Hot Wheels Extreme Racing

Infobox VG
title = Hot Wheels Extreme Racing


caption =
developer = Atod
publisher = THQ
released = vgrelease|NA=2001-09-30|PAL=2001-10-12
genre = Racing
modes = Single player, multiplayer
ratings = vgratings|ESRB=Everyone
platforms = PlayStation
media = CD-Rom

"Hot Wheels Extreme Racing" is a racing game for the Sony PlayStation, released in 2001. It features vehicles based on the Hot Wheels series of toys.

Gameplay

The basic gameplay is similar to most racing game. The player controls his car in order to get around the tracks as fast as possible. By collecting pickups the player obtains new properties, such as nitro boosts, oil slicks, projectiles and other weapons. The computer controlled cars can also collect pickups, and the game is quite violent when the cars attack each other with their weapons. The game contains a total of 24 stages, of which 12 are simply reversed versions of the first twelve.

In Hot Wheels Extreme Racing the cars have the ability to transform into four different types of vehicles: car, truck, plane and boat. During transformation the body of the car stays the same while the side of the car "grows" wheels, wings or fins. The stages are divided into different parts, each designed for a specific vehicle. The parts are separated by a "transformation portal". When the player drives though such a portal the car will change into another type.

Game Modes

Hot Wheel Extreme Racing features four game modes: Championship, Arcade, Time Trial and Multiplayer. In Championship mode you race against three other computer controlled cars in one of the available cups. There are three cups, easy, medium and hard. Each cup contains four stages. Points are give according to placement, and after all stages a winner is appointed. By winning a cup the player can unlock hidden bonus items, such as new cars and more cups. The player can choose from 8 different cars. 3 are available on start, the rest must be unlocked by completing tasks such as completing cups.

Acrace mode allows the player to choose one of the available stages, and then race it against three other computer controlled cars. In time trial mode the player races alone, and tries to get the best time on each stage.

The game also supports a multiplayer mode that allows up to four players ro race against each other, using a multitap device. The multiplayer tracks are not the same as the single player tracks. There are a total of 12 multiplayer tracks.

Trivia

* The game was originally based on the Hot Wheels Mechanix car models, and the environments where playgrounds where kids had build imaginary raceways, such as a track modeled in a sandbox. However, in the middle of production the producers decided to change the target group and the whole game got a more "mature" look and feel. The cars were also change to ordinary Hot Wheels cars, although the idea of cars transforming into different shapes was kept.

External links

* [http://www.thq.com/gamesites/hotwheels/extremeracing/index.html Official Homepage]