Hotshot Racing: Game Pass first impressions

By Sean Carey,

Decent arcade racers are something of a rarity on the Xbox One these days. Long gone are the Nineties, which were chock-full of arcade racing classics such as Daytona USA and the Ridge Racer series. For many racing titles nowadays, developers strive to bring realistic physics and lifelike graphics to the fold, which makes for a great simulation, but some of these modern racing games don't really lend themselves to casual play and can be a little dry. This is where Hotshot Racing comes furiously drifting into view, with flames billowing from beneath the bonnet and smoke ballooning from tyres.

I fell out of love with arcade racers a long time ago and haven't picked up one in years. I too have been striving for those realistic physics and detailed car models that reflect the suns rays and look pretty. So when I saw Hotshot Racing was coming to Xbox Game Pass, I thought I'd give it a go, and I'm sure glad I did.

The first thing you'll notice when jumping into a race is the visual style. It's all low-poly, but everything looks clean and sharp, especially the car models. The tracks are all vibrant and filled with not only colour but a bunch of things going on — there's as much action happening off the track than there is on it. Helicopters hover overhead, and planes fly by leaving smoke trails in their wake, and there's always something to discover around the next driftable corner. In total, there are 16 tracks. I've only tried out a handful so far, and visually, they all look great, but the ones I've played are a little simplistic and easy in terms of gameplay.

None of that really matters if the cars don't handle correctly though, right? The one thing I can say that developer Sumo Digital has nailed is the drifting. It takes a little while to get to grips with, but once you do, you'll be flinging cars around bends without a care in the world. And you'll need to, too. Drifting around corners and slipstreaming behind other cars builds up your boost meter. The boost is a powerful tool to help you catch up with other players, or get out in front. Sadly, you won't be getting too far out in front. The AI is ruthless, even on Normal difficulty. Rubber-banding is present in many racers, but you should never be able to tell it's there. In Hotshot Racing, you can't seem to escape the person in second place. They are always glued to your bumper. I filled up my boost gauge to the max and unleashed it on a straight, and the AI still managed to keep up with me — I didn't gain any ground whatsoever.

In terms of game modes, we have the classics such as Grand Prix and Time Trial, but if those don't satiate the arcade-racing hunger, Drive or Explode and Cops & Robbers will. Drive or Explode is great because of its simplicity. All you have to do is race around a circuit and keep above a target speed, otherwise, you'll be eliminated. It only adds to the arcade action and is great to jump into and play a few races. Cops & Robbers involves two teams, one who is banking money when hitting checkpoints (Robbers) and Cops who have to take down the robbers before they get away with the cash. It's furious fun that's filled with fire, smoke, and explosions. However, the AI rears its ugly head once more, making Cops & Robbers quite a challenging game mode. Playing as a Robber, you can never seem to escape the Cops; there is always one on your tail. On Normal difficulty, even the slightest bump from a police car deducts ten points from your car's 'health,' so it doesn't take long before you're out and become one of the Cops. One issue I had when playing Cops & Robbers was that the frame rate would dip severely on my Xbox One S. I found when several cars were in front of me and on fire, the game would stutter a fair bit. Your mileage may vary with this.

Although there are only a handful of modes, you can jump online and play against others, which adds to the replayability of Hotshot Racing. I had no issues playing online, and I even found it more enjoyable playing with others as there was no AI sticking to my bumper on every turn. Unlockables such as new outfits, car parts, liveries, and other cosmetics also add to the game's longevity.

Looking at the achievement list, it certainly looks doable, but you're going to have to invest some time in the game. Achievements for both unlocking and purchasing all of the customisation options will take a while as quite a few components on each car can be swapped out for several different variations. There are a few online achievements, but they shouldn't give you too much grief. On Cloud 9 looks to be the toughest (even though it's not really that hard), which requires you to win nine online races. Several achievements also require you come first in a Grand Prix on Expert difficulty with each character in the game. I can't say how hard Expert difficulty is, but winning just one race with each should be attainable after learning the ins and outs of the game. Winning a Grand Prix with each character on Expert could turn out to be a bit of a slog though.

Summary

I've seen pretty much everything Hotshot Racing has to offer in my short time with the game, and, honestly, I'm loving it. This game is so much fun, and it brings me back to my (wasted, according to my mum) youth, where I'd play nothing but over-the-top arcade racers with my friends for hours on end. Visually, the game looks great, the cars all handle superbly, and there is just enough here in terms of game modes and tracks to stop things from getting stale. The AI rubber-banding is a bit of an issue, but it doesn't make the game unplayable by any means. That small gripe aside, Hotshot Racing is a great arcade racer that can be picked up for either three minutes or three hours. With its inclusion into Xbox Game Pass, it's definitely worth checking out.

Sean spent two hours drifting cars around corners earning 10 of the game's 50 achievements in the process. He'll be going back to play some more as soon as he clocks off later tonight.

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Written by Sean Carey

With a deep love for Xbox and achievements, Sean has committed to playing the best RPGs, racing games, and first-person shooters Xbox Game Pass and his precious free time will allow. Prior to joining TrueAchievements, Sean gained a degree in journalism from Solent University.