Beach Buggy Racing 2: Hot Wheels Booster Pack DLC review – hot wheels, indeed

Vector Unit’s Beach Buggy Racing 2 came out a little while ago, and proved that the racing-oriented studio had more under its hood than the cult classic Hydro Thunder Hurricane. While not as fully loaded as, say, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it’s a fun racer in its own right, and an ideal favorite for players of all ages.

Well, the game just got an expansion – a rather big one – that ties in with the popular Hot Wheels brand. And like Forza Horizon 3 before it, Buggy scores big with it.

The downloadable content brings four new tracks to the game, along with seven additional cars, all featuring a bit of inspiration from the world of Hot Wheels. This includes the iconic orange track, which can twist and turn enough to keep you on the edge of your wheels. That may not sound like much with its $9.99 price tag, but it’s heaven for fans of the brand – and also quite fun for those of you that may not even care for it.

The new tracks blend in smoothly with the ones from the original game, and even provide it with a bit more flair when it comes to design and color. Each one is a lot of fun to race alongside your friends, and the Hot Wheels inspiration is just right. They may not be as sprawling as Horizon, but they provide a lot of oomph to this indie racer all the same.

But what’s neat here is how the new cars perform. Again, they’re based on Hot Wheels models, and collecting them all and adding them to your growing collection is pretty neat. They also have their own sense of handling, so they don’t all drive the same. Vector Unit definitely did its homework here, providing some depth to the DLC instead of just splashing on a coat of paint. I reiterate, these guys know their racing.

And along with the new content, there are additional Stunt Challenges to take on as well, including racing your beloved cars through flaming hoops. They aren’t the most challenging things in the world, but they’re good fun for those that want to race off the beaten path. Did I also mention the ridiculous verticality introduced into the game? Better buckle up.

Beach Buggy Racing 2 was already a good time in its own right, but the Hot Wheels pack makes it feel more complete than ever before. It’s a good deal of fun for the price, and heaven for those of you that embrace everything about the brand. No matter which way you lean, it’s worth the investment, and worth revving up over.

RATING: 8/10