DISCLAIMER: This review will be more half-and-half between players of the First Game and those who haven't. While I do recommend this game, it's mostly for those who haven't gotten the first game. First game owners, YMMV.

Hot Wheels Unleased 2 is an arcade racing game at 1:64 scaling taken right to your screen. Basing it off of the first game, this game improves from the first game in the quality of life and car roster department, however there are some missed opportunity still along the way.

+ New Mechanics in Jumps and Lateral Dash to cause carnage and gain an edge in the race
+ Performance Perks which allows you to further tune your car to your taste.
+ Improved Economy and progression system that makes collecting way easier.
+ A Car Roster more focused on car culture or Hot Wheels' own legacy (Goodbye Character Cars!)
+ Some new Modules to toy with, and the DLC ones from the first game comes with the base game too!

> The racing is still fun for audience of all ages, with a difficulty settings for kids to enjoy and adults to still have a crack of challenge too.
> The car pool STILL has something for different people. You like classic Hot Wheels Original? There's the Sol-Aire CX4. You like AcceleRacers? Power Rage. You like real life models? Bugatti Chiron. Are you a collector? There's the Modified VW Beetle. This time around Milestone and Mattel are taking notes about what we want to see.
> Creativity Unleashed. Other than the Livery editor and Track editor, a sticker editor is now added so that you can use the same design across different liveries or share them to the world!
> No Microtransactions for in-game currency. Thank goodness.
> Car Classes. Cars now are classified as Rockets, Balance, Swift, Off-roaders and Heavy Duty vehicles and are given different driving profiles. Off-roaders are especially unique since terrains make your car handle differently now.

However, I would be lying if the game is perfect. Here's why:

> Decrease in Expansion Pack DLC Value. While I appreciate the new environments and cars from the Expansions, the fact that it does not come with new modules is a bit of a letdown.
> Lack of Wheel selection and Wheel accent painting. This is a pretty requested idea and it's disappointing to me that this game lacked wheel selection when the Hot Wheels franchise has made so many different iconic wheels over the years. Even then we still don't get wheel accent choices; solid colors or default.
> The story. Felt like the story was shoehorned in.
> Multiplayer got shafted on release. Not a good sign.
> Livery making is still hard for non-controller users. There's no slow or snap options.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 is a definite improvement over the first game, however I would say this is a Need for Speed Heat vs. Unbound situation; other than the new roster direction there's not enough new things going on for me to truly recommend this to owners of the first game, well other than the AcceleRacers expansion/DLC since we both know that that's why we're here. If you haven't gotten the first game please get this one instead. Otherwise wait for a big sale.

Rating: 7.5/10 overall. I wish there's a middle of the road review option.

DISCLAIMER: This review will be more half-and-half between players of the First Game and those who haven't. While I do recommend this game, it's mostly for those who haven't gotten the first game. First game owners, YMMV. Hot Wheels Unleased 2 is an arcade racing game at 1:64 scaling taken right to your screen. Basing it off of the first game, this game improves from the first game in the quality of life and car roster department, however there are some missed opportunity still along the way. [h1]What's new in this game?[/h1] + New Mechanics in Jumps and Lateral Dash to cause carnage and gain an edge in the race + Performance Perks which allows you to further tune your car to your taste. + Improved Economy and progression system that makes collecting way easier. + A Car Roster more focused on car culture or Hot Wheels' own legacy (Goodbye Character Cars!) + Some new Modules to toy with, and the DLC ones from the first game comes with the base game too! [h1]What I Like About this Game[/h1] > The racing is still fun for audience of all ages, with a difficulty settings for kids to enjoy and adults to still have a crack of challenge too. > The car pool STILL has something for different people. You like classic Hot Wheels Original? There's the Sol-Aire CX4. You like AcceleRacers? Power Rage. You like real life models? Bugatti Chiron. Are you a collector? There's the Modified VW Beetle. This time around Milestone and Mattel are taking notes about what we want to see. > Creativity Unleashed. Other than the Livery editor and Track editor, a sticker editor is now added so that you can use the same design across different liveries or share them to the world! > No Microtransactions for in-game currency. Thank goodness. > Car Classes. Cars now are classified as Rockets, Balance, Swift, Off-roaders and Heavy Duty vehicles and are given different driving profiles. Off-roaders are especially unique since terrains make your car handle differently now. However, I would be lying if the game is perfect. Here's why: [h1]What I dislike[/h1] > Decrease in Expansion Pack DLC Value. While I appreciate the new environments and cars from the Expansions, the fact that it does not come with new modules is a bit of a letdown. > Lack of Wheel selection and Wheel accent painting. This is a pretty requested idea and it's disappointing to me that this game lacked wheel selection when the Hot Wheels franchise has made so many different iconic wheels over the years. Even then we still don't get wheel accent choices; solid colors or default. > The story. Felt like the story was shoehorned in. > Multiplayer got shafted on release. Not a good sign. > Livery making is still hard for non-controller users. There's no slow or snap options. [h1]My Own Verdict[/h1] Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 is a definite improvement over the first game, however I would say this is a Need for Speed Heat vs. Unbound situation; other than the new roster direction there's not enough new things going on for me to truly recommend this to owners of the first game, well other than the AcceleRacers expansion/DLC since we both know that that's why we're here. If you haven't gotten the first game please get this one instead. Otherwise wait for a big sale. Rating: 7.5/10 overall. I wish there's a middle of the road review option.