Hot Wheels Beat That

SCORE: 80

Hot Wheels video games have been hit or miss over recent years. I came into Hot Wheels Beat That! pretty skeptical. Activision surprised me with a lot of wonderful racing action in this video game that appears on the Wii (version reviewed), PS2, Xbox 360, and PC. Players get to choose from a lot of cool different Hot Wheels vehicles and race in different locations. Crayon markers show the racer which direction to go, and it flows with the theme of this racer perfectly. I played with Hot Wheels as a kid, and have watched my nephews play with them as well. There is a youthful exuberance to this franchise that Family Friendly Gaming has taken note of.

Hot Wheels Beat That! looks way better than I expected it to. The graphics are crisp, clean, and very clear (editor: something a lot of racers miss). The little vehicles never feel little, and the backgrounds are spectacular. There is Mario Kart style violence with players getting weapons and using them on each other. If you pick a poor handling vehicle then the camera will lead to a headache because of the controls.

Hot Wheels Beat That! has great music, and awesome sounds. I really got into the musical tracks because they pumped me up for some exciting racing. The weapons have standard sounds, and the violent sounds are mainly explosions. I did not hear any offensive language, or sounds while playing this game.

Activision made sure the developer included a lot of unlockable content. Different races are re-run using different rules. The last place car being eliminated every thirty seconds (or so) was one of the more interesting modes I played. I would have liked some more tracks though.

Hot Wheels Beat That! can have control issues if you pick a poor handling car. I first picked a fast car that did not handle very well. I ran into a ton of control issues, and the game was ultra sensitive. This led to me getting stuck up against walls, etc. I then went to a slower vehicle that controlled better, and won race after race easily. I had fun playing Hot Wheels Beat That!, but feel the weapon content is not needed. I also wish the Wii version had better racing controls.

Hot Wheels Beat That! is a good foundation that can be improved upon. I would like to see sequels especially if there are more tracks, and the controls are tweaked. Winning, pattern recognition, and hand eye coordination are the main lessons in this home console game.
- Sam

Graphics: 80%
Sound: 82%
Replay/Extras: 88%
Gameplay: 70%
Family Friendly Factor: 79%
System: Wii/PS2/Xbox 360/PC
Publisher: Activision
Rating: 'E' for Everyone
{Cartoon Violence}

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