On its face, Sizzling Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is a continuation of the unique recreation that does not supply many drastic modifications or additions. Beneath the floor, nonetheless, there are a ton of small enhancements in each the gameplay and the content material that make for a greater expertise general.
The principle marketing campaign of Sizzling Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is a set of racing occasions linked by way of an overworld map. This time round, these occasions are loosely tied collectively by a narrative about large monsters invading town. The 2 foremost heroes should shrink these monsters down and beat them by driving Sizzling Wheels. The story is informed by brief cutscenes that characteristic stills of the cartoon protagonists and a Saturday-morning-cartoon-style tone. It isn’t notably great–the dialogue is excessive and the jokes do not land–but these cutscenes are fairly rare and brief, so it is a small a part of the expertise.
The racing itself is well essentially the most satisfying a part of the sport, with main enhancements to the texture. Every Sizzling Wheels automobile is now given a category, like drifter, off-road, or rocket, which supplies you a tough concept of how the automobile controls. Drifters concentrate on drifting, naturally, whereas rockets have the very best accessible velocity, however lack in management. With some courses, just like the Off-Highway, you’ll be able to inform their specialty simply by wanting on the automobile; it is good to know at a look what a typical wanting automobile is sweet at with out having to search out out by racing. Every racing occasion is labeled with the category greatest suited to the observe, supplying you with an concept of one of the best automobile to choose with no need to run a apply lap first. For essentially the most half, you are not compelled to make use of the really useful automobile class, so you’ll be able to at all times choose your favourite Sizzling Wheel, whatever the state of affairs, which is a pleasant contact.
These suggestions could be essential, although, since most of the tracks now characteristic off-road sections, the place you drive instantly on the pavement, mini-golf turf, or carpet of the setting, which every has a drastically totally different stage of traction in comparison with the plastic tracks. The 5 totally different environments–Gasoline Station, Mini-Golf, Museum, Arcade, and Yard–are all utilized nicely, with most of the races utilizing the common setting, like a countertop contained in the gasoline station, within the race. Every setting presents not solely a distinct aesthetic, however totally different obstacles that can be utilized as a part of the race observe. That is very true within the new Waypoints races, the place it’s good to attain every checkpoint in an setting as quick as doable. These races usually characteristic little to no observe, as an alternative asking you to navigate the furnishings and different obstacles already within the setting, which actually highlights the element in these environments. These races are additionally far totally different than different varieties, providing some selection, particularly for the reason that traction on the bottom could be very totally different from on the observe.
Obstacles have been improved as nicely and much more are current than within the earlier entry. These obstacles are available a pair totally different kinds. Generally, these are miscellaneous objects like golf balls or wood blocks that may be knocked away by boosting by them. There are additionally boundaries that need to be jumped over, however these are famous by warning indicators, so it would not really feel such as you’re being tricked into crashing. There are additionally observe hazards, like a large bat that blows wind towards you and a shark that closes its mouth over the observe. None of those obstacles are too troublesome to keep away from, however that added dimension to the racing makes it really feel extra like Sizzling Wheels than simply one other arcade racer.
The racing itself has two main new additions that add a wanted layer of complexity. The primary is a soar, which requires a small quantity of enhance meter to make use of. Leaping is helpful to keep away from some obstacles, however sure tracks have sections the place a soar is required to clear a spot within the observe. Since these come up considerably continuously, it requires you to handle your enhance meter as an alternative of simply continuously utilizing it to achieve further velocity. The jumps usually have just a few warning indicators forward of them, however if you happen to miss the soar you have to to respawn, setting you again within the race. It is sufficient of a punishment that it helps implement the necessity to handle your enhance with out forcing you to restart the race, which appears like a superb stability.
The second new transfer is a sideways sprint, which can be utilized to bash into different racers, and it additionally requires a little bit of enhance. Whereas this maneuver is rarely required throughout a race, it may be useful to knock an opponent off a observe, particularly in an elimination race the place the underside racers are eradicated from the race at sure time intervals till solely first place stays. The CPU racers may even make the most of this transfer, including one other layer of issue.
