We reported back in March about how Racing Apex became Hotshot Racing; it's been a long twisty road for this eagerly-awaited retro-styled racer to make it over to the Switch, but according to the most recent issue of EDGE magazine, the wait is almost over. It's now slated for a June 2020 release.
From Lucky Mountain Games and Sumo Digital (with Curve Digital on publishing duties), Hotshot Racing boasts bright, polygonal visuals and boost-filled drift-style gameplay in a bid to channel classic arcade racers of times gone by. It also promises to achieve a "silky smooth 60 frames per second" on every platform – and yes, that includes Switch.
The game features eight drivers to choose from, each with their own personalities and cars, as well as 16 tracks and a number of game modes. You can play either alone or in multiplayer – both online and offline – including four-player local split-screen co-op.
There's also a traditional Grand Prix mode where you can race on multiple tracks to take gold in a championship, a Time Trial mode, a 'Cops and Robbers' mode where criminals must evade capture from the police, and a 'Drive or Explode' mode where players need to race to checkpoints to avoid exploding.
Check out the trailer above and let us know if you are excited about the imminent release of Hotshot Racing with a comment below.
[source gonintendo.com, via old.reddit.com]
Comments 61
Day one for me x x x
This looks great
Yes day one for me as well👍🏻
I also would like to purchase this particular game
This one I am waiting for.
Sumo Digital has been behind some great racers in the past, and this definitely looks to add to their pedigree. It's definitely near the top of my "To Get" list.
Can't wait for it, looks amazing!
Looks cool. I wonder how much?
I was looking forward to this when I was Apex Racing. Now Sumo are on board... I'm hoping it will have as much replay value as Out Run 2....
Loving all this low-poly graphics coming our way at the mo.
Man. Please let this be true. Been chomping at the bit for this one.
Game looks great.
Been waiting for this
Looks wonderful. Can’t wait.
I know I say this in every racing game thread, but I want Beetle Adventure Racing (N64) to be remade or at least rereleased somehow. I want to play it again so very badly.
PS: Replacing the Beetles with generic cars would be fine if licensing is an issue. Come ooooooooon!
Yeh come on this looks good! I’ll be driving that beautiful low poly Porsche!
Waiting for this, doesn't feel right until I can add it to my Wish List though!
There is an "Akina" car at 30 seconds in. These people know what's up!
DAY 1!
Damn this looks great!!
@Milton_Burle The man never played an arcade racer in his life
This looks stunning I need this!
@justin233 I also love Beetle Adventure Racing, such a great game. I still play it on emulation.
I have high hopes for this retro-modern racing game.
I kinda wish there were a version of this for VR because these kinds of simple, clean and really 3D polygony visuals would look stunning in VR.
Never heard of it till now, but this looks great.
@Dragonslacker1 totally, game looks awesome!
There is something truly beautiful about low-poly/high-res racing games. Cannot wait for this one.
Now can someone convince Namco to release a Ridge Racer collection please?
Here's hoping this is going to be really good, after coming from the simply brilliant Horizon Chase Turbo, and the somewhat disappointing Switch port of 80's Racer, because I could definitely do with another high-adrenaline racer.
This game gets a "shut up and take my money" gif from me, can't wait to give it a try.
60 fps? Awesome.
I dunno, I'm not won over by the look of this one. Kinda feel like Horizon Chase Turbo has got there first with this aesthetic for racing and I'd like a bit more realism in the look, even if they were just toy cars or something. These just look like cardboard floating over the surface to me.
Sumo Digital is on this? Day one.
Looks great and excited to purchase this - hope this is physical too.
Local wireless multiplayer?
Wow. Sold!!! Oh I’m being urged to enter more characters in this response so ehhh SOLD!!!!!!!
The graphics don't do it for me, but it looks fun!
Can't wait to play this day one. Hopefully it'll wash away the slow pace feel of last week's disappointing 80's Overdrive port.
@justin233 Beetle Adventure Racing was my favorite standard racing game on the N64. I support this.
@nmanifold I'm too stupid to figure out how to emulate it I guess. I should really try again. I miss that game. Remember the TRex? The like metallic Beetle? So cool.
Meanwhile.. where is 90's Arcade Racer?
I'm really looking forward to trying this. I love these kinds of racing games. Hopefully, it lives up to the games that inspired it.
@impurekind I would love to see this or something like it come to the Oculus Quest. There could even be a mode that simulates sitting inside a deluxe arcade machine.
@justin233 I would love that too. I really enjoyed all the alternate routs and smashing all those boxes!
The only flaw of SEGA’s Virtua Racing is how freakin short it is; otherwise it is one of the most soundly designed racers ever.
So ‘16 tracks, 8 racers’ sounds perfect!
This game entirely evokes what games like that felt like inside those, otherwise, hazy arcades, and I am a sucker for the early representations of this genre, in particular (I absolutely adore Outrun), largely due to how bright and airy the mood in them are. They are such a sunshine -saturated, important escape from reality. So, needless to say, I am very interested the potential of this.
