'n' Chase, navigate Mater home in Ghosting Mater, race while using fuel wisely in Fillmore's Fuel Frenzy, or take control of Mike or Sulley in their competition to collect Laugh Canisters in Mike and Sulley's Last Laugh.
Controls[]
Basic controls[]
- Accelerate: The player's car will continue to pick up speed until it has reached the top speed.
- Brake: The player's car will steadily decrease in speed until it has been brought to a complete stop.
- E-Brake: The car will quickly come to a complete stop.
- Steer: The car will turn left or right, depending on which the way the analog stick or D-Pad is being pushed.
Advanced controls[]
- Powerslide: The car will take turns more swiftly, making sharper turns less of an obstacle.
- Tilt: The car will tilt so it is balanced on one side, allowing for sharper turns than powerslides. However, the top speed is significantly lowered upon performing a tilt.
- Jump: The car will perform a small hop that can be used to jump over other competitors or obstacles.
- Boost: The car will perform a quick boost of speed to help it gain a lead or catch up to other racers. While the player starts off with only one boost segment, two more can be unlocked as the story mode progresses. The second segment is unlocked by completing Stadium Race #1, and the third segment is unlocked by completing Stadium Race #2.
Game modes[]
Story Mode[]
A story event after completion.
The Story Mode takes players through the game's storyline, while they complete events to progress. There are various types of events, including different types of races and minigames. Upon meeting specific criteria during an event, the player is rewarded with a number of Bolt Banners, which indicate the player's progress. There are a total of 350 Bolt Banners to collect in the game.
In between events, the player may drive around Carburetor County, unlocking new areas as the story mode progresses. Radiator Springs is unlocked from the start of the game, while Ornament Valley is unlocked once Stadium Race #1 is won, and Tailfin Pass is unlocked when Stadium Race #2 is won. By exploring, players can find and collect Bonus Points to purchase items at Ramone's House of Body Art, as well as additional collectibles such as Paint Cans and Wheel Sets. The amount of space to explore is significantly smaller than in Cars: The Videogame, and many areas used in races are blocked off by "Road Closed" signs. The hub worlds have received changes from their appearances in Cars: The Videogame, including the construction of an airport in Ornament Valley, and the creation of new cliffside roads in Tailfin Pass. If the player is having difficulty progressing, they may receive a hint by pausing the game.
Lightning exploring Radiator Springs.
Unlike in the first game where the story is broken up into five different chapters, Cars: Mater-National Championship's story is split into three different sections, each one taking place in one of the three areas of Carburetor County. Each area contains three Road Races and a Luigi and Guido's Team Relay race, with a variety of additional events unique to each area. The player controls Lightning McQueen throughout most of the game, while occasionally playing as other characters, including Mater, Doc, Ramone, Flo, Fillmore, Monster Mater and Mike.
Arcade[]
In the Arcade mode, players can play any race they have unlocked in story mode. However, instead of being restricted to racing as Lightning McQueen, there are seventeen playable characters available for the player to use, although some must be purchased with Bonus Points first. Minigames are also available, though the playable character roster is usually limited to only one or two characters. In all race types, the player's opponents include the other selectable characters, with the exception of Rustbucket Races, which instead will put the player against Fred, Mater's six cousins, and sometimes Mater, Emma, or even Lightning McQueen, and the Monster Truck Waypoint Races, which puts the player against Count Spatula, Ginormous, The Crippler, and sometimes Monster Mater, Sully, and even Monster McQueen.
In addition to a selection of characters, any Paint Jobs that have been purchased at Ramone's House of Body Art or obtained by collecting Paint Cans in Story Mode can be selected.
In the Playstation 2 version, the player's opponents will always be the same opponents you face in the Story Mode unless you select an opponent that would appear in the race selected.
Versus[]
Versus mode is essentially the same as arcade mode, but with the ability for two players to compete against each other, as well as a selection of computer racers. Additionally, minigames can be played, which all feature 1v1 mechanics, in which the first player will face the second player. In most versions of the game, Versus mode will only be enabled on the main screen when two controllers are plugged in or turned on. The amount of events playable in Versus mode is slightly fewer than in Arcade mode.
Options[]
Many options can be viewed or modified here, such as game volume, control settings, and screen display. The following cheat codes can also be entered here:
| Cheat Code | Effect |
|---|---|
| ALLYORS | Unlock Everything |
| MATTEL07 | Unlocks All Characters |
| 0TO200X | Super Acceleration |
| ZZOOOOM | Infinite Boost |
| PAINTIT | Unlock All Paint Jobs |
| NCEDUDZ | Unlock All Lightning's Paint Jobs |
| VRYFAST | Unlock Expert |
| BUYTALL | Unlock Concept Arts |
| INSTYLE | Unlock All Lightning's Wheels Set |
These are some cheat codes that were rumored or unused, but nonetheless weren't in the final game:
| Cheat Code | Effect |
|---|---|
| SCENZ4U | Unknown; Possibly Unlock Unused Bonus Team Relays In Arcade
Mode Or Viewable Scenes From The Movie In The Bonus Tab |
| ENGINPWR | Unlock Snot Rod |
Profile[]
When "Profile" is selected, one's profile can be modified by saving or deleting. Additionally, players can create new profiles or load existing ones.
