Drop below that speed and you’ll begin taking damage, before exploding as the title suggests. In this optional, extra game mode, you need to stay above a certain speed while reaching checkpoints. It becomes an even bigger problem in the game mode Drive Or Explode, in which speed is precisely the key to victory. But I lost count of how many times I was shunted into walls, or pitted into a slide that had me pointing the wrong way into corners, and even for an arcade game it felt like way too much. Races are almost always close-fought affairs, with racers constantly swapping positions back and forth throughout each event, so you expect a few knocks here and there.
It highlights one of Hotshot Racing’s biggest flaws: its AI. They’re constantly chatting away during races, spouting one-liners as they overtake and are overtaken, or getting annoyed when they’re shunted by an opponent. Each and every one is a stereotype of some kind, from the overly patriotic Russian to the haughty Brit with the superiority complex, the cast is something that you generally don’t see in today’s games. It’s a real throwback game, for us old folks. Especially with that voiceover bellowing “Hotshot Racing” on the title screen. You can’t ignore that art style, can you? Clearly modelled on the SEGA games that inspired it, the low-poly look is incredibly distinctive and the colour palette is so vibrant, you can almost imagine it on an arcade cabinet in the Nineties. One of the first ones on-track is Hotshot Racing, a game I previewed back in April, although it feels like years ago at this point.ĭeveloped by Lucky Mountain Games, alongside veteran studio Sumo Digital, Hotshot Racing is an homage to classic racers such as Virtua Racing and Daytona, with a little Burnout thrown in for good measure.
Although it has mainly catered for the more serious, realistic motorsport, it seems that we’re entering a period for arcade experiences to shine. Considering we’re heading into a new generation of consoles in 2020, the sheer volume (and quality) of racing games has been immense.
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