Cars: The Video Game: Refueled

 

Cars: The Video Game: Refueled is a remaster of the 2006 game, Cars: The Video Game, and is released in honor of Cars’s 15th Anniversary. It is published by THQ Nordic.

 

Platforms: Playstation 4

Playstation 5

Xbox Series X and S

Xbox One

Nintendo Switch

 

The graphics are in HD, and are very similar to Cars 3: Driven To Win’s graphics, and the story mode is exactly the same as the original version of the game. The game features everything the original game had, as well as some additional features added to the game that weren’t in the original. For example, you can now look behind you by pressing the R button on your controller (Only R, not both R and the trigger button). And, the game is up to 5 players, since there are 5 racers in a race. However, Sheriff’s Hot Pursuit is up to 4 players, one player can be Sheriff, and the other 3 are the speeders. And also, there is a new online multiplayer mode, which is pretty much the same as Mario Kart’s online multiplayer, and you can also spectate other players while you are waiting, like in Mario Kart’s online multiplayer. Also, like in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, you can swap out your character, paint job, and tires after a match. On the main menu for the game, the online multiplayer symbol has a globe on it. The game also features the exact same physics as the original game.

 

All modes are available in online multiplayer, but only 2 minigames are available in online multiplayer.

 

The minigames available in online multiplayer are:

   
 * Sheriff’s Hot Pursuit
 * Mater’s Speedy Circuit

Characters:

   

Unlockable Characters:

   

Zeb (Cost: 8,000)

Banks (Cost: 20,200)

Aikens (Cost: 12,800)

Cortland (Cost: 11,200)

Suregrip (Cost: 19,400)

Buck (Cost: 9,000)

Clarkson (Cost: 19,650)

Medford (Cost: 20,000)

Masterson (Cost: 16,700)

Guenther (Cost: 17,000)

Lee Jr. (Cost: 19,800)

Todd Marcus (Cost: 20,100)

Claude Scruggs (Cost: 15,000)

Billy Oilchanger (Cost: 21,000)

Chuck Armstrong (Cost: 22,000)

Todd The Pizza Planet Truck (Secret Unlockable Character) (Unlocked by beating the entire story mode)

 

Monster McQueen and Monster Mater are unlocked after you beat Monster Truck Mayhem.

 

All characters can be used for any Road Race, however, like the original game, only race cars can be used for Piston Cup Races.

 

Characters that can be used for Piston Cup races are:

   
 * Lightning McQueen
 * Chick Hicks
 * The King
 * Doc Hudson
 * Darrell Cartrip
 * Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * Zeb
 * Banks
 * Aikens
 * Cortland
 * Suregrip
 * Buck
 * Clarkson
 * Medford
 * Masterson
 * Guenther
 * Lee Jr.
 * Hollister
 * Henderson
 * Jolsten

Modes:  
 * Story Mode
 * Arcade
 * Versus
 * Online Versus

Arcade Modes:  
 * Road Races
 * Piston Cup Races
 * Minigames
 * Time Trials (Single Player Only)

Time Trials is basically just like in Mario Kart. The symbol for time trials on the Arcade menu is yellow, and it has a clock on it.

 

All of the courses are the same as in the game. However, there are also some new tracks as DLC.

 

DLC Tracks:  
 * Tokyo Tower (Based on Tokyo Mater) (Road Race)
 * Parking Area 51 (Based on Unidentified Flying Mater) (Road Race)
 * Radiator Springs 500/12 (Road Race)
 * Radiator Springs Speedway (Road Race)

Minigames:  
 * Tractor Tipping
 * Lizzie’s Postcard Hunt
 * Doc’s Lesson: Powerslide
 * Luigi to the Rescue
 * Sarge’s Boot Camp
 * Mater’s Backwards Lesson
 * Sheriff’s Hot Pursuit
 * High Speed Heist
 * Lightning Strikes Back
 * Ghosting Mater
 * Mater’s Speedy Circuit
 * Mater’s Countdown Cleanup

All minigames are available on all platforms.

