Hotshot Racing

 PC
User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 17
  3. Negative: 5 out of 17

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  1. grayback
    Sep 17, 2020
    3
    "Rubberbanding Racing" would be a better name. Looks like the Sega classics but plays nothing like them. In fact gameplay is as basic and gimmicky as it gets, you can see more polished efforts on mobile games. Also suffers heavily from lack of content and any kind of progression, so the "fun" goes away in one or two hours at most.

    Avoid at all costs.
  2. AlexKVideos1
    Feb 20, 2021
    5
    Hotshot Racing has the potential to be a really great arcade racer, but it just falls short. It has multiple problems stemming from the physics, AI and boost system that hold it back.

    Lack of Content One common complaint I saw was the amount of content at launch. A lot of the original game modes were scrapped, mostly likely due to their reliance on the weapons to make them function    Hotshot Racing has the potential to be a really great arcade racer, but it just falls short. It has multiple problems stemming from the physics, AI and boost system that hold it back.

    Lack of Content
    One common complaint I saw was the amount of content at launch. A lot of the original game modes were scrapped, mostly likely due to their reliance on the weapons to make them function properly. This left the game with a lot less content than it was originally supposed to have. Due to this, the game had an anemic launch with only four tournaments and four gamemodes. Thankfully, it seems like we will be getting additional free updates to add more content, with the newest Big Boss update adding in a new tournament, a new gamemode and four new tracks.

    Lackluster Track Design
    While Hotshot Racing’s tracks look amazing, their design is very lacking. All the tracks are very flat and way more simple than other arcade racers. I couldn’t understand this at first, but then it hit me: these maps were originally designed with the vehicular combat in mind. In a weaponized combat racer, it's better to have more flat and less complex tracks for the weapons to be usable. With the weapons now gone, it draws a lot more attention to the basic map design. While I don’t think they should change the tracks we have now, they should consider making more vertical and complex maps for the future.

    Floaty Vehicle Physics
    Something just doesn’t feel right with the vehicle handling in this game. I believe the issue mainly stems from the floaty driving physics. I noticed that when taking corners, my wheels would lift off the ground on relatively flat surfaces. This completely throws off the vehicle handling when it happens. While I feel like the vehicle handling and drifting mechanics itself needs to be worked on more, I would like to see how much better they would be if vehicles had way more downforce.

    Combative AI & Bad Collision Physics
    Regarding the AI, they are WAY too combative. They hit, smash, and spin me like I’m playing a Burnout game. Seriously, I played vehicular combat games that have less aggressive AI than this. It wouldn’t be so bad if the collision physics were good, but they suck. Many times your car will lift off the ground when getting hit, causing the same vehicle handling problems I mentioned beforehand. Also, sometimes you don’t get affected at all and other times you are sent heading straight for a wall. For a game that demands perfect precision and control from the player, it’s out of control AI and terrible collision physics makes the racing way more frustrating than it should be.

    AI Rubberbanding
    The rubberbanding is another huge problem. Rather than it being that hardcoded rubberbanding, where the AI increases their top speed to catch up, it seems to be moreso a problem stemming from how the boost system works. The boost works by giving you a huge increase of speed when you fill up one of the bars. The only way to get boost is either from drifting or slipstreaming other cars. It seems pretty standard, but the problem is when you pull out in front, you can’t slipstream any cars, meaning you can only get boost from drifting. This leaves you vulnerable in long straights as the AI behind you have been slipstreaming you or each other to build up enough boost to continually pass you. This also means that if you fall way behind, it can be extremely hard to catch back up. The game essentially encourages you not to get to the front but rather stay behind the leaders until the very end. This issue could be easily fixed by not giving boost from slipstreaming, but rather just giving enough of a speed boost to pass a player.

    Overall, Hotshot Racing is a mixed experience. I can’t not recommend it as all these issues combine to make Hotshot Racing a wildly inconsistent and frustrating experience. With more updates planned in the future, I hope one day I can say Hotshot Racing feels perfect, but it still got a long way to go.    … Expand
  3. Doriengrey
    Mar 3, 2021
    4
    I have a hard time controlling racing games a lot of the time. I stuck with this game due to how great the driving/drifting is. The controls are just so solid and so much fun. Just playing this game gives you such a sense of fun. The ai is hard but fair, I manage 1st place on normal difficulty in almost every race. There are still two more levels to the difficulty for those who seek aI have a hard time controlling racing games a lot of the time. I stuck with this game due to how great the driving/drifting is. The controls are just so solid and so much fun. Just playing this game gives you such a sense of fun. The ai is hard but fair, I manage 1st place on normal difficulty in almost every race. There are still two more levels to the difficulty for those who seek a challenge. The graphics are so bright and well done. Great game!!! The only reason I didn't give it a 5 is due to a lack of depth, there is still plenty to modify but I was still left wanting a little more due to how much fun the racing is.… Expand
  4. Dan9el99
    Dec 27, 2021
    4
    Die PC Version dieses Arcade Racers ist unterdurchschnittlich. Das Spiel sieht zwar schön aus, die Fahrzeugsteuerung und Physik sind jedoch allenfalls mittelmäßig. Hinzu kommt der Umstand, dass das Spiel auf Grund einer fehlenden Kampagne schnell seinen Reiz verliert und demotivierend bleibt (4/10).
  5. adamflame7
    Jun 27, 2023
    4
    Pretty basic racing experience that is a bit boring. While there are a decent number of tracks, they are all basic circuits with really just a change of background scenery. I also never had the need to use more than just one car. It feels like there really should be items or were supposed to be. Think old school Mario Kart, but with no items; it would be pretty boring. I completed all thePretty basic racing experience that is a bit boring. While there are a decent number of tracks, they are all basic circuits with really just a change of background scenery. I also never had the need to use more than just one car. It feels like there really should be items or were supposed to be. Think old school Mario Kart, but with no items; it would be pretty boring. I completed all the grand prixes on normal and couldn't be bothered to play any more than that. I got this for next to nothing in a bundle and wouldn't recommend this for anything higher than like $5 tops. And even then, it's a pretty lack-luster experience.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. PLAY! Zine
    Oct 8, 2020
    80
    Hotshot Racing mixes best elements from 90s arcade racing games, with low-poly graphics, lively characters, and pretty good driving and drifting mechanics.
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  2. TheSixthAxis
    Sep 30, 2020
    60
    Hotshot Racing is a nostalgia-tickling delight that doesn’t have quite enough depth to keep pulling you back for any real length of time.
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  3. Cubed3
    Sep 28, 2020
    50
    Without its atrocious AI Hotshot Racing is okay. With it, it's a racing game to avoid. Genre aficionados, especially those who lean towards the more arcade side of the scale, will manage to quench their thirst for a bunch of evenings, but it's unlikely this will stay with you for long.
    Read full review
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