============================== OVERVIEW [GP02] ==============================

Cars is primarily a racing game, though a couple of the mini-games don't have 
a racing component. The racing in Cars is "arcade style"--i.e. there's no 
damage model (hitting something just slows you down) and the driving physics 
are not very realistic. There are three modes of play:


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                                   STORY MODE
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Story Mode puts you in the middle of Radiator Springs and lets you freely (or, 
almost freely) roam the game world. There are 33 different events spread 
through five chapters and two adjacent world areas (Ornament Valley and 
Tailfin Pass). Completing events unlocks other events and you work your way 
through the main story, which takes place *after* the events in the movie and 
involves competition for the Piston Cup.

Each event you finish awards you a certain number of trophies--there are 250 
trophies in all. You must earn a minimum number of trophies to compete in the 
five Piston Cup races that end each chapter of the story.

In addition to races, there are a number of mini-games to spice up gameplay. 
These include timed and un-timed collection games, a stealth mini-game and 
several mini-games that are variations on a standard race (such as a timed 
obstacle course). To enter events, you must drive around the world, find an 
event marker, drive into it and press the "Brake" button.
 
While exploring the world, you can find bonus point tokens. Each type awards 
a certain number of points to your total:

 -> Red icons with a yellow lightning bolt: 100 points--these are literally
    lying around everywhere and are easy to find.

 -> Red icons with a white lightning bolt: 500 points--less numerous than the
    100-point icons, these are still relatively easy to come by.

 -> Gold icons with a yellow lightning bolt: 2,000 points--you'll have to
    search carefully, and, in some cases, pull off a trick to collect these
    valuable bonuses.

You also earn points during races and mini-games by achieving certain 
milestones, such as: best time, best lap time, "Safe Driver", "Big Air", 
"Powerslide", etc. Use your earned points to unlock bonus content including 
characters, concept art and movies. (*Movies are not available in the 
Gamecube version of Cars.*)


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                                  ARCADE MODE
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Lets you pick any of your unlocked characters and use them in any unlocked 
race or mini-game. Races and mini-games are unlocked during Story Mode.


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                                     VS MODE
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Lets you and another player pick from any unlocked characters and compete 
against each other in any unlocked race. There is no online competition in VS 
Mode.