I can’t believe that five years have passed. In December 2022, a coworker sent me a gift on Steam: it was the game Hot Wheels Unleashed. I installed it, but my laptop was too slow to run it properly, so I uninstalled it shortly after. I told myself I would come back to it in a few weeks. However, 13 months have gone by since then. Has this ever happened to you as well?
In the meantime, Milestone released a sequel called Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged in October 2023. My coworker, Codrin Spiridon, reviewed the game and gave it a score of 75/100. Despite my love for Hot Wheels cars, I was unaware of this virtual racing series. Gran Turismo 7 has captured most of my attention in 2023, but I plan to explore sim racing more deeply this year.
The release of the new expansion pack, Made in Italy, for Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 reminded me of the good old days when I used to spend hours playing Revolt. Mattel’s strategy of combining a video game with real cars is another clever marketing move on their part. I’m curious to know when we can expect a feature film like the one based on Barbie.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 has received mainly positive reviews, and when purchasing through Steam, you have three different options: Base, Deluxe, and Legendary. There are 14 DLCs to choose from, but only two are free. The AcceleRacers and the new Made in Italy expansion packs are priced at $10 each. The latter provides an opportunity to explore the beautiful Italian countryside.
When I saw the trailer, it immediately reminded me of playing CounterStrike on a similar backdrop many years ago. Building your own tracks in the Italian Village could be enjoyable. However, I believe it’s more about the chance to race with four new vehicles. As expected, these vehicles are replicas of actual Hot Wheels models. The Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI is still an exclusive premium model, and I have fond memories of racing it on the Nordschleife in Assetto Corsa.
The Lancia 037 has also not made a mainline appearance, and it would be exciting to drive it in EA’s WRC game (which I reviewed last year). The Fiat 500D Modificado is the most recent Super Treasure Hunt on the map, and I just saw someone boasting about finding two of them in the same store today. The fourth vehicle in this DLC is the Vespa 90 SS Super Sprint (1966). It’s odd to see it racing around the track without a rider, but we are talking about a Hot Wheels-themed video game. Maybe I’ll give the series another chance. Just from watching the trailer, I’m eager to go racing again.
According to the Source autoevolution.com