Cars Demo Cruises to the Marketplace

THQ's demo for the Xbox 360 version of Cars shows that the studio knows more than just hookers, and pulls off the unexpected trick of making a racing game "cute".  The demo lets you try out two missions, while driving - or better stated BEING - a talking Porsche Carrera

The game, based on a Pixar movie of the same name, has done exceptionally well on other consoles, reaching the top of the UK charts this fall.  As some friendly readers have reminded me, I can be a bit too skeptical.  So it was with past-gen Cars when I saw that Saints Row has beat it in the sales charts.  I chuckled a bit and moved on.

This demo now gets the last laugh.  The graphics are genuinely impressive, with nice backdrops and a genuine cartoony feel.  The driving is a bit too forgiving, but it comes off like an adorable entry-level racer and throws in a little personality to boot.  One mission I have not played involved tipping tractors, as if they were cows.  I have no idea if the full game at a full price could ever appeal to me, but the demo was... kind of... fun.

Unfortunately, the demo is not yet available everywhere.

Name: Cars Demo
Price: Free
Not Available in: Asia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway and Swizterland
Dash Details: Comic Mischief! Race as Lightning McQueen through Radiator Springs at high-speed! Or tip tractors as Mater - just don't let Frank catch you!