Break out the orange track pieces

Making sequels is hard. You want to keep what worked, improve what didn’t, but also not mess too much with the formula. I liked the original Hot Wheels Unleashed game, but I didn’t love it. The sequel feels like someone took my complaints and addressed each one creating the perfect sequel to a game that was just shy of excellent. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 is a blast to play and almost every quirk I had with the original has been fixed. The racing still feels great, and the new tracks are super fun to race on. For racing fans this game is a must play.

The career mode has been streamlined and less of a chore than the original. I found the first game really struggled with progression. I would hit races that required perfect far too early in the campaign. It was frustrating. This new structure feels more forgiving. It is still a large map with different events. Each one feels more fun this time around though. The diversity and difficulty are more well-paced, that is until I finished the story. Yes, there is a story mode here, and honestly it is kind of silly at times. I get it, it is aimed at a younger crowd, but even my 13-year-old son lost interest quickly.

MSRP: $49.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $49.99

Once the main story is done the game unlocks new tracks which are much more difficult. Sadly, the challenge is not always enjoyable. These post-career events feel like the frustration I endured with the main campaign in the first game. It isn’t as rewarding as it should be, and I fell off them quickly. Thankfully there are plenty of other places to find enjoyment in the game, so I focused on those after I was done with career mode.

The biggest disappointment to the career mode though is that it doesn’t reward players with cars like it should. Let’s be frank, there are a TON of Hot Wheels to pull from and this game doles them out very slowly. They also focus more on newer models instead of classics. We all love stuff like the Delorean and Snoopy’s Doghouse, but these are overshadowed by more recent, and less interesting pieces. I do like the fact that the shop refreshes fairly frequently and can even be triggered to refresh faster if you decide to drop a little in-game currency. It feels more like a vehicle to sell DLC, which is a shame.

Speaking of the cars, there are now classes that the vehicles are broken down into. Each car is labeled as one of six different styles. We have Rocket, Swift, Balanced, Off-Road, Drifter, and Heavy Duty. These are all pretty self-explanatory. This actually encouraged me to think about the vehicle I was using for which event, which I never did in the original game. This can be circumvented as I progressed though as I could spend my currency to upgrade the shortcomings of some cars in a specific class, to compensate for their deficiencies. Still, this is part of the fun and once I found a garage, I was happy with, I pretty much just continued to upgrade those cars to use.

Controlling the cars continues to feel great. Milestone has done a great job of implementing their drift system, which is easy to use, but the more I played, the better I got at it. It is surprisingly deep and fun to learn. The cars also have different stats that change how it works, making playing with multiple cars always feel different. There are new mechanics in the sequel as well. There is now a double jump as well as a side slam move making the races feel more interactive and not just worrying about winning. Races are always a blast.

The tracks are also improved. The first game had a problem with tracks starting to bleed together. I was always hoping for it to expand, and it was mostly the same design in a different palette. The sequel makes better use of its themes. The dinosaur tracks have more to see, the mini-golf course is outstanding, and the arcade is right up my alley. They look great and feel distinctive, which is a huge improvement over the original. Track design is right up there in importance as the way the cars look, and this is one area Milestone once again excels.

The first game had fantastic models. The sequel is no exception. The cars look stellar with neat little touches such as scratches and fingerprints. The classic designs look amazing, and I love the clam shell cases they use as you unlock new cars. It is these little touches that really make this game stand out. The game also runs flawlessly, I rarely saw a frame drop while racing around even the most complex tracks. The game shines on all fronts when it comes to presentation.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 is the definition of a perfect sequel. It keeps what made the first game work and improves what didn’t. I loved this iteration much more than the original and can see myself playing this for a long time. I wish the cars were more available and not packaged as DLC, but I get why they are doing that. I wish I got some carry over from the first game, but on its own Unleashed 2 is a great time that I cannot recommend enough.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.