Cars
- August 21, 2006 15:46 PM PST
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Catching Some Air
It seems a simple touch, but the coolest element of the motion sensing on hand here was the pursuit of "big air" jumps. As you approach a cresting hill, you can lower the Wii-mote and then yank it suddenly skyward as your tires leave the ground to thrust your chosen whip high into the air, gliding lazily back to Earth while avoiding troublesome bumps and scoring bonus points. We've all had the experience of yanking our controller around a spastic wish to affect the on-screen action during more intense moments of play, but now those movements are actually productive, and the result is an empowering adrenaline rush.
It's a race to the nearest drive-through Starbucks
There are some more traditional control elements, like holding down a button for a turbo boost that drains a meter. Tapping the crossbar to the left while turning triggers the all-important power-slide, while tapping it to the right pulls off a Dukes of Hazard-style side wheelie that'll squeeze you between road-blocking obstacles and opponents. Sometimes you'll find yourself so engrossed in the more physical control aspects that these conventions are simply forgotten momentarily.
Put Your Hands in the Air
There's no doubt that waving a controller in space with your arms feels a heck of a lot different from twitching fingers and thumbs between buttons and sticks, so you can expect it to take some time getting used to that feeling. One also has to wonder about the increased energy required to play games in such a way, and how that might affect our human limbs during those marathon sessions, but then it's hard to imagine there being much harm in forcing some exercise into such a historically sedentary enterprise.
Only time will tell how quickly this new control scheme becomes second nature, but Cars' cheerful take on racing is as natural a place to test the waters as any, and could prove to be a good choice to pick up on launch day.
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