Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged isn’t just an incredibly fun time; it also manages to exceed expectations by being the all-in-one Hot Wheels game. Developed by the studio Milestone, it’s clear that a lot of time and effort was put into making this game stand out from the pack.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged isn’t a reskin of other racing or Kart games. It manages to do its own thing and have plentiful hours of content to make you keep coming back. Moreover, the base gameplay feels familiar while still being fresh at the same time.
It’s clear that the game utilizes the Unreal Engine to an exceptional degree. The visual fidelity, partnered with the incredible performance, make this an enjoyable experience, solo or in co-op.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is Tons of Fun
The title Turbocharged is definitely an accurate summarization of the game. It is fast, and you’ll have to be fast in order to completely understand everything going on. Vehicle control in this game feels great; however, when compared to other games in the genre, it will definitely take some getting used to.
The main thing that feels incredibly different compared to other titles in the same genre is drifting. At first, it felt to me like drifting was completely irresponsive. I was basically treating it like other Kart games. But when I eventually discovered that drifting in this game is more complex than just holding down the break trigger, I knew that this was something special. The immense satisfaction that comes from performing a perfect drift around a corner is truly something else.
And as the title of the game suggests, you’ll have to make smart use of your Turbo. Some vehicles have a simple bar, while others have charges associated with them. You can either boost, or if you prefer acceleration, you can save up the bar or charges to tackle enemies or jump in front of the competition. What’s great about this is that it makes you change up your playstyle on the fly, and just because one thing worked in a previous match doesn’t mean it’ll work again.
And that is especially true when it comes to the tracks. There are five different environments: an arcade, a mini-golf course, a diner, a backyard, and a museum, and each of them has multiple different tracks to race on. This made every race feel fresh, especially when you factor in the multiple different game modes.
But I did feel that the tracks were fun up until half of the race, and then the other half just felt like there was more of the same. If there’s one thing that Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged can take from other games in its genre, like Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, it’s that maybe having dynamic tracks could spice things up a little.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged Has Tons of Content to Get Lost in
To kick things off, you’ve got the game’s Career mode, titled ‘Hot Wheels Creature Rampage’. The story here is quite simple. A team of racers, a robot, and a scientist team up to face off against creatures that have been left loose. Your job is to race throughout the world and basically kill these creatures. While not the most complex narrative ever told, it serves as a decent backdrop.
Career mode is where you’ll probably be spending most of your time, and it has loads of different types of modes, including Boss Battles at the end of zones. Once again, they may not be the most mechanically deep, but they’re nice distractions from the base gameplay.
The game features the modes Quick Race, Elimination, Time Attack, a Drift Challenge, and Checkpoint Capture. Between all of these, the two I had the most fun with were Quick Race and Elimination. The rest were fine, but its clear that these two were the main priorities to the devs. While Quick Race is self-explanatory, Elimination is a race with a timer. Once that timer hits zero, the one in last place is eliminated. And that goes on until one person is crowned the winner.
I think these modes are fine, but one or two more creative ones could have really helped the game’s case. Still even with these modes, there are enough vehicles and tracks that the game never feels too dull.
To top it all off is the amazing Track Builder mode. Ever wanted to design your very own Hot Wheels tracks? Well, now you can. The mode is incredibly intuitive, and the only limit is your imagination. I can see this keeping the game alive well after launch, and it’s a very well-implemented feature for a very good game.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged Has Some of the Best Customization I’ve Seen in a Racing Game
Featuring about 130 different vehicles, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged gives the player the option of how they want to customize their look. Ranging from its collaborations with Mercedes to Gucci to Hot Wheels‘ own products, the game makes very good use of the franchise’s long history.
What’s great is that each vehicle comes with its own unique stats, and those can be further customized with points you earn from racing. So you race, get more points, buy new vehicles, and then improve them to suit your playstyle.
Not a fan of how a car looks? Make a Livery and completely change how it looks inside and out. Or apply stickers to make it look like a real race car. If you’re not sure how you should customize it, why not go through the community’s creations? It’s incredibly impressive what the team at Milestone has managed to achieve with the customization. It’s one of my favorite aspects of the game, even when there’s so much to love here for diehard Hot Wheels fans.
Overall, I’d say I was pleasantly surprised with Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged. I had a blast playing through it. It manages to stay in its own lane and deliver an experience well worth having. Who knows? This may just be your next favorite party game.
8/10
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged was played on PlayStation 5 and reviewed on a code supplied by Premier Comms.
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