Bonus Content[]
The Bonus Content feature lets players purchase various unlockable content with Bonus Points collected in story mode or earned during Arcade or Versus events. Unlockable characters may be purchased here, along with paint jobs for already obtained characters. Most paint jobs range from 2,000 to 20,000 points to purchase, while characters range from 20,000 to 60,000. Concept art of characters and environment, along with some extra miscellaneous art, can also be purchased.
Characters[]
Playable characters[]
There are seventeen playable characters in Cars: Mater-National Championship, with five of them being unlockable - Otto, Gudmund, Koji, Emma and Giovanni. These characters can be unlocked by purchasing them with a number of Bonus Points from Ramone's House of Body Art in the Bonus Content menu option.
| Image | Name | Stats | Cost in Bonus Points |
 |
Lightning | Boost: 3 Acceleration: 4 Handling: 4 Stability: 3 |
N/A |
 |
Mater | Boost: 2 Acceleration: 3 Handling: 4 Stability: 4 |
N/A |
 |
Doc | Boost: 5 Acceleration: 1 Handling: 4 Stability: 4 |
N/A |
 |
Ramone | Boost: 5 Acceleration: 2 Handling: 3 Stability: 4 |
N/A |
 |
Flo | Boost: 5 Acceleration: 1 Handling: 3 Stability: 5 |
N/A |
 |
Sarge | Boost: 2 Acceleration: 5 Handling: 5 Stability: 2 |
N/A |
 |
Fillmore | Boost: 5 Acceleration: 1 Handling: 3 Stability: 5 |
N/A |
 |
Luigi | Boost: 1 Acceleration: 4 Handling: 4 Stability: 3 |
N/A |
 |
Gudmund | Boost: 2 Acceleration: 4 Handling: 4 Stability: 4 |
20,000 |
 |
Otto | Boost: 3 Acceleration: 4 Handling: 4 Stability: 3 |
20,000 |
 |
Koji | Boost: 2 Acceleration: 3 Handling: 5 Stability: 3 |
40,000 |
 |
Giovanni | Boost: 2 Acceleration: 3 Handling: 5 Stability: 3 |
60,000 |
 |
Emma | Boost: 2 Acceleration: 3 Handling: 4 Stability: 4 |
50,000 |
 |
Monster McQueen | Boost: 3 Acceleration: 3 Handling: 2 Stability: 4 |
N/A |
 |
Monster Mater | Boost: 2 Acceleration: 4 Handling: 1 Stability: 4 |
N/A |
 |
Sulley | Boost: 3 Acceleration: 3 Handling: 2 Stability: 4 |
N/A |
 |
Mike | Boost: 3 Acceleration: 5 Handling: 5 Stability: 1 |
N/A |
Supporting characters[]
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Additionally, Red can be seen driving around a house in Tractor Tipping, as well as using his hose to provide a waterfall during North Willy's Butte. A number of tourists are also found driving around Radiator Springs during story mode.
Events[]
Races[]
Road Races
Stadium Races
Rustbucket Races
Luigi and Guido's Team Relay
Monster Truck Waypoint Races
Minigames[]
Bonus Points[]
|
Total Points |
Radiator Springs |
Ornament Valley |
Tailfin Pass |
Total |
|
1000 points |
104 |
55 |
53 |
212000 |
|
10000 points |
19 |
6 |
12 |
370000 |
|
40000 points |
5 |
3 |
4 |
480000 |
|
Total |
494000 |
235000 |
333000 |
1062000 |
Reception[]
The game has received mostly mixed to positive reviews. On the review site Metacritic, the PlayStation 3 version of the game has received a Metascore of 63/100, indicating mixed or average reviews overall, while receiving a user score of 4.8/10, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."[2] Metascores for the other versions of the game include 69/100 for the Nintendo DS version,[3] 58/100 for the Xbox 360 version,[4] and 67/100 for the PlayStation 2 version.[5]
Gamestyle gave the game a 4/10 rating, because of the smaller exploring space, the smaller Radiator Springs, and called the handling of the vehicle constant. PSXExtreme gave the game a 7.0, praising the better audio, but criticized the graphics. IGN rated the Nintendo DS version of the game 6.8/10.0, calling it "cute" and "kid-friendly" but "never made into 5th gear".[6]
Beta elements[]
- For this subject's list of beta elements, see Cars: Mater-National Championship/Beta elements.
Multiple characters have playable data inside of their directories, and can be loaded into the game via hacking. These characters include Mia, Fletcher, Philip, Yuri, Sheriff, Lenny, Count Spatula, Judd, Buford, and Lewis.
