Cars: Mater-National Championship

Cars Mater-National Championship, sometimes called Cars Mater-National, is a 2007 racing game published by THQ for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and Wii. The game is the sequel to Cars (video game).

The game received mixed reviews from critics. A sequel, Cars Race-O-Rama, was released in 2009.

Opening

[The story begins with Mater adjusting the broadcast camera to make it straight, before backing up, clears his throat and begins announcing in front of a building under construction. Said building is Lightning McQueen's racing headquarters. Guido is seen helping the construction.]

Mater: Ladies and gentlecars, welcome back to Radiator Springs, where boy, do we got a lot of busy and excitin' stuff goin' on! [The camera tilts a little bit.] Behind me is where Lightning McQueen, my best friend, is gonna be buildin' his new racin' headquarters! And then, even more better, we gonna have our very own racin' stadium! We'll see how that's comin' along later. [The camera tilts a little more.] But the most and bestest part of all, is we've got all these new folks from all over the world, to race in our first annual Radiator Springs, uh, what is it? Uh, inter-uh, int-in-inter, uh, Maternational! Yep, we got real racin' professionals visitin' from Germany, Japan, Italy, and all sorts of other places I've seen on TV! There's gonna be all sorts of cool happenings goin' on this week, races and games, and if we're lucky, a whole lot of crashin', so you all stay tuned! [He bumps into the camera, causing it to fall on its side.] Ah, dang.

[He looks at the fallen camera in annoyance. Let's see what the 2006 Piston Cup champion and his friends have in store for us, shall we?]

Big and Strong Again

[Lightning stops by Luigi's Casa Della Tires.]

Luigi: Ah, hello, my friend. You come-a for some tires?

Lightning: Yeah. Do you still have those big monster truck tires?

Luigi: Hmm... [He turns to Guido.] Guido! [Guido drops a tire upon hearing his name called.] The big tires. Where are they? [sternly] Guido! You know, the big, big, big tires! [Guido shrugs as he doesn't know where they went.] Well, they did not just roll out of the tire rack and away from the store by themselves, did they? [He turns back to Lightning.] Uh, little problem with the big tires.

Lightning: No, I get it. They're around here somewhere. I'll go find 'em.

Luigi: Bellissimo! And then, you come back and we make you big and strong again!

Lightning: Uh, you mean bigger and stronger, right?

Luigi: Right. Is what I said. Big and strong!

[With that, Lightning sets out to find the monster truck parts needed to make him Monster McQueen again.]

Luigi's Casa Della Tires

[After finding the monster truck parts, Lightning returns to Luigi's Casa Della Tires to become Monster McQueen once again. Guido is seen arranging a tire rack when whirring noises are suddenly heard, and the tires move a little. He then sees Mike and Sulley pass by Fletcher, and puts down the fourth tire to rearrange the rack. After that, he eventually places the fourth tire on top while we hear another whirring sound. The shop shakes as Guido tries to keep the tires in order, then the door opens and out comes Lightning as a monster truck and with a monster truck paintjob to boot. He shoots forwards, making the tire rack fall onto the ground.]

Lightning: [yelling] KA-CHOW!!! [He growls and revs his engine, then speaks to Guido in normal tone.] Sorry about the scary voice. It just, it kind of comes with the look.

I Wanna Be a Monster Too!

[Mater is seen looking for something when Lightning enters.]

Lightning: Hey, Mater.

Mater: Hey, buddy. How you-- Whaa!!! [He looks at his best friend nervously in his monster truck look.] Whoa, you done grewed all big again! How do you keep doin' that, anyway?

Lightning: It's just tires and a rig. Found 'em out in the desert.

[Mater pouts in jealousy.]

Mater: Aw, I wanna be a monster, too.

Lightning: Hey, you know what? I bet there's all kinds of stuff still out in that desert. Maybe Sarge will lend me his metal detector and then I can go look for more truck parts. How's that sound, buddy?

Mater: Ya mean, I'm gonna be a Monster Truck?

