Have you ever wished you could really race through a loop or fly over a building in your Hot Wheels toy car? Don't lie -- of course you have. And that's exactly what THQ and developer Beyond Games hope to deliver with the GameCube and PS2 versions of Hot Wheels, due out this summer. The title, packed full of classic Hot Wheels cars, overloaded with spiraling, unpredictable tracks and featuring a set of amazing physics inspired by the Rush series, takes vehicular racing to the next level of arcade craziness. Really, would you have it any other way?

Facts



3D engine developed exclusively for next-generation consoles

More than 45 authentically rendered Hot Wheels cars to race

30 missions through six huge, destructible worlds

Speed through huge loops, catch air off jumps, rip through hidden shortcuts and run rivals off the road

Features 15 offensive and defensive weapon power-ups

Three different multiplayer modes to choose from

Special GameCube graphic improvements over PS2 version

Gameplay

Hot Wheels is all about the high-powered cars, of course, but that doesn't mean THQ and Beyond Games have totally neglected the storyline. In the future, Team Hot Wheels, led by hero Max Justice, is almost unbeatable on the race track and this fact has rather disturbed a group of opposing drivers. The angst is taken directly to the looping, spiraling courses of the Hot Wheels universe where it's up to you to put your pedal to the medal and show the enemies whose really got the skills.

Aiding Max Justice and the Hot Wheels team is a huge selection of vehicles -- more than 45 in all -- from the beefy Evil Twin and Krazy 8 to the futuristic Maelstrom, Muscle Tone and tweaked Super Tuned. Each car handles with a perfectly realized sense of true physics which effortlessly mimics real suspension reactions, gravity and inertia -- but not to the point where it becomes impossible to perform amazing stunts. In fact, big air and death-defying tricks are the name of the game, so expect to be flipping over buildings for points, blazing through full-scale loops, rocketing through spiral turns, or finding a hidden shortcut on an upper ledge of a building after a leap of faith.

Using the GameCube controller, you have full control over acceleration, brakes, an e-brake for power-slides, and power-ups (such as weapons and health bonuses). When soaring through the air, it's also possible to flip forward of backward, or using a combination of buttons, execute diagonal spins and turns before landing for mega points. It's all very intuitively delivered.

Beyond Games hasn't focused solely on stunts though. The levels themselves, which in our experience are huge, stretching things, feature hidden shortcuts and paths, not to mention jump opportunities. At first, the size of the tracks may disorient you. For example, in Monument City, a monorail paces the limits of the course and it can take minutes just to follow the lengths of the railway. But exploration plays a key part in mastering each level and because there are so many secrets to be discovered in combination with the delightful car physics, this aspect too is very enjoyable.

THQ has so far only demonstrated a few of the weapons the Hot Wheels cars can put to use, But already we can see definite inspirations from the Rush franchise. One weapon shoots plasma blasts at opponents and another, a speaker set that rests atop cars, blast sound waves at the enemy.

In addition to everything else, Hot Wheels features several two-player modes including a battle area in which you use weapons to knock each other out, a head-to-head racing area, and a stunt stand off where points mean everything.

Graphics and Technology

Hot Wheels is based on the toy vehicles license, but it certainly isn't just for kids. The look and feel of this GameCube and PS2 racer is sometimes colorful, sometimes dark and industrial. The cars themselves, each modeled with an impressive number of polygons and proudly displaying detailed texture designs, come to life with animated suspension, particles and reflection effects. And the tracks are huge, filled with geometry and sporting background smoke signals and lights.



Hot Wheels running on PlayStation 2

Furthermore, Beyond Games says loves the GameCube. The developer says it took only two weeks to port the PS2 version of Hot Wheels to Nintendo's console with some improvements, and running at 60 frames per second. Not too shabby, we say, and there is more to come. The company notes that already the GCN version looks superior, sporting more vibrant colors, better texture quality and particle effects, and more background objects. Here's hoping that when more cars are dropped into the racing environments the fluidity holds, which we have no doubt it will.

Outlook

So far, so good. Hot Wheel for GameCube expands upon the tried-and-true arcade physics of the Rush series and delivers gamers all sorts of classic cars to race through spiraling, looping, totally unpredictable tracks. The title also boasts some impressive visuals complete with huge, detailed worlds, competently rendered cars, advanced particle effects and perfectly simulated suspension. Add in a fun multiplayer mode and some GCN graphic extras and this could be the arcade racer everyone has been waiting for.

IGNcube will have more on Hot Wheels for GameCube shortly. In the meantime, please check out the movies and screenshots below.