People should also check out: Horizon Chase Turbo (Switch) , ‘80s Overdrive (3DS/Switch) and Slipstream (Steam) for awesome retro racers.
Spoiled by Asphalt 9...still playing and loving.
@Antraxx777 virtual racer Sega ages would not let me local wireless play between consoles. That is a major let down.
Day one for me!! Been waiting for this one for a bit. Im needing something to scratch my Beetle Adventure Racing itch and although isn’t quite like that, I’ll know I can trade paint and look at some cool backdrops while going way too fast.
@Justin233 I see you also came here to let it be known! I honestly have said the same thing before... due to licensing, go right ahead and take the beetles out and replace them with something else if you have to. Although it would be cool to have the alien car as a little nod or whatever if they could keep one. Anyway, I can’t believe it hasn’t happened yet. It’s such a cool game and reminds me of Springtime as a child. I think I got it for Easter when it came out.
@gcunit No offense, but I honestly have no idea how someone could see this game having the exact same aesthetics as Horizon Chase Turbo.
Hotshot Racing has far more blocky/chunky graphics, with single color, opaque object surfaces and planes, as inspired by both Virtua Racing and Daytona, graphics-wise, whereas Horizon Chase Turbo was inspired by the likes of Top Gear, Lotus Turbo Challenge and Outrun.
The graphical style of Horizon Chase Turbo is far more rich in color, more comic-like, with much more detailed car graphics, and more modern effects, such as weather. The scenery may sometimes be a bit blocky as well, and/or like Hotshot Racing, but that is where the similarities end, other than both being arcade racers.
Either way, for me personally, there's more than enough differences between the two, to have a place for both of them in my games catalog.
For direct comparison's sake:
But having said that, I can understand this is not for everyone. For me, it's childhood sentiment. Back in the day, we played those games
I mentioned in the arcade, and I always wanted to have perfect representations of them on my home consoles, which didn't happen until Daytona FINALLY landed on the Sega Dreamcast, so it was a LONG wait, and I'm VERY happy to see more arcade racers inspired by those early titles.
Ooooo let me have this. That first person view too!
@ThanosReXXX I think the biggest difference is in the mechanics of the game. Horizon is much more rigid, almost 'on rails' driving (like sprite scalers) whereas Hotshot has more freedom.
@justin233 Fun fact: in Australia they did release a version of Beetle Adventure Racing on N64 where they swapped out the beetles for Aussie HSVs (Holden Special Vehicles). And at that resolution it pretty much equalled generic sedans. At least they had the generosity to replace all the voices too, with the most ocker Aussie bloke you could imagine. Every time you booted up the game and pressed Start, he said "Gday!"
Oh yeah, in case you can't guess, it was called HSV Adventure Racing
@GrailUK Well, that could only be established for certain, once someone gets their hands on a copy and actually plays it.
On a side note: I also don't think that Horizon Chase Turbo feels like it's on rails. I'd sooner say that 80s Racer is, because of the decidedly more 2D look of that particular arcade racer.
@N64-ROX I did know that, but still a neat tidbit. I miss that game.
@ThanosReXXX Of course Horizon is on rails. You can only go forwards (like Outrun). Hotshots looks more like you could go the wrong way if you wanted to (like Virtua Racing). It's mechanics are less rigid. 2D can have free mechanics (Mario Kart I guess would be one). (Just for the record, not saying one is better than the other, just saying they look like different games to me (beyond aesthetics))
@GrailUK Ah, okay. If you look at it like that, then I guess it's on rails. My own perception/view of that is more like with many of these older 2D racers, that you're actually moving the track, instead of the car, seeing as the car always stays in the middle. That's what I call on rails.
With Horizon Chase Turbo, you have a little more freedom, or at the very least: perceived freedom of movement, due to it being ACTUAL 3D, instead of the aforementioned older arcade racers.
As for Virtua Racing: I got it on the Switch, but I never tried to drive the wrong way, seeing as I usually like to win races...
Didn't even know that this was possible, though. I figured that because of its age, it would also be quite linear.
@ThanosReXXX Winning a race!? man, I'm obviously doing it wrong! Hahah.
@GrailUK On the other hand: it's a VERY short game, especially compared to most modern arcade racers, so getting a bit more mileage out of it by driving the wrong way might not be such a bad idea after all...
@ThanosReXXX Ok, granted, it's not rail road track levels of rail, more like kiddie rails in a bowling alley. But there are still rails lol.
1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000% yes. Finally.
@GrailUK Then again: what would be the use of going off track?
All that does, is slow you down anyway, and going the wrong direction also doesn't really present anything worthwhile, so perhaps there is a point to the "kiddie" rails...
On a side note: God, I simply HATE the word kiddie. Especially in combination with Nintendo. It's the everlasting stigma, apparently.
@ThanosReXXX Sorry, I meant manly rails. Only real men use those barriers on the lanes. Ahem.
@GrailUK I don't use rails, and I only play 100 pin bowling. Sports Resort style.
Mind you, I was speaking in general, nothing personal. That particular word just makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Personal pet peeve, I guess...
It's now July...where is it
Aug. 3rd ... wheeeeeere is it ?
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