Summary
It feels like only yesterday that the hit arcade racerHot Wheels Unleashedwas released to the world, but now that the sequel is here, players can expect to have a ton of new cars and extra content to jump into. Alongside the new racing mechanics and flashy vehicles though,Hot Wheels Unleashed 2also has some fantastic tracks that really experiment with the whole concept of driving a mini-car in a life-size environment.
All the tracks are admittedly great in this game and an absolute blast to play through in the plethora of game modes, but it’s clear thatthe developers decided to get extra-creative on a few of themwhen compared to others. Here’s how each of the tracks inHot Wheels Unleashed 2rank in regard to how fun they are to play, and their uniqueness in terms of design, structure, and visuals.
5Mini Golf Course
The Mini Golf Course is undoubtedlythe most drift-heavy trackin the game, but while it can be a little tricky to navigate, it’s ultimately this challenge that makes it great when playing with a few friends. The long and winding structure of the track also makes it great for Drift Master events when cruising in a lightweight car.
The only real issue with the Mini Golf Course is that it doesn’t have too much to offer in terms of design. While thewild western-inspiredgolf setting is definitely very creative, the track really doesn’t have too much to show for it in the background. Still, this is largely made up for by how incredibly fun the track is to drift around which makes it especially great for multiplayer modes.
4Gas Station
Because of how narrow a lot of the corners and slipstreams are in Gas Station, it makes it anincredibly chaotic trackthat is pretty unforgiving in its layout. As players drive through the messy counter of a local diner and around the parking lot, they will also need to watch out for the many jumps scattered throughout the course. There’s even a section that flips the entire track upside down which can look pretty incredible when traveling at high speeds.
Constant jumps can be quite the problem in Hot Wheels Unleashed 2though as failing to land one of them instantly kills all momentum, making it incredibly difficult to catch back up, so theycan become a little irritating at timeson this track. It’s also quite short compared to the others, but the sheer creativity on display here still makes it very fun to burn some rubber on.
3Backyard
As strange as it might sound, there really is no sort of map that can replicate the nostalgic feelings of playing with Hot Wheels quite like an average backyard. This is a pretty open-ended track that gives players plenty of room to navigate their way around the soccer balls, construction tools, and ladders that are randomly spread out throughout the course. Because of this,it’s extremely accessibleand doesn’t require much, or really any experience with the fast-paced arcade racers to get used to it.
There are still plenty of shortcuts that can be sought out though, so the track provides the perfect balance of being easy to jump into, while still slightly favoring those who know the tricks of the trade. There are also quite a few steep drops which really encourage the player to make use of the new air-control mechanics of the cars which add some real colorful flare to each race.
2Dinosaur Museum
Having a regular museum track in a mini-car racing game would make sense, butadding dinosaurs into the mixinstantly makes it even more interesting and cool. Racers will be cruising their way past Aerodactyl models and pre-historic fossils while making their way to the finish line, and just like a real museum, there are even entire boards of information on the artifacts which can be read while pressing on the breaks slightly.
There’s even a huge drop that travels through a T-Rex’s mouth which is by a mile the highlight of the track. This is also the longest track in the game which sounds like it might become repetitive, but because of how much the environment changes andthe amount of small detailsto spot in the background, it really just makes it a joy to explore. The hectic nature of the track can make it especially good for Elimination, but it’s also a blast to play Clash Derby on since the massive jump is the perfect opportunity to ruin someone’s chances of winning.
1Arcade
The vibrant neon lights, eye-catching Hot Wheels posters, and racing arcade sets all featured in this track come together to create one ofthe most visually stunningand exciting tracks in any arcade-racing game. Arcade really is a feast for the eyes, and it’s a ton of fun to journey through. At one point, racers will be tackling some huge and terrifying jumps in the middle of the floor, while the next, they’ll be scuffing their wheels across actual arcade cabinets.
It’s immediately clear that the developers had a tremendous amount of fun creating this track to feed into that nostalgia factor, but it’s not just the design of the track that’s top-notch. The structure of the track strikes the perfect balance of long straight roads and sharp bends whichkeeps it from ever becoming predictable or stale. This delicate mixture also means it works just as well for regular races as it does for the more chaotic modes, and the decent learning curve due to all the shortcuts even makes it ideal for Time Attack as well.
