Title: Hotshot Racing
Developer: Sumo Digital
Platform: PC / Steam
Article Type: Review
Website: Hotshot Racing
Reviewers: Nick, Ube, and Sam
Game Description: “Hotshot Racing is a blisteringly fast arcade-style racing game fusing drift handling, razor-sharp retro visuals, and an incredible sense of speed to create an exhilarating driving experience. Developed by racing game veterans SUMO Nottingham and Lucky Mountain Games, Hotshot Racing is an all-new driving experience that revives the classic arcade gameplay of the 90s and thrusts it into the modern era.”

Hotshot Racing attempts to emulate the best parts of Virtua Racing, Daytona, Burnout, and Ridge Racer with the end results being a less than impressive racing game that doesn’t even come close to matching the excitement of the titles mentioned above. But Hotshot Racing does a couple of things right: the number of cars is impressive and the abundance of race modes (even if they are short tracks) are two of its high points. But the things that frustrate me the most, however, are the floaty physics and the atrocious rubber banding AI which is taken way over the top. I don’t mind my opponent jostling for a better position, but to aimlessly crash or bump into me for no reason is dumbfounding.

Hotshot Racing isn’t a bad game per se, it’s just that it isn’t a very good one either. Add to that the high price tag and the fact that you can complete the game in one sitting is enough to cause massive road rage in real life. – Nick

It’s been a while since I played an arcade racer that’s as frustrating as Hotshot Racing. The countless times I’ve lost a race because someone slammed into me is damn demoralizing. Heck, I didn’t realize games still relied on cheap tactics to keep them challenging. And it’s really too bad because Hotshot is so close to being a really good arcade game. The graphics are retro-cool, the controls are a little floaty but it gets the job done, and the racing variety is pretty sweet. Unfortunately, many of the promised content is still lacking or missing altogether. It’s not a bad game to run a few laps on, I just didn’t feel that it provided enough content to satisfy my racing itch. – Ube

Man, I don’t know what my two buddies are smoking, but I thoroughly enjoyed Hotshot Racing. Is it perfect? Of course not, but for a simple arcade racer that pays tribute to Daytona and Virtua Racing, it’s good enough. Yeah, the physics engine is spotty but it’s never that bad that you can’t enjoy a good race. Kudos to the developers for finally bringing this game out. I grew up playing many of the SEGA games at the local arcades so this one hit me with a wave of nostalgia when I first saw it. So from that standpoint, I’m pretty biased to old school racing games. I only wish more people were online to play with as the single-player experience gets old quickly. Otherwise, this is my feel-good racing game of the month! – Sam

Follow Wala Wala Games on Twitter and Facebook. Join the Discord server to get the latest news, posts, and exclusive giveaways as they release! We also stream on Twitch!

Wala Wala Games partners with various affiliates. We may earn a commission from the products you purchase through these links. Learn More