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1[[quoteright:338:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cars3game.jpg]]
2
3''WesternAnimation/Cars3: Driven to Win'' is the seventh game in the ''Franchise/{{Cars}}'' franchise. The game was developed by Avalanche Software as their first game after their reopening[[note]]The developer was initially shut down in May 2016 after the cancellation of their ''VideoGame/DisneyInfinity'' series; they reopened in January 2017[[/note]] and released for the Platform/PlayStation3, Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/NintendoSwitch, Platform/XboxOne, Platform/Xbox360 and Platform/WiiU on June 13, 2017. This is the first Disney-based game to not be published by Creator/DisneyInteractiveStudios after they were closed down in May 2016. Instead, it is published by Creator/WarnerBrosInteractiveEntertainment. It virtually uses the same gaming engine as ''VideoGame/Cars2''.
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5This game takes place after the events of ''Cars 3''. The first race is the Thomasville Flashback, where Lightning and Cruz race racing legends like Doc Hudson, Junior Moon, Louise Nash and River Scott via a VirtualTrainingSimulation, to make it look like the two are actually racing with them. Soon afterwards, you can unlock new tracks by partaking in them. There are 21 tracks to unlock, including Fireball Beach, Thunder Hollow, Radiator Springs and Florida 500. Five tracks from ''WesternAnimation/Cars2: The Video Game'' also make an appearance.
6
7There are six modes to unlock:
8* Race: ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
9* Battle Race: Racing [[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace but with weapons]].
10* Stunt Showcase: Landing as many air tricks as possible within a time limit to get the most points.
11* Takedown: Taking down as many Crash Karts as possible within a time limit.
12* Best Lap Challenge: Trying to beat the all-time record for best lap on the picked track.
13* Thomasville Playground: Where you can practice stunts and tricks, play minigames or just drive around.
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15[[folder:List of characters]]
16* Lightning [=McQueen=]
17* Cruz Ramirez
18* Tow Mater
19* Sally
20* Ramone
21* Guido
22* Mater the Greater (can be unlocked by beating him in the Stunt Showcase Master-Level challenge)
23* Bobby Swift (can be unlocked by gaining 4 skill checks)
24* Brick Yeardley (can be unlocked by gaining 7 skill checks)
25* Chick Hicks (can be unlocked by beating him in the Takedown Master-Level challenge)
26* Natalie Certain (can be unlocked by gaining 17 skill checks)
27* [[spoiler:Fabulous Lightning [=McQueen=]]] (added via update)
28* Arvy (can be unlocked by gaining 40 skill checks)
29* Dr. Damage (can be unlocked by gaining 70 skill checks)
30* Miss Fritter (can be unlocked by beating her in the Battle Race Master-Level challenge)
31* Cam Spinner (can be unlocked by gaining 50 skill checks)
32* Rich Mixon (can be unlocked by gaining 85 skill checks)
33* Jackson Storm (can be unlocked by beating him in the Race Master-Level challenge)
34* Junior Moon (can be unlocked by gaining 27 skill checks)
35* Louise Nash (can be unlocked by gaining 57 skill checks)
36* River Scott (can be unlocked by gaining 77 skill checks)
37* Smokey (can be unlocked by gaining 124 skill checks)
38* Mack (can be unlocked by collecting all ten of his hats in the Thomasville Playground)
39[[/folder]]
40----
41!!''Cars 3: Driven to Win'' contains examples of the following tropes:
42* AdaptationalBadass: Natalie Certain and Mack are fully capable of keeping up with the other cars despite demonstrating no racing skills in the movies. Since the races are actually training simulations, it's fully {{justified|Trope}}.
43* AlwaysNight: Arizona Sundown Run, Midnight Run, Thunder Hollow Destruction Derby, Florida International Speedway and Go Go Tokyo!.
44* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Both Lightning and Mater have alternate paint jobs (the former's [[spoiler: "Fabulous Lightning [=McQueen=]" Doc Hudson-esque]] getup and the latter's "Mater the Greater" getup) that can be unlocked by fulfilling certain requirements. Strangely, both paint jobs function as ''two separate characters''.
45* AnnouncerChatter: Darrell Cartrip announces at the beginning of and throughout each race and the characters comment on their experiences throughout.
46--> '''Darrell Cartrip''': Boogity boogity boogity! Let's go racing!
47* TheArtifact: The game's battle race mode heavily involves weapons like machine guns, bombs and oil being used to attack other racers; this is directly lifted from the ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'' video game. But while that game was justified in having weapon-based gameplay due to the movie it's based on being a spy thriller that actually did use said weapons, there's very little justification for this game to have weapon-based gameplay considering the [[WesternAnimation/Cars3 movie it's based on]] lacks the spy-theming. To the game's credit, though, the weapons have been redesigned to look more cartoonish.
