I spent all weekend racing toy cars around backyards and arcades with zero regrets.

If you’re a fan of arcade racing games and haven’t played a good one in a while, I highly recommend it. This game, despite having a childlike coat of paint, really doesn’t mess around with the racing - you have to nail the tracks. There are three unusual buttons in Hot Wheels you don’t find in many others: a “juke left” and “juke right” (square and circle), used for offensively bumping other racers off the track or into obstacles, and a jump mapped to triangle. Jumping is generally infrequent, but there are absolutely parts where you need to time it to clear an obstacle like a ledge.

Crucially, there are lots of ramps and jumps on each track, because how could it be Hot Wheels if there weren’t? Which adds an interesting difficulty if you’re playing on controller - if you hold forward on the stick normally to fine-tune your steering, you’ll suddenly nose-dive once you leave the track. So be sure to read the course well and let off the stick once you’re in the air.

Vehicle customization is basically non-existent, but getting new vehicles is pretty painless. There’s a shop with five or six available at any time, and it refreshes every so often, or you can spend a small amount and refresh it yourself if you’re feeling shoppy.

But there’s a whole track builder too! With community tracks that look wild! I haven’t really dipped my toe in that yet to be honest.

Very enjoyable, highly recommend it if you’d like Need For Speed in a Hot Wheels flavor.