There's a very heavy emphasis on simulations and making racing games as realistic as possible these days. Hotshot Racing though, takes us back to a time when racers were ultimately about one thing: having fun.
Sumo Digital's upcoming racing title is just around the corner and we were lucky enough to get early access to the game.
We've got everything you need to know ahead of Hotshot Racing's highly anticipated release.
Gameplay
Those who are old enough will remember a time when games like Hotshot were common across arcades around the world.
The inspirations behind Hotshot include the Burnout and Midnight Club series. It's easy to see this as well, as the overriding theme is high-speed action, making the game extremely fun to play.
HIGH OCTANE ACTION: There's never a dull moment in Hotshot Racing
We got the opportunity to play the standard Race mode, Cops and Robbers and Drive or Explode.
Cops and Robbers splits the field into Robbers racing to gain a bounty as fast as possible and Cops who are aiming to stop them ASAP.
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Our favourite was Drive or Explode, which takes heavy inspiration from the 90s film Speed. You need to reach the checkpoints and be over a minimum speed or you'll be out of the race.
The tracks are fast and challenging, you can't just keep the throttle nailed and be fast. Cornering is key, not least because your acquire boost by drifting and slipstreaming you opponent, just like the old Burnout titles.
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There's plenty of characters to choose from when it comes to who you race as too. All of them are quirky, for example, Aston is the James Bond wannabe who "simply can't be last".
There's strategy involved in the cars you choose too, as all of them are ranked on Speed, Acceleration and Drifting.
Multiplayer
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Racing against the AI is fun but competing against your friends is very entertaining. Even though the races are only around three laps, you find yourself sweating when the chequered flag falls, it's that intense.
There's both ranked online multiplayer and four player offline races available in Hotshot Racing.
Post-release content
With endless possibilities when it comes to scope for players, cars and circuits, there's a lot of potential for additional content after the initial release.
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While they weren't able to confirm anything, the developers did say to "watch this space" so more content could be on the way.
Consoles
Hotshot Racing will be simultaneously released on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. What's impressive about this Indie title is that it will be in 60 fps for silky smooth gameplay.
When we asked about whether Hotshot Racing will be available on next gen in the future, the developers couldn't say whether that would happen. They did say that they would like to see it though, so there's potential here.
Trailer
Here's the reveal trailer for Hotshot Racing which was release in February this year.
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Release Date
Hotshot Racing was originally slated for a Spring release but that was delayed due to lockdown. Sumo now state that Hotshot will come out in Summer 2020.