What HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED is
HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED is an arcade racer built around the Hot Wheels universe. You collect the iconic and sought-after vehicles from that universe and race them at full speed on tracks made of the classic orange pieces. The handling leans arcade rather than simulation: drift through corners, charge the booster and launch into loops. Speed matters — if you're too slow, gravity takes over and you fall off the track. Races take place in large interactive environments where the objects around you can become part of the course itself.
Playing together
Two players can race side by side in split screen on the same machine, which is the straightforward way to play with a friend in the same room. For larger groups, online challenges let you face up to 12 opponents. The tags also list local multiplayer, PvP and co-op, so there's room for both sitting-together and playing-over-the-network sessions. Family Friendly and Funny are among the game's tags, which fits the toy-car tone: it's a good pick when the group wants something light and quick to jump into rather than a long campaign.
Building tracks and your room
The track editor is a big part of the game. You bend and stretch the orange track pieces, add loops, special boosters, obstacles and special elements, and lay out courses both inside and outside the race area. Because the environments are interactive and full of objects, you can build layouts that use what's already there. Beyond racing, you furnish a personal room with elements collected during play and host races inside it, so the space you build becomes a venue for your group's events.
Before you start
The Game of the Year Edition bundles the full game with HOT WHEELS Pass Vol. 1, Vol. 2 and Vol. 3, plus three vehicle packs: the Sportscars Pack (Track Manga and GT-Scorcher), the Beefed Up Pack (HW Armored Truck and Baja Bone Shaker) and the Street Beasts Pack (Shark Bite and Tomb Up). A controller is listed among the game's tags, and split screen is local, so two players need to be at the same machine for that mode. Expect a game about collecting cars, building tracks and racing — the driving is arcade-style with drifting and boosters, and the track editor is where a group can spend a lot of time between races.