48* AscendedExtra:
49** Natalie Certain has a much bigger role in the game than she had in the film. Here she's a playable character, and is one of the guests on the Chick's Picks monologue following an event.
50** Next-generation Piston Cup racers Cam Spinner and Rich Mixon were extra racers to fill in the ranks of Piston Cup competitors with no lines or characterization. Here, they are not only promoted to playable characters, but [[SuddenlyVoiced also receive voice actors]].
51* BombWhistle: Done literally with the bombs weapon - it makes a whistling sound whenever you fire it.
52* BossBattle: Each of the four Master Level events consist of your car competing against another, with Jackson Storm's event as the FinalBoss.
53* BringIt:
54** Your car will say something like this once they reach the final lap.
55** An early one done by Cruz when Jackson challenges Lightning and herself to an all-out match:
56--> '''Cruz Ramirez''': Top notch? Hey, [[spoiler:I beat you once, Jackson]], and I'll do it again!
57* TheBusCameBack: This is Sally's first appearance in a ''Cars'' video game since [[VideoGame/{{Cars}} the start of the franchise]].
58* CallBack:
59** Many to the video game adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'':
60*** The controls, such as side bashing, backwards driving and two-wheel driving, are exactly the same.
61*** Five of the tracks are re-skinned versions of Runway Tour, Buckingham Sprint, Casino Tour, Vista Run and Timberline Sprint.
62*** Battle racing returns, with some of the weapons[[note]]namely the Oil Slick, Rapid Fire, Rockets, Triple Rockets and Turbo Syphon[[/note]] being adapted from the previous game.
63*** The Takedown mode has a similar premise to the Attack mode from ''2'', only with the Lemons replaced with test karts.
64** Often when Lightning jumps from a really high height, [[ManiacTongue he lets his tongue flail out the side of his mouth]], like how he did in the first film when he jumped the wreckage.
65** Some of Cruz's lines are callbacks to ''Cars 3'' when she was a trainer.
66* TheCameo:
67** Sheriff, Fillmore, Sarge and Flo appear as spectators in the Radiator Springs races.
68** Demolition derby participants High Impact, Broadside, Bill and Airborne appear driving around in Thunder Hollow Speedway. Bill is also an AI competitor in the Battle Race Master-Level Event.
69* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome:
70** Oddly, despite Lightning's fellow Piston Cup racers Brick Yardley and Bobby Swift being playable, Cal Weathers is completely absent without mention.
71** Similarly, Guido appears as a playable racer, but Luigi, who normally [[ThoseTwoGuys appears alongside him]], isn't present in any capacity.
72* CloneArmy: The Master-Level takedown event to unlock Chick Hicks requires you to take down a hundred Chick Hicks clones in the span of five minutes, all while the clones boast to each other about how good they are.
73* CollectionSidequest: The Thomasville Playground contains ten of Mack's Rust-eze hats in different places around the map that the player can collect. Grabbing all ten will unlock Mack as a playable racer.
74* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard:
75** If your car is in the lead during Battle Races, be sure to watch for dangers the AIs will toss at you, as much are imminent. Road Mines can also be dropped, and there's a chance you'll run into one of them and you only have some time to lob it onto another opponent before it goes off.
76** Racing in Hard mode gives the AIs ''incredible'' amounts of speed, almost impossible to pass.
77* DeathGlare: Sometimes your car will give one of these, though it's with determination rather than malice.
78* DefeatMeansPlayable: The four Master Level Events each feature a hidden character as the main opponent, and clearing these events will unlock that character as a playable racer.
79* DemotedToExtra: After being playable characters in the ''VideoGame/Cars2'' game (albeit only as DLC for the latter two), Fillmore, Sarge, Sheriff, and Flo only appear as background characters in the Radiator Springs tracks.
80* DigitalDestruction: The Wii U and Switch releases have rather lower-quality animation than the Platform/PS3, Platform/PS4 and Platform/XboxOne releases. Specifically the characters' eyes and decals are a bit pixelated and the backgrounds aren't shaded as much.
81* EasterEgg:
82** Pressing the left control stick will switch your car's headlights on and off. It doesn't have any major effect, it just illuminates your way through.
83** Pressing the weapons button when you have no weapons ready to fire honks the horn. You can choose which horn sound your car makes prior to racing.
84* EverybodyLaughsEnding: The game ends with Lightning, Cruz and Chick all laughing as they watch Jackson get beat up by Miss Fritter.
85* FinalBoss: The final Master Level Event, unlocked after clearing 90 Skill Checks, is a one-on-one race against Jackson Storm.
86* FunnyBackgroundEvent: If you wait long enough on the main screen, you can see Chick Hicks being replaced with a cardboard cutout of himself.