Lighting: Heh. Oh, yeah. A Monster Tow Truck.

[They smirk at each other and Lightning sets out to find some monster truck parts for Mater.]

Building Monster Mater

[After Lightning finds Mater some monster truck parts, the tow truck enters Luigi's store and Luigi and Guido then set him up to become Monster Mater. Once the work is finished, Mater looks at his new monster look and smirks. Lightning then returns to the store.]

Lightning: [to Luigi and Guido] Hey, have you guys seen Mater? Did you hook him up with those parts I found?

[Luigi and Guido look up to him with looks of guilt.]

Luigi: We have done a horrible thing today. We have created a monster! A Monster Mater!

[They look at the hole Mater made while exiting. His voice is heard in the distance. Lightning races back to Mater's junkyard to find his best friend as a monster truck, testing out his new skills.]

Mater: Trash compactor!

[Lightning winces at the impact.]

Lightning: Uh, Mater? What are you doing?

Mater: I'm bein' a m- I'M BEIN' A MONSTER! [He jumps high in the air as Lightning watches in worry.] ARRRRGGHH!!! [He lands on his house, flattening it.] I broke my house. Woohoo! I broke my house! Piledriver!

[He rams into another junk pile.]

Lightning: So, now, where are you gonna sleep?

Mater: Don't matter none. I couldn't fit under there no more, anyway.

Lightning: It would've been fine after you took off those tires.

Mater: But I ain't. I ain't never takin' these off. Never! Tow-rannosaurus wrecks! RRRAAGGHH!!!

[He takes off.]

Lightning: [breaking the fourth wall] This may have been a mistake.

[Don't worry, folks. Mater's house gets repaired in the end, anyway.]

Ramone's Rhythmic Rumble

[Completing all 7 levels earns Lightning a sticker from Lizzie.]

Lizzie: I'm proud of you.

Lightning: Not again. Thanks, Lizzie.

Radiator Springs Circuit

[Lightning is seen driving along when suddenly, he sees someone right in front of him. That somebody is an England racer named Philip, who looks similar to Fletcher.]

Lightning: Whoa, whoa!

Philip: Oh!

[They swerve to avoid colliding with each other and come to a stop. Philip gasps as he catches his breath while Lightning drives up next to him.]

Lightning: [to Philip] Uh, you do know you're on the wrong side of the road, right?

Philip: Yes, yes. So sorry. I-I-I'm still getting the hang of it. You see, I'm-I'm visiting from England and uh... [He suddenly recognizes Lightning and becomes excited.] Oh. Oh my. Oh, you're Lightning McQueen, aren't you? Oh, this is excellent! First day in town and already I'm face-to-face with a racing superstar!

Lightning: [chuckles] Uh, tell you what, um...

Philip: Uh, Philip.

Lightning: Okay, Philip. Uh, just to make your vacation a little safer, why don't we practice driving on the other side of the road for a while, what do ya say?

Philip: [gasps] A private racing lesson from Lightning McQueen?! Oh, my friends are not going to believe this!

Lightning: Not a racing lesson, a drive-

[Fred appears, interrupting Lightning.]

Fred: Lightning McQueen is giving private racing lessons?! [to Lightning] Oh, count me in, Mr. McQueen.

Lightning: Hello, Fred.

Fred: You remember my name! [to Philip] I can't believe he remembers my name. You know, that's just the kinda guy he is.

Philip: Yes, yes! He just saved me from near death!

Lightning: Well, I don't know about that.

Fred: [gasps, to Philip] He did?!

[Doc soon drives up.]

Doc: Hey! What're you doin' here? You're blockin' my street.

Lightning: I know. Sorry, Doc. I was just...

Fred: [excitedly] Look! It's the...

Philip: Fabulous Hudson Hornet. The Fabulous Hudson Hornet!

Doc: I'm also the town doctor, so, calm down, son, before you rupture somethin' and then I gotta fix you up.

Philip: [inhales] Oh, that would be brilliant!

[Then, one of Vince's gang from Queens, Barry, drives up to them.]