 

Paint Jobs That Were In Other Media That Are In The Game:

 

Lightning: Mater: Doc Hudson: Ramone: Flo: Chick Hicks: Mia:  
 * Original
 * Radiator Springs
 * Cruisin’
 * Dinoco
 * Daredevil
 * Dragon
 * Heavy Metal
 * El McQueen
 * Autonaut
 * Off-Road
 * Frightening McMean (Monster McQueen only)
 * Original
 * Brand New
 * Mater The Greater
 * Rescue Squad Mater
 * El Materdor
 * Tokyo Mater
 * Autonaut
 * Heavy Metal Mater
 * Monster Truck Mater (Monster Mater Only)
 * Original
 * Hudson Hornet
 * Original
 * Ghostlight
 * Green
 * Yellow
 * Old School
 * Lightning
 * Wedding
 * Original
 * Wedding
 * Original
 * Dinoco
 * Original
 * Dinoco
 * Waitress
 * Chick Hicks Fan
 * Mater The Greater Fan
 * Dalmatian
 * El Materdor Fan
 * Tokyo Mater Fan
 * Monster Truck Mater Fan
 * Moon Mater Fan
 * Heavy Metal Mater Fan
 * Top Down Truck Stop Waitress

Monster McQueen and Monster Mater can wear any paint job that is available for their original counterparts.

 

All of the other paint jobs for all characters that are from the previous THQ cars games are in this game.

 

You can now change your tires in Arcade mode. You start out with only your original tires, but in the hub world, you can find tires around the map. Instead of having to find 3 tires per set like in Mater National, you have to find 4 per set since a car has 4 tires. However, you must choose wisely, because your speed partially depends on your tires.

 

Lightning’s Tires:  
 * Original
 * Whitewall
 * Bling Bling
 * Autonaut
 * Daredevil
 * El McQueen Tires
 * All of the tires that were in Mater National

Mater’s Tires: Doc’s Tires:  
 * Original
 * Autonaut
 * Daredevil
 * El Materdor Tires
 * Rescue Squad Tires
 * Original
 * Racing

Newly added game features:
 * You can now go inside some buildings in the hub world to get tires, spray paints, bonus points, or postcards.
 * If you roam around in the hub world after beating the story mode, you’ll actually be able to see the Piston Cups on the windowsill of Doc’s office. Doc’s 3 Piston Cups can be seen from the start of the game, but after you beat the story mode, Lightning’s Piston Cup can be seen on the windowsill as well.
 * You can now explore the Piston Cup and Rustbucket stadiums. Each stadium can be unlocked in the hub world after you beat the race with that stadium. After you beat the Rustbucket Race-O-Rama track, the doors for the stadium will be open, allowing you to go in and explore. However, the only way to get to the Piston Cup stadiums is by transporting from the map. It will appear on the map after you beat that race. And like in Cars: Race-O-Rama, Sarge’s Boot Camp is free to explore in the hub world.


 * If you stay on the main menu for 1 minute (the one with the Radiator Springs billboard), the Delinquent Road Hazards will speed by the screen, with Sheriff chasing after them.
 * On the menu screen with the Drive-In Theater, there are now several cars sitting at the movie theater.
 * On the loading screens, the loading symbol will now be a tire.

     
 * In Piston Cup races, Dexter Hoover will now be shown on his stand by the start/finish line, his flag depending on what lap it is. For example, if it’s the final lap, he will hold the checkered flag. And, he will wave the checkered flag when you cross the finish line.
 * You can now play the story mode in multiplayer. If 4 people are playing the story mode, then in races, there will be 8 racers. Therefore, the number of racers in a race in the story mode will change depending on how many people are playing. However, only one person can play Tractor Tipping and Luigi To The Rescue in the story mode, even in multiplayer. Another thing available in multiplayer story mode is the fact that multiple players can roam around in the hub world.
 * Since Paul Newman (voice of Doc) and George Carlin (voice of Fillmore) have died, Doc and Fillmore have no new lines, and instead have re-used recordings from the game. Other than those 2, everyone else may have some new voice clips, and everyone still has the same voice actors from the original Cars: The Video Game, and the newly added characters that are from the movie have their same voice actors from the movie as well, like Tex is voiced by Humpy Wheeler in this game just like he is in the movie.
 * The game runs at 60FPS with 1 player, but if there are multiple players, then the frame rate drops to 30FPS.
 * There are now Piston Cup racers with Claude Scruggs model.


 * There is now an option to turn off CPUs in a race and race only with players in multiplayer.
 * There is now an option for you to make custom paint jobs and use them in races. However, you can only customize paint jobs, and you have to complete the first chapter in the story mode to unlock this customize feature. Once unlocked, you can access it by going to Ramone’s in the hub world, and you press a certain button to customize a paint job.