Today in Burbank, coinciding with this week’s E3 in Los Angeles and last week’s starry Premiere of Cars 3 in Anaheim, Warner Brothers Interactive (Disney already has a friendly working relationship with them vis-a-vis the LEGO Marvel and LEGO Star Wars games) Cars 3: Driven to Win is now available for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch™ and Wii U™. Just the Americas, though. All of you Antarcticans and such will just have to be all jelly.
Developed by Avalanche Software, (the studio who gave us DISNEY FREAKING INFINITY!!!!!!!), Cars 3: Driven to Win is inspired by the new film, but is not a retread (ha!) of the movie, but rather an exciting interactive racing game that you can play alone or with friends and family. Players can race as Lightning McQueen, Cruz Ramirez, Jackson Storm and other beloved characters while mastering the tricks, skills and combat techniques needed to become the Ultimate Champion.
Cars 3: Driven to Win picks up after the final big race in the upcoming Cars 3, and you know what? There might be spoilers in there. Eh, After I finish work Alice and I are going to play it anyway, because I like crashing driving games. Also, I love games with tons of customization, and there are more than 20 customizable player characters to choose from, including Cars characters and next-generation racers, and over 20 unique tracks across 13 memorable race environments straight from the film. The combinations are practically endless.
“With Cars 3: Driven to Win, we created a game that extends the excitement of the film with thrilling competitive racing experiences for players of all ages and levels,” said John Blackburn, Vice President and Studio Head, Avalanche Software. “We know how much fans love the Cars brand and characters, and we are proud to make the game available across all current and previous gaming consoles so that more families can enjoy it together.”
Cars 3: Driven to Win also actually teaches novice players how to master the game. No, I’m not kidding. There are six incremental modes for gamers to train and advance their abilities; the gameplay is designed to encourage players to learn and build experience, earning rewards for their skills and improvements as they move forward. Race Mode puts the player right on the tracks to race against Lightning McQueen and some of the other Cars cast, while Battle Race is a multiplayer mode with power-ups, using them to get ahead. To turn up the competition, Takedown Mode allows gamers to collect and use those same power-ups to eliminate as many crash karts as possible and defeat their opponents. In Best Lap Challenge, players try to beat their toughest foe – themselves – as they race to beat their best previous time. Best of all, players can visit the Playground, where they can race, perform stunts, engage in challenges, or simply drive around for fun at their own pace, and with Stunt Showcase they get to race off of ramps to catch air and perform as many tricks as possible before time runs out, earning points for successful tricks and safe landings.
Players will be able to experience Cars 3: Driven to Win with their friends or on their own to perfect the various racing styles and modes available to them. The game will include local split-screen cooperative play, allowing players to compete or team up and play at home together, making it easy for friends and family members to join the race – and the fun – at any time.
But just in case you DO have someone who is more of the crayon type than the controller type (at least for the next year or so), you can get them ready to race with this cute maze, courtesy of Disney and Cars 3:
Again, Cars 3: Driven to Win is now available for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One and Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch™ and Wii U™ RIGHT. NOW. No backwards-compatibility problems, everything’s cool, looks like fun. I’ll be keeping you informed of what’s going on at E3 for the rest of the week, as will Noe V.