Racing Wheels

Racing Wheel

Holiday Mixer 2008 feat. Racing Wheel

Wii game review: “Hot Wheels: Beat That!”

Let me start off by stating that the only reason I play or even own this game is because my stepfather bought it for my six-year old nephew, seeing as how he’s a car fanatic (my nephew, that is). We keep it at our house because a) until a couple of weeks ago, my sister didn’t have a Wii, and b) if we let them take it back to their house we wouldn’t have that many games, except for Wii Sports, Wii Fit Plus, and another workout game that we never play, but only bought because my stepdad thought the enclosed camera would work with Wii Fit Plus, but, as it turns out, it doesn’t.

In any case, I have had some playing time with this game and found it somewhat intriguing. This review will be written with the knowledge that, yes, this game is aimed chiefly at the young kids that play with Hot Wheels cars & products (which, I’ll admit, I used to be one of), but also with the knowledge that I’ve played my fair share of racing games (from Gran Turismo 3 to Mario Kart) and know what to expect from games in said genre.

First off, I’m very disappointed with the single-player mode. All it is, basically, is a “Story Mode” (I doubt it can even be called that) in which you compete in races to earn flames and unlock new events and cars. That’s it; that’s all there is. There’s no Time Trial or Free Race modes to just fool around with to get into the gaming groove before you’re ready to make a full-time commitment. I know not whether this thought never crossed the developers’ minds, or if they left those modes out intentionally to keep you motivated to play through, but either way it’s not fair because it feels as though they’re forcing you to learn the game’s mechanics right off the bat. Control-wise, there are two methods of controlling in this game: a steering wheel mode that those who own or have played Mario Kart Wii will recognize (in case you’re wondering, no, I haven’t played the game, but I have seen it in action), and a two-handed mode which uses the Wii Remote for acceleration & weapon firing, and the Nunchuck for steering & drifting. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I prefer the latter, because I haven’t quite mastered drifting with the former mode yet (again, something a Time Trial or Free Race mode would’ve helped with), but I’m somewhat ashamed because there’s practically a rule that any racing game for the Wii has to be controlled with the steering wheel method in order to get the full effect.

Still, single-player is actually somewhat engaging. You compete in races to earn flames, which can unlock new events or cars. There are four zones (Bedroom, Miniature Golf Course, Attic, and Bowling Alley), each with four tracks to race on. There’s the standard Quickrace, where you try to finish as high as you can; Eliminator, where the last-place car is eliminated every 30 seconds until only one car remains; Rampage, where you’re equipped with rockets and forced to hunt down your opponents; and finally, Tournament, which plays similar to the Cups in the Mario Kart series, in which you race all four tracks in a zone & are given points based on how well you finish race. Each event has two secondary goals (similar to the Tony Hawk series) in addition to finishing in the top three, which you must complete in order to earn additional flames. Secondary goals range from achieving direct hits with specific weapons, to earning a certain number of points through drifting/ramp-jumping/drafting. Weapons are available by driving through floating rings of fire, and can even be upgraded, or “Supercharged”, by earning enough points to fill up your Energy Meter. There’s also a Multiplayer mode that contains all the events of the single player mode, with the addition of an arena battle mode similar to Mario Kart (or a watered-down Twisted Metal). The music is composed of generic rock riffs meant to emphasize the Hot Wheels franchise’s “extreme” image. Some of them are entertaining to listen to, while others get old. The tracks are fun to look at for a short time (especially the ones in the Mini Golf zone), but since there are only 16 in all, they get old after a while. Graphics are nothing special; several times during playtime I looked at the back of the game case and wondered whether the photos were taken from the Xbox 360 version or something, because they’re not as sharp here. It’s also frozen on occasion. Winning a race and completing the secondary goals (simultaneously) is relatively easy, except in a few instances where it seems as though the opponent cars have death wishes.

I guess my biggest gripe with this game is that what’s done here has been done better elsewhere. The weapon system decides what item you’ll get the second you drive through, as opposed to Mario Kart, which employs a sort of roulette-like system. Since it’s Hot Wheels, you’ll find plenty of roller coaster-esque loops and turns, with tracks that look like only the most dedicated fan could possibly build. It’s similar to what I’ve seen with TrackMania for the PC, which is cool, except that TrackMania actually has a Track Creator mode. My stepdad bought Beat That under the impression that it did as well, but as it turns out, it doesn’t. Considering how the core appeal of Hot Wheels is buying all those different tracks/arenas/etc. in order to create your own thrill rides, that’s a low blow to take. There are four different difficulty settings, but precious little changes when switching to a different setting (you even get the same secondary goals with the same tracks). The lack of variety makes it hard for me to recommend this game to anyone who doesn’t have a younger family member that absolutely loves toy cars. You really, really have to like this stuff to care.

Racing Wheels

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Mattel Founder, Barbie Creator Elliot Handler Dies; Services Slated for Tuesday
Racing Wheels
… named for the Handler's daughter, Barbara, and the Ken doll they later released that's paired with Barbie was named after their son. The name Mattel was a combination of the names Matt and Elliot. Handler also invented Hot Wheels, the toy racing cars.

Racing Wheels question by Deleted: Is it possible to use two Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheels at the same time?
I want to get Forza 3 and two official xbox 360 wireless racing wheels to play together on the same tv. Does the xbox 360 support using two wireless racing wheels at the same time???
Thanks!!!

Racing Wheels best answer:

Answer by George
yes i think so