Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 Is Back With an Italian Surprise

I have no clue when five years went by. In December 2022, a colleague sent me a Steam gift: it was the Hot Wheels Unleashed game. I installed it, but for some reason, my laptop was too slow to run it properly. And I needed some free space, so I uninstalled it soon after. I told myself I'd get back to it in a few weeks. And 13 months have gone by since. Does that ever happen to you, too?

Meanwhile, Milestone released a sequel, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged, in October 2023. My colleague, Codrin Spiridon, reviewed the game and scored it 75/100. Despite my love for Hot Wheels cars, I've been oblivious to the virtual racing series. Gran Turismo 7 has had most of my attention in 2023, but I plan to dive deeper into sim racing this year.

Seeing the new Made in Italy expansion pack for Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 reminded me of the good old days when I used to play Revolt for hours in a row. Mattel's strategy of having a video game alongside the real cars is another brilliant marketing move on their behalf. I'd like to know how long we must wait for a feature film like the Barbie one.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 has received mostly positive reviews, and you can choose from three different options when purchasing via Steam: Base, Deluxe, and Legendary. There are 14 DLCs to choose from, but only two are free. The AcceleRacers and the new Made in Italy expansion packs cost $10 each. The latter is an invitation to explore the Italian countryside.

When I first saw the trailer, I immediately remembered playing CounterStrike on a similar back many years ago. Building your tracks in the Italian Village could be fun. But I guess it's more about the possibility of racing four new vehicles. As you'd expect, they're replicas of actual Hot Wheels castings. The Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI is still a premium-exclusive model these days, and I have fond memories of racing it on the Nordschleife in Assetto Corsa.

The Lancia 037 hasn't had a mainline appearance either, and you'd love to drive this one in EA's WRC game (which I reviewed last year). The Fiat 500D Modificado is the most recent Super Treasure Hunt on the map, and I just saw someone bragging he found two of them in the same store earlier today. The fourth vehicle in this DLC is the Vespa 90 SS Super Sprint (1966). Seeing it race around the track with no rider on is strange, but we are talking about a Hot Wheels-themed video game. Maybe I'll give the series another try. Just by seeing the trailer, I've gotten an appetite to go racing again.