Barry: Hey, what's goin' on, guys? You gettin' ready for a race or somethin'?

Philip: [still excited] A race?! Yes! Against Lightning McQueen and the Fabulous Hudson Hornet!

Lightning: Ah... Okay, sure. That's a great idea.

Doc: [exasperated] Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me.

Lightning: Aw, c'mon, Doc. It's just stretchin' our tires. We'll go easy on 'em. [He revs his engine, causing Fred to literally jaw drop as his bottom lip falls to the ground. to Fred] We'll come back for that.

[They soon take their positions to start the Radiator Springs Circuit.]

Luigi and Guido's Team Relay #1

[Lightning and Mater return to Casa Della Tires where they find Luigi and Guido looking at someone.]

Mater: Hey, somethin' looks different about you two. Did you get new tires?

[Luigi and Guido look at Mater in annoyance.]

Lightning: Wow, you guys look great. You should have Ramone fix you up with a lightning bolt then you'd look just like...

[He gets interrupted by a revving engine.]

Luigi: [excitedly] Giovanni!

[Giovanni, an Italian racer from Italy, enters the store.]

Giovanni: [to Luigi] Hello, my friend.

Luigi: [gasps, to Guido] I am his friend!

Lightning: Nice to meet you, Giovanni. I'm Lightning.

Giovanni: Nice to meet you, Lightning. It was so nice of all of you to dress up like me.

Lightning: I'm not dressed up like you. I'm Lightning McQueen. I'm a famous race car, too.

[Luigi and Guido roll their eyes.]

Giovanni: Ah, yes, of course. You are the famous Lightning McQueen. I did not realize. You know, I'm looking forward to our race. You are a hero to me! I'm so embarrassed! I'm such a fan of yours.

Lightning: Really? Wow, thanks!

Giovanni: I cannot wait for our race together. It will be such an honor! I will count the hours till then!

Lightning: Well, there's no harm in a little practice run, right? We could all race together.

Giovanni: That would be fantastic!

Lightning: Hear that, Luigi? He's a fan of mine. [Luigi and Guido glare at him in annoyance.] What do you say, guys? You want to race on my team? [To his disappointment, however, Luigi and Guido decide to be on Giovanni's team, to make it a complete Italian team. The Piston Cup racer then breaks the fourth wall.] What do I have to do to impress folks around here?

North Willy's Butte

[That morning, Lightning is seen driving up to Sheriff, who has just pulled over a German race car named Otto von Fassenbottom for speeding.]

Lightning: What's the problem, Sheriff?

Sheriff: [about Otto] Speed limit's 25 and I clocked this hot-rodder doin' 120. That's the problem.

Otto: [to Sheriff] 25! I'm a race car. I go 0 to 90 in 2 seconds. I have never gone 25 in my life! Where is the Autobahn around here, anyway?

Sheriff: [to Lightning, about Otto] Keeps goin' on about some Auto Barn or somethin'. And when I go to give him a ticket, he signs his name on it like I was askin' for an autograph.

Otto: [to Sheriff] I never drive so slow. I'm Otto von Fassenbottom. The famous race car. I've come here to race, but there are no races yet.

Lightning: [to Otto] And I'm Lightning McQueen.

Otto: Yes. I know. Nice to finally meet you.

Lightning: [to Sheriff] Tell you what, Sheriff. Lemme take Otto off your hands for ya. I'll make sure he stays outta trouble. [to Otto] Hey, Otto, how's 3 laps sound?

Otto: Like a Sunday drive. I race in LeCars, one race last 24 hours.

Lightning: That's a long race. Let's just start with 3 laps. [He starts revving his engine, and Otto follows suit.] C'mon, Sheriff, why don't ya join us? You can blast your siren. It'll be fun!

[He and Otto start to take their positions for the race at North Willy's Butte.]

Sheriff: Distant third, here I come.

