Mater’s Tall Tales: A Game My Whole Family Likes

My boys have loved Cars (the movie) forever. BigBrother was about two when my parents introduced him to the movie. Since then, we have all fallen in love with Lightning McQueen, Sally, Doc and, of course, Mater. When Mom Central asked if I wanted to review the new Cars Toon: Mater’s Tall Tales for Wii, I knew that my boys would absolutely love it. We have the Mater-national game and it’s been a big hit as well.

I just didn’t know how much I would like it. Nor did I know how much FireDad would like it!

After playing it on occasional evenings for the past two weeks, I’m ready to declare this game a winner. It’s a “mania” game, similar to Toy Story Mania!, which means that you can play together in fun scenarios with a little competitive edge. Our favorite? When you have to — wait for it — PUT OUT THE FIRE(s) IN RADIATOR SPRINGS! What a perfect combo for our family: fire and Cars. Win-win!

When we first played that particular Mania game, I beat BigBrother. As he got the hang of how the Wii-mote made this game work, he was soon beating me on nearly every screen. Figures.

Of course, the multi-player action is what makes this son fun. You can play with up to four players — each choosing your own car with color and style. BigBrother chose a car that looked an awful lot like Chick Hicks. I wonder what that means? Anyway, in your “garage” (think start screen area) you can customize your car. LittleBrother thought that was a lot of fun. So did I. It was easier for him than some of the games. (And, uh, me too!)

Like most games, there are awards for getting first place and the like. As you might figure with a Cars game, they come in the form of trophies! BigBrother thought that was fantastic.

LittleBrother needs some help when trying to play this game as he’s had less time to perfect his Wii-mote skills. BigBrother needs no help other than the occasional verbal direction. I could use some help when trying to beat FireDad but that’s probably not the fault of the game, I would suppose.

All in all, we really enjoy this game. Who wouldn’t, after all. It’s Mater!