That skill tree system and earning currency to purchase new vehicles should be the main driving forces of the game’s progression. I was able to access the game’s skill tree and buy skills that adjusted the vehicle’s handling and boost, making the game easier. These reached exhilarating top speeds, although I had to be careful when I made turns because a mistimed boost or jump became tough to recover from. Milestoneĭuring my playtime with Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged, I enjoyed using the new motorcycles. Handling also differs depending on what vehicles you are using and what skills you have equipped. Boost and jumps can also be utilized together to open up new shortcuts, although you may fly off in an unintended direction if you don’t time it or use it correctly. Strafing helps if you need to slightly adjust your positioning on a track, but if timed right, it can also bump enemies off the track in satisfying ways.

The new boost powers and vehicle types emphasize that further. This is still a very arcade-style racer that rewards drifting and boosting, but there are some remnants of more realistic physics, as you can crash into a wall or fly off the track if you aren’t careful. It still has a fantastic sense of scale as you race on Hot Wheels tracks through real-world locales in fact, that’s only emboldened in these sequels as tracks now go outside and a vehicle’s handling can change depending on what type of terrain the player is on. Add on even more features I couldn’t experience during my demo, like the story mode and some new multiplayer modes, and Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged has become my most anticipated racing game of the year.Įverything that made the original Hot Wheels Unleashed fun returns here. Tracks now feel a lot more alive and ingrained into the world around them as you’ll be racing inside and outside, and a new Waypoints mode allows you to explore those hubs more freely. Most importantly, the player’s moveset has expanded, as the boost meter can now be used to jump in the air and strafe to sideswipe other vehicles, and skills can adjust a car’s handling. While both of those things still happened here, after playing about a half-hour of Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged, I found it to be a surprisingly ambitious evolution of core ideas introduced in the first game. For a sequel, though, I was just expecting a minor refresh of the tracks and vehicles to be the extent of the upgrade, as can sometimes be the case with racing game sequels. Despite Digital Trends’ lukewarm review, I found this game’s 2021 predecessor to be a pleasant racing game surprise when it quietly came onto the scene. Going into my Summer Game Fest Play Days appointment for Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged, I had low expectations. This story is part of the Digital Trends Summer Gaming Marathon series

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