Staff[]
- For this subject's list of staff, see Cars: Mater-National Championship/Staff.
Cars: Mater-National Championship was developed by Rainbow Studios, the same company that developed Cars: The Videogame and Cars: Race-O-Rama. It was published by THQ.
Glitches[]
- For this subject's list of glitches, see Cars: Mater-National Championship/Glitches.
Out of sync voices[]
Sometimes a character will say a line of dialogue without their mouths moving, particularly by AI drivers. Characters may move their mouths without saying anything, as well. This glitch is present in all versions of the game.
Luigi and Guido's Team Relay 2 glitch[]
In the "Luigi and Guido's Team Relay 2" glitch, when the player enters the second lap, sometimes it will then display an AI character almost an entire lap ahead of them, though they are technically still behind them. This glitch is present in all versions of the game.
Team Relay 3 selection glitch[]
If the player selects the event icon for Team Relay 3 while going at 99 mph, the game will begin to emit a screeching noise, the sound depending on what speed the player is currently at.
References to other media[]
- Cars: Many of the characters introduced in this movie re-appear in the game. Another reference is that Mcqueen doesn't have a horn in the movie. It is unknown how he got the horn in the game.
- Cars: The Videogame: Many of the characters introduced in this game re-appear in this game. The open world is also heavily inspired by the open world featured in this game.
- Cars: The Videogame: When the player wins all 350 bolt banners, an end-scene plays where Mater asks Lightning what happened to the stickers Lizzie had been giving him and Lightning says he "put them in a safe place." This is a reference to the final scene in the first game where Sally asks Lightning where he put his Piston Cup and Lightning says, "It's in a good place."
- Mater and the Ghostlight: The Ghosting Mater minigame is based on this short.
References in later media[]
- Cars: Race-O-Rama: Many of the paint jobs featured in the game make a return.
- Cars: Fast as Lightning: The Ornament Valley Airport returns as an unlockable building.
Gallery[]
- For this subject's image gallery, see Cars: Mater-National Championship/Gallery.
Media[]
| Game Music |
|---|
| High Speed Heist
|
| One More Chicken
|
Titles in other languages[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Danish | Biler: Bumles Internationale Racerløb | Cars: Mater's International Race |
| Norwegian | Biler: Bills Internasjonale Racerløp | Cars: Mater's International Race |
| Polish | Auta: Mistrzostwa Złomka | Cars: Mater's Championship |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Carros: A Copa Internacional do Mate | Cars: Mater's International Cup |
| Russian | Тачки: Новый Сезон | Cars: New Season |
| Spanish | Cars: La Copa Internacional de Mate | Cars: The International Cup of Mater |
| Swedish | Bilar: Bärgarns Internationella Race | Cars: Mater's International Race |
Trivia[]
- A remix of the Radiator Springs Theme from the first game can be found only in the files of the game, it is unknown why it was unused.
- Otto, Koji and Emma's designs were later parodied and copied into the short, Tokyo Mater as three background characters - Manji, Tabinu and Cho.
- The Game Boy Advance version was one of the last games to be released for the Game Boy Advance, and has a password system.
- Out of the three main Cars games developed by THQ, this is the only one of the following:
- The only game where Lightning McQueen can appear as a computer opponent in Rustbucket Races in Arcade mode.
- This is the only game in the explore world, they returned some music cutscenes from the tractor tipping game, and the north desert dash from the original cars game.
- The music for the radiator cap cutscene, returned in the wii menu.
- The only game not to feature any single-level mini-games or any mini games that are main story events.
- The only game not to feature Chick Hicks or Mack.
- The only game where Red appears on the console versions. (Appeared in the PSP version of the first game prior to this)
- This is the only game that new areas for the tractor tipping game are created and features Lightning Mcqueen's horn, (even though he didn't have one in the movie and the original cars game, he revved his engine).
- The only game not to be released on the PlayStation Portable during it's lifespan.
- The only game to feature Sheriff as a racer, but not a playable character. (He isn't playable in Cars 3: Driven to Win either, but he was demoted to a cameo role there.)
- The only game where the Rustbucket Stadium only appears at nighttime.
- The only game where all of the events take place in Radiator Springs, Ornament Valley and Tailfin Pass.
- There were some Disney storybooks released in 2007 that were based off some of the game.
- The GBA version (along with the DS Version) is the second game in the franchise where you can play as Lizzie. The first being the PSP version of the first game.
- For unknown reasons, Giovanni, Gudmund, and Koji lack voice lines in the DS version, despite Otto and Emma being fully voiced.
References[]
- ↑ Larry Hryb @ PAX on Twitter
- ↑ Cars: Mater-National Championship (PS3) on Metacritic
- ↑ Cars: Mater-National Championship (DS) on Metacritic
- ↑ Cars: Mater-National Championship (Xbox 360) on Metacritic
- ↑ Cars: Mater-National Championship (PS2) on Metacritic
- ↑ Cars Mater-National Review. November 30, 2007.