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Hot Wheels Unleashed looks better than anyone would have thought

Racing pedigree.

Well now. The Hot Wheels game looks surprisingly okay.

The first gameplay for Hot Wheels Unleashed, below, shows off what looks like a decent arcade racer starring the cars from the hugely-popular toy range.

Watch on YouTube

In truth there's not a huge amount going on here apart from the driving, with a lack of environmental hazards or even power-ups to contend with. But the racing looks weighty, has decent oomph and the visuals aren't too bad. And did I spot a few shortcut opportunities to explore? Compared to how I thought Hot Wheels Unleashed would look, well, it's better.

Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. Hot Wheels Unleashed is from Milestone, the Italian developer of the well-received MotoGP and Ride games, so racing game pedigree is here.

My three-year-old son loves Hot Wheels, and so my living room is overrun by loads of little cars. He's got a toy garage that has a lever you can pull to shoot two of the cars around a loop. The noise it makes drives me mad. He's going to love this game.

Hot Wheels Unleashed is due out on 30th September 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch. Expect up to 12 players online and splitscreen for up to two.

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