Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged

69%
Game Brain Score Based on 232 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged Game Cover
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged offers tons of cars and tracks for players to enjoy, featuring solid gameplay throughout.
Starting at €49.99Buy now
Get on Steam Get on Xbox Games Store Get on Epic Games Store

"Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged" offers a thrilling racing experience with over 130 customizable vehicles, including Hot Wheels Originals, Monster Trucks, and entertainment-inspired rides. A new skill tree system enhances vehicle performance, and motorbikes/ATVs bring unique racing styles to various tracks. This sequel aims to surpass its predecessor with even more exciting features.

  • Cloud
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
Play Modes

Reviews

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 232 reviews
story7 positive mentions
monetization4 negative mentions
  • Unleashed 2 offers a fun arcade racing experience with improved handling and a variety of new vehicles and tracks.
  • The game features a more user-friendly shop system, allowing players to refresh car selections and making it easier to collect vehicles.
  • New gameplay mechanics like jumping and dashing add depth to the racing experience, making it more engaging and dynamic.
  • Many players feel the game is too similar to the first installment, with a significant amount of recycled content and repetitive maps.
  • The multiplayer experience is lacking, with low player counts and issues with matchmaking, making it difficult to find races.
  • Technical issues, particularly on the Steam Deck, such as unskippable cutscenes and crashes, have led to frustration among players.
  • story37 mentions

    The story in the game is generally considered weak and underdeveloped, with many reviewers noting its blandness and cheesiness. While some appreciate the wholesome elements, they feel it lacks depth and engaging characters, making it feel shoehorned into the gameplay. Additionally, expansions offer no substantial narrative, focusing instead on extra events without meaningful storylines.

    • “Pros: the story for one is nice and wholesome without being too childish.”
    • “It's entertaining and nostalgic, with some excellent story elements and multiplayer/features.”
    • “Oh well...maybe the story in the campaign mode is a bit cheesy and nonsensical: I mean, kids are not stupid, the developer could've come up with something more meaningful or even with nothing at all, the game is great and fine anyway and everyone can love it just for what it is: fun arcade racing.”
    • “The overall story to 'Creature Rampage' is really bare bones.”
    • “The 'Acceleracers', 'Made in Italy', 'Fast & Furious', and 'Alien Encounters' expansions have their own tie-in campaigns, but there's no story to them at all; it just gives you extra events to complete for some more money and XP, and that's it.”
    • “Oh well... maybe the story in the campaign mode is a bit cheesy and nonsensical; I mean, kids are not stupid, the developer could've come up with something more meaningful or even with nothing at all.”
  • gameplay27 mentions

    The gameplay of the sequel has received mixed reviews, with some praising the introduction of new mechanics like dashing and jumping, which enhance maneuverability and variety, while others criticize the balance issues, unstable vehicles, and uninspired track designs. Although the core gameplay remains enjoyable and builds on the first game, many feel that the improvements are insufficient to justify a full sequel, as it retains much of the original's mechanics and issues. Overall, while there are fresh game modes and a lack of microtransactions, the gameplay experience is marred by technical problems and a lack of substantial new content.

    • “A fun sequel to the first game, it expands upon the existing mechanics while adding new ways to play.”
    • “The gameplay is exactly the same as the first, and the fact they are charging as much as they are for this is pretty dirty.”
    • “I really enjoyed the first Hot Wheels Unleashed, and the sequel more than exceeded my expectations with some fresh game modes, new upgrades, and solid gameplay.”
    • “They cut all the added content and made the game too horrible with the upgrade mechanics.”
    • “This game in particular has been plagued with terrible balance between car classes, server connections that make your average COD lobby look stable, car hitboxes that will just kill you outright for driving normally, and bugged track modules that ruin gameplay flow.”
    • “The gameplay is exactly the same as the first and the fact they are charging as much as they are for this is pretty dirty.”
  • music15 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the overall soundtrack and its ability to enhance gameplay, particularly during boss encounters. However, many criticized the lack of licensed tracks and noted that the music feels recycled from the previous game, with some describing it as mediocre or only enjoyable in specific contexts, like the menu. Overall, while there are moments of standout tracks, the soundtrack does not seem to leave a lasting impression outside of the game.

    • “The overall soundtrack is pretty good.”
    • “Said boss races aren't bad; the intensity of the music changing as you come closer to defeating the boss or running out of time is nice.”
    • “The soundtrack fucking slaps.”
    • “No licensed music.”
    • “The entire soundtrack is made of stock music they downloaded from YouTube and is recycled from the first game.”
    • “I wouldn't really say it's the sort of soundtrack one would likely go out of their way to listen to outside of the game.”
  • monetization11 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing it for being a cash grab with expensive DLC and a lack of substantial developer support. However, others appreciate the absence of microtransactions for in-game currency and find the overall monetization approach more consumer-friendly compared to previous titles.