87* GameplayAndStorySegregation: The main story of the game is framed as Lightning training in the simulation to face Jackson Storm. However, it's entirely possible to play as other characters besides Lightning, in which case, the cutscenes for the Master Level events (which address Lightning by name and assume you're playing as him) make absolutely no sense if you're playing as someone else.
88* GottaCatchEmAll: Specifically the goal for the player is to fulfil all skill checks, though they only need to collect 90 to face Storm.
89* HopelessWithTech: Averted. Lightning has shown to have gotten better with the simulator here, as opposed to the movie when he immediately goes out of control and destroys it the moment it turns on.
90* ICanSeeMyHouseFromHere: Whenever Junior Moon jumps from a really tall height.
91--> '''Junior Moon''': Hey, I can see Thomasville from here!
92* IncomingHam: Miss Fritter's unleashes one in the intro to her Master Event:
93--> '''Miss Fritter:''' Not so fast!\
94'''Chick Hicks:''' [[PoorCommunicationKills [Lightning's] not so fast. Never has been.]]\
95'''Miss Fritter:''' Oh-ho, yeah! Here I come! ''[Barges through, knocking Chick's Piston Cup off the set]''
96* {{Irony}}: Seeing the Creator/WarnerBros logo every time the game starts is surreal to those who know about Disney and Warner Bros. being industry rivals. This was far from the only time Warner Bros. worked with Disney to some capacity though, case in point ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. Not to mention that the game was published around the time Avalanche Software was acquired by WB, hence why it was published under the WB Games label.
97* LateArrivalSpoiler:
98** The intro cutscene spoils [[spoiler:the defeat of Jackson Storm at the Florida 500.]]
99** The game also features [[spoiler:Lightning [=McQueen=]'s "Fabulous" paint job]] as a playable character, which doesn't come in until the movie's final scene. Downplayed in that it only became available through an update about a month after the movie came out, preventing it from being spoiled right off the bat.
100* MultiMookMelee: Chick's Master Level Event is a Takedown event where the player must defeat an army of 100 copies of Chick within 5 minutes.
101* NostalgiaLevel: Five tracks from the ''Cars 2'' video game are unlockable with Skill Checks.
102* OhCrap:
103** Your car may show this expression if they're overtaken by an AI.
104** An early one is done by Lightning when he realizes Chick's show is still recording and he wound up in the middle of the episode.
105* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Due to [[TheOtherDarrin having a different voice actor]][[invoked]], Lightning almost completely loses his minimal southern accent.
106* PromotedToPlayable: Though Mack has appeared in several ''Cars'' games before this, ''Driven to Win'' is the first one to feature him as a playable character.
107* ProsceniumReveal: The opening scene shows Lightning and Cruz in Thomasville while the former races the old legends, including Doc...then it's revealed to have come from the simulator he's trying out.
108* RacingTheTrain: One of the Radiator Springs tracks has a train that you have to jump clear of.
109* ShiftingSandLand: Both versions of Arizona's Copper Canyon Speedway, as well as the Radiator Springs Red Dirt Derby.
110* SlippySlideyIceWorld: Both Radiator Springs tracks take place in winter, just like in the film.
111* SongsInTheKeyOfPanic: The music speeds up and modulates up one step on the last lap.
112* {{Splitscreen}}: The boxart, as seen above, depicts the three leads in a different major location visited throughout the film: Cruz in Thomasville, Lightning at Fireball Beach, and Jackson at the Florida 500.
113* SuperDrowningSkills: Just like the game before it, your car will instantly drown if it falls in the water, before getting re-simulated back to the track.
114* TerseTalker: Like in the film, Dr. Damage only speaks by imitating an ambulance siren.
115--> '''Dr. Damage''': Wee-oo-wee-oo-wee-oo!
116* TimedMission: In the Takedown event, your car has to blast a variety of simulator cars within the time limit. The challenges in the Thomasville Playground are timed, too.
117* TimeTrial: In the Best Lap Challenge mode, the player selects a number of laps, then races around the track by themselves to complete a lap in the fastest time possible. The player can earn stars by completing a lap within set time limits.
118* VillainousBreakdown: When you beat Jackson Storm in the final Master-Level race, Storm will have one of these:
119--> '''Jackson Storm''': That race was fixed for ratings! You know I can beat you anytime, Lightning. I can beat anyone, anywhere! Just bring it!
120* TheVoice: Darrell Cartrip provides commentary throughout the events, but we never see him onscreen.
121* TheVoiceless: Unlike the previous games, Guido is completely silent.
122* WhatTheHellHero: Side-bashing an opponent will cause them to yell at you this way, with some cars referring to each other by name.
123--> '''Miss Fritter''': (after Arvy side-bashes her) You're just making me madder, Arvy!

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