[He goes to take his position as well, while blaring his siren. The three are then joined by Fletcher's colleague, Gerald and one of the Delinquent Road Hazards, Snot Rod. Boost, DJ and Wingo are not present in this game, and neither are Sally Carrera, Chick Hicks, Darrell Cartrip, Strip "The King" Weathers, El Guapo and Papo.]

---

[After the race is complete, Lightning and Otto are driving along under a bright blue sky.]

Otto: That was a good race. But now, let us race some more.

Lightning: Wow, again? You really like to race, but maybe you should take a break, see the town.

Otto: No time for seeing, only time for racing.

Lightning: Yeah, but don't you think you should get a souvenir while you're in town? Do you have a girlfriend back in Germany?

Otto: Ja. She is called Jenny.

Lightning: Well, there you have it. You can't go back without a nice gift for Jenny!

Otto: Nein, Jenny would not like that.

Lightning: No, she wouldn't. Luckily, Lizzie's Curio Shop is just down the street. All the souvenirs you could imagine. Just tell her Lightning sent you.

Otto: Dankeshon, Lightning.

[He drives off to Lizzie's to get a souvenir for his girlfriend Jenny back in Germany. Sheriff is seen driving up to Lightning.]

Lightning: Anytime! Be sure to ask for the full tour! Oh, and about Stanley! A-and about how things are different now than they were in the old days!

Sheriff: [to Lightning, about Otto] Sendin' him to see Lizzie, huh?

Lightning: Yup.

Sheriff: That'll keep him busy.

Lightning: Yup.

Stadium Race #1

[We find Doc driving along when Lightning catches up to him.]

Lightning: Hey, Doc. Checkin' out the new stadium?

Doc: Yep. Lookin' good.

Lightning: Oh, yeah. Nice new track, spotting booth for Mater, pits for Guido. It's gonna be awesome.

Doc: Pretty fancy track. You know what I had to practice on? Dirt. Dirt track, wooden fences-

Lightning: [interrupts] And you had to drive 12 miles to school in the snow without chains. C'mon, Doc, this is gonna be great for the town.

Doc: I am proud of you, son. You done good.

Lightning: Wow, thanks, Doc. Th-that means a lot coming from you.

Doc: That's all you're gonna get.

Lightning: Okay.

[Doc then sees someone trying out the new track.]

Doc: Well, well, well. Looks to me like we got some folks trying out the track before you.

Lightning: What do you say we go down and get a race going?

Doc: Your track. Honor goes to you. Say, who's that fella all covered in stickers?

[That, of course, would be Lightning himself. They drive down to the new track and start the first race in the stadium. Their fellow racers are Otto, Luigi and Barry.]

---

[After the race, Mater and Lightning are broadcasting the events.]

Mater: Howdy, folks. I'm here at the site of the new, mmm, Radiator Springs Racin' Stadium of, uh, Radiator Springs. Shoot, it ain't even built yet, but we already done had our first race. Hey, Lightning, you wanna tell us what else we got to look forward to this week?

Lightning: Lots of exciting races, Mater, against some of the best competitors from all over the world, each one a champion in their own right.

Mater: Like that Giovanni fella.

Lightning: Yeah, I'm looking forward to that race. He's a winner, I'm a winner, but there's only room in this town for one winner.

Mater: Ooh, them's fightin' words.

Lightning: Ah, just a friendly little knock. Hey, speakin' of knockin' around, I hear there's a big rallycross champ from England you'll be tradin' paint with at the Rustbucket.

Mater: Yes there is!

Lightning: And are you ready?

Mater: [realizing] No, I'm not!

[He immediately races off to practice for his races at the Rustbucket Race-O-Rama with the England rallycross champion race car.]

Lightning: Hey, where you going?!

Mater: [off-screen] I gotta practice!

[Lightning then turns back to the audience.]

Lightning: Okay, so, anyway, stay tuned, everybody, 'cause this week is gonna be... supercharged!

[He winks at the camera. Lizzie also shows up.]

Lizzie: [to Lightning] Here you go, champ! [She gives him a sticker that says "RS" on it.] That's for winning the race!

Lightning: Gee, thanks, Lizzie.