The game looks pretty and has some great backgrounds - but that's about all I can say with regards to it being positive.

HWU isn't a bad game, but it's not a very good or exciting game either. If you've played any racing game in the past 10 years and want something arcadey, there are many more that are far better with more exciting mechanics and less...boredom.

The problems start with the mechanics, or lack thereof. The gameplay loop revolves around drifting to build boost, then using it when appropriate. Some cars have boost charges instead of a bar, allowing you to more easily bank up charges but at the cost of being forced to commit to a certain amount of boost. Some cars can handle better and have higher top speeds and...that's about it.

Everything else is just purely superficial. And no amount of prettiness makes up for the fact that you're a 3d model scooting over a mostly flat road and sometimes you tip over if your car has a poor center of gravity. In a lot of ways, it's like Hot Wheels in real life - and in this case, it's for the worse in a video game.

I was expecting a lot more for the price, despite it being on sale. But if I paid 40$ for the full game and 80$ for the GOTY edition I would feel like I was ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ robbed. For the record, 40$ is what I paid for forza horizon 4 on sale and while I also didn't find that game lived up to my expectations, this just absolutely takes the cake for just not being worth what you're paying.

For a few more dollars than the GOTY sale price of ~12 USD, you can get a lot of other games for much cheaper that promise a whole lot more nuance, entertainment, and novelty. Frankly, I feel this game exists solely to sell to very young kids with its highly aggressive DLC bits and bobs while charging a hilarious premium for a game that feels like it could have otherwise been made in the mid to late 90s. Hell, I've played PS1 games with more nuance and depth to this.

So no, I do not recommend this game, even on sale, unless you're purely looking to pick up on the hot wheels aesthetic - but why do that when you can play other racing games with actual modeled cars and gameplay that isn't just almost literally sliding around with plastic wheels on plastic tracks? I dunno, this game just isn't for me and I really don't see the appeal outside some okay modeled cars.

Fun racing game, actually takes skill, lots of pre-made levels in campaign

Awesome gameplay , great graphics , fun tracks , one of the best racing games I've ever played ! :)