Sizzling Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged has a greater diversity of Sizzling Wheels to gather and race with, together with the introduction of ATVs and bikes. With the introduction of car courses, every sort of Sizzling Wheel has a definite really feel, making unlocking a brand new yet another thrilling. Every Sizzling Wheel could be upgraded, too. The general stage could be elevated, which simply provides a flat enhance to statistical data throughout the board. There are additionally perks you’ll be able to unlock and equip, however most of those include a unfavourable. For instance, a perk may scale back your enhance consumption, however it is going to additionally scale back the velocity enhance. Whereas you need to use these tradeoffs to tweak a automobile to your playstyle, none of them really feel notably compelling and even essential to succeed.
Regardless of there being extra Sizzling Wheels to gather, truly gathering them feels worse. There are quite a few challenges to finish, with every problem providing a reward for turning it in. You full one or two of those challenges in almost each race within the marketing campaign, however the overwhelming majority of the rewards given are profile customization choices. These embody profile pictures, banners, tags, and backgrounds. These choices do not matter a lot, particularly if you happen to aren’t enjoying on-line, and the overwhelming quantity you obtain actually drives dwelling simply how uninteresting these unlocks are. A few of these challenges supply a prize wheel spin or a automobile, however these are rare.
As a substitute, Sizzling Wheels are unlocked by buying them with cash earned from finishing races from a rotating store. The store could be refreshed everytime you need for a small quantity of cash, however simply selecting automobiles out of the store is not as thrilling as being given one as a reward. Sizzling Wheels may also be obtained from a prize wheel spin, however there are additionally improve factors and cash on the wheel, that are seemingly given out extra continuously than automobiles. You additionally solely get wheel spins each couple of profile ranges or for a choose few challenges, so the general variety of Sizzling Wheels you get from a spin could be counted on one hand by the point the marketing campaign has been accomplished, which is disappointing. The store has a small choice which refreshes on a timer–although you’ll be able to pay a small quantity of cash to refresh it sooner–but it continuously has duplicates in it. Whereas with the ability to choose which Sizzling Wheels you get could be good, there’s something particular about being rewarded with a automobile you did not even know was within the recreation.
You may customise your Sizzling Wheels, with the choice to alter the paint coloration and materials for a handful of various components of every automobile. You may also make stickers and place them over the skin of every automobile to create a novel private fashion. These designs could be shared on-line and you may pull designs from there if you happen to do not wish to do the work your self. Every Sizzling Wheels automobile already has its personal persona and design, however with the ability to customise them is a pleasant contact.
The marketing campaign consists of a number of boss fights, with every that includes a monster like a scorpion or a yeti. These take kind as a big creature on prime of the beginning line within the race, however do not present distinctive obstacles. Every boss race has targets on a observe, with every damaged goal dealing harm. The boss has a meter that fills up over time that can finish the race if it fills all the way in which, whereas hitting a board resets the meter. In the beginning of the race, you’ll be able to miss a goal and nonetheless make it to the following one, assuming you progress shortly sufficient. Because the race continues, the period of time it takes the meter to fill will get shorter, forcing you to hit each board in your path. These boss races do not do sufficient to distinguish themselves from one another, however there are solely a handful.
Beating a boss unlocks that boss as a observe piece for the observe builder, which not requires you to spend cash to unlock new components. As a substitute, the overwhelming majority of observe items are already accessible, letting you construct no matter you need out of the gate. The tutorial would not do one of the best job of letting you understand how every part works within the builder, nevertheless it’s pretty simple to determine and put collectively a easy observe, though making extra difficult tracks will take some apply.
The observe builder appears to incorporate each observe piece used within the races within the marketing campaign, so there are no restrictions on the complexity of what you’ll be able to construct, making each constructing and racing on neighborhood tracks enjoyable. Discovering a neighborhood observe is fairly easy, as there are really useful tabs, alongside a number of essentially the most preferred tracks over a sure time period. You may also filter by tags, environments, and even observe names, making it simpler to discover a particular sort of observe. The general sharing system is pretty easy and has sufficient filtering choices to make it fast and simple to make use of.
Sizzling Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged does make enhancements over the unique, however it’s nonetheless largely the identical recreation. The added depth to the racing itself is the place it shines essentially the most and the brand new automobile courses present a pleasant complexity and incentive to make use of a greater diversity of Sizzling Wheels. The challenges and rewards are disappointing and the story would not add a lot to the marketing campaign, however most of your time shall be spent burning plastic on orange tracks, which remains to be enjoyable.