If there’s one weak aspect in Hotshot Racing, however, that’s its sound design. If you miss the good old Hot Pursuit days, then this is a must for you. Another mode pays homage to older games from the Need for Speed franchise, being literally called “Cops and Robbers”. One of them involves ramming cars and making them explode, in a Burnout-esque fashion.
There are a few extra modes included in Hotshot Racing as well. You cannot modify their stats, though: everything is completely cosmetic, and a lot of parts and skins can only be unlocked by initially completing some simple challenges, such as winning a set amount of races with a specific car, or managing to drift continuously for five seconds (which is easier said than done). You earn a lot of money by winning races, which you can spend on new car parts and liveries. I love that all cars in this game are easily recognizable, despite being comprised of just a few polygons. That makes the game not the best recommendation if you’re simply looking for a laid back racing pastime, but considering its arcade roots, that’s not a problem at all. You’ll need to learn when and how to properly drift and unleash your boost, as the AI is relentless, even on the easiest setting. This is absolutely necessary, as Hotshot Racing is a challenging game. The physics are obviously much simpler than more realistic racing games, but there’s still a huge emphasis on knowing when to brake and drifting, as this is how you’ll be able to fill up your boost meter. The game plays more like an amalgamation of Virtua Racing with Ridge Racer.
It might not exactly be as charming as those games, but it got the job done, at least in regards to its visuals. I really appreciated the designs of all cars included in here, some of them being blatant nods to Sega’s classic 1992 arcade, as well as the lightning fast framerate. Despite being way more detailed than its main sources of inspiration, at least graphically, it still retains the same blocky, low-poly art style that basically became synonymous with most of Sega’s earlier “ Virtua” arcade games, be it Racing or Fighter. Hotshot Racing tries really to provide players with the sensation of playing a racing game that wouldn’t feel completely out of place had it been released in 1993.
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