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Hot Wheels Unleashed is the latest entry in the videogame series, and one of zillions since the first Hot Wheels title was released on the Commodore 64 in 1984.
Playing this in 4K on the PS5, the graphics look stunning and are simple but polished. Sure, you’re not going to get endless zombies storming after you like The Last Of Us Part II, or rats aplenty like A Plague Tale: Innocence; and while the audio is no more than the grating sound of what feels like a bee trapped inside the engine, with this title, it’s all about the fun aspect, and that’s pretty enjoyable, although I presume this is mainly aimed at kids who’ll have less demanding tastes.
I have to say, I did end up going down to the ‘Easy AI’ mode at first for the first race proper, so I didn’t get my ass kicked early on, since in my training race, I found that I was almost at the front, then I was thrown off the track, and ended up in 12th. I didn’t realise at first that I could ‘respawn’ at any point during my inadvertent taking of flight, but you can, and so I should’ve done that immediately.
But hey, that’s what a TRAINING MODE is about!
However, I did go back to Medium AI difficulty after my first two main races.
As you go through the races, you can earn tokens to open containers of goodies (like loot boxes, but FREE!) which contain things like extra cars, and items with which to decorate your basement where the races will take place. Personally, I’m not fussed about how the environment looks, I’m here for the races.
It also features the agony of just about losing – for example, in Race 4 for the video below, I was leading a race for a while, until I bungled things at the end, ended up on my side JUST short of the chequered flag and I was beaten by four other people so I LOST! GAH!
I saved that moment for the video below at 17:10, so do check it out amongst the other races.
All that said, even though it can be frustrating to strive for a win, Hot Wheels Unleashed does have that “just one more try” feeling.
Call this a ‘first impressions’ if you like, as I’ve only played a few races so far, but while it’s difficult to give a score to the game, you can guarantee that while it’s uncomplicated, it’s also a lot of fun and will be a great family favourite.
There’s also a Track Editor which I haven’t got stuck into yet, but let’s try mastering staying ON the track that Milestone have built first! 😀
Hot Wheels Unleashed is released on Thursday September 30th on PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC/Steam, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.
Important info:
- Developer: Milestone
- Publisher: Milestone
- Players: single-player, multi-player
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.