    • “There isn't much for me to complain about in regards to monetization at the time of writing, though I would say that the car packs might be a bit too expensive for what they are.”
    • “The shop and monetization are a lot more consumer-friendly; the driving physics are a lot better than the first game, and the audio seems to be somehow even better too.”
    • “Microtransactions don't exist in this game, too.”
    • “Installed epic spyware on my computer, plus the game is full of in-game purchase crap.”
    • “Cash grab with no dev support.”
    • “Still pulling microtransactions and too early DLC and offering packs that don't encompass the game entirely... typical cash grab feel to the whole vibe for real.”
  • optimization10 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization for car performance and tuning is well-received, with players appreciating the balance of buffs and debuffs through performance tiers. However, there are significant concerns regarding the game's anti-cheat system, which has caused crashes and save file corruption for some users, leading to recommendations to wait for further optimization before purchasing. While the game runs smoothly on high settings for some, the anti-cheat issues detract from the overall experience.

    • “Tuning and upgrading your cars is a rather interesting part of the experience. There are three performance tiers for all cars that you can unlock, which will also unlock perks that give your cars a certain buff but also a certain debuff as a tradeoff.”
    • “+ Performance perks allow you to further tune your car to your taste.”
    • “When it comes to performance, it's very well optimized with no crashes or visual issues on PC, with everything running on ultra with a GTX 1650 and 16GB of RAM, but that was with only about an hour or so of playtime.”
    • “However, my save file in this game corrupted 10 hours in due to the unoptimized anticheat destroying my computer, making it bluescreen mid-autosave.”
    • “I would hold off on purchasing this game until the game/anticheat is optimized better.”
    • “You can go into a race with a stock performance car and the game will put you with AI.”
  • graphics10 mentions

    The graphics in the game are generally praised for their stunning visuals and attention to detail, with many noting improvements over the previous installment. However, some reviewers feel that while the graphics are impressive, they lack depth and substance, describing them as a "pretty shell" without much enhancement since the original. Overall, the game runs well on various platforms, including the Steam Deck, but some aspects feel clunky and unfinished.

    • “Good graphics and stunning visuals, especially on the details.”
    • “It runs especially well on Steam Deck and the visuals are awesome.”
    • “Genuinely fun arcade racer with great graphics that seems to run on pretty much everything.”
    • “Playing them back to back, it seems like the first game is supposed to be the newer of the two (minus some content like cars, tracks, and overall UI aesthetic... plus there being no story). This second game seems to be in its current state very clunky with all the things I mentioned, as if it was like a beat that never really got finished.”
    • “The graphics have not even been touched since the original.”
    • “Graphics.”
  • stability5 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting significant bugs and glitches reminiscent of the previous installment, while others note that it runs well on certain devices. Overall, there is a consensus that the game feels unfinished and that the development team has not adequately addressed these issues, leaving many players frustrated.

    • “Runs great on the Legion Go.”
    • “The game still runs great.”
    • “Game is good to play, but very few players, still buggy if not worse than the first game, and the development team has absolutely left me on a sour note considering this game is an afterthought.”
    • “Let's just take a look at the innumerable list of bugs, glitches, and mess ups they (Milestone) have done.”
    • “I learned after hours of troubleshooting that cross-play is not more complete but is the exact same garbage as Unleashed 1.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its exhilarating racing experience, particularly in multiplayer mode, where playing with friends leads to hilarious moments. Players find the challenging difficulties add to the fun, making the overall experience both entertaining and engaging.

    • “Harder difficulties are challenging, and multiplayer with friends is hilarious.”
    • “This game is a hilariously fun and super exhilarating racing game, for sure.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Reviewers suggest that the game's replayability is enhanced compared to its predecessor, particularly appealing to completionists who are likely to return for additional content and challenges. Overall, the game offers a more engaging experience that encourages multiple playthroughs.

    • “I'm not sure what the replayability will look like for this game, but it definitely seems a lot more interesting than the first game.”
    • “This gives more replay value for completionists like me, so expect me to come back to this game a lot for those!”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is praised for its nice and wholesome story, striking a balance that appeals to a wide audience without veering into overly childish territory.

    • “The story is beautifully crafted, offering a wholesome experience that resonates deeply without feeling overly childish.”
    • “The emotional depth of the characters truly pulls you in, making you feel every moment of their journey.”
    • “I was genuinely moved by the narrative; it struck a perfect balance between heartwarming and thought-provoking.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be enjoyable, as it allows for both short bursts of fun and longer sessions to earn in-game coins for preferred vehicles, despite some concerns about vehicle handling.

    • “The bikes aren't that great with handling, and the monster trucks are alright, but this game shines as a fun arcade racer for short bursts or long grinding to earn enough in-game coins for your favorite cars.”
    • “Grinding in this game feels tedious and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
    • “The amount of grinding required to unlock new content is overwhelming and detracts from the overall enjoyment.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

Buy Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged

Videos

Similar Games