Action figures? They're so immobile. Chess, poker? You'll play those when you get older. The Internet? Bah, it hasn't even been invented yet. You're a kid and your enjoyment resides in one place – in the land of Hot Wheels.

Small, handheld replicas of your favorite automobiles (along with countless concepts and original ideas we'll never see on the road), Hot Wheels has been the long-standing champion of toy and collectible miniature vehicles. Their sleek designs, pimped-out paint jobs and tricked-out interiors are hard to resist, even today as technology quickly replaces all other forms of entertainment.

Hot Wheels: All Out, the newest in an ongoing series of games, is the toy's way of bridging the gap between the old and the new. All Out has a collection of some of the more recent Hot Wheels cars, many of which are cool and original – others pay homage to brand names without being too much of a copycat. (Mattel makes cars based on most of the real-world manufacturer's brands, but that license is entirely separate from the game world.)

Being a GBA racer, there are only two places for the game to go: traditional top-down gaming or wishful 3D interpretation. The latter is risky, and very rarely succeeds. Mario Kart worked in the second dimension because that's where the series began – on the SNES, long before polygons entered the picture. Call me forgetful, but I can't think of any other behind-the-car racer for GB Color or GB Advance that didn't suck. The other good ones utilized the best of the technology available to developers at the time without being too wishful. Hence the continued use of top-down gameplay for Nintendo's most successful handheld.

A Little Isometric

Hot Wheels: All Out doesn't stray too far from the likes of Micro Machines and other classic top-down racers. The difference, as far as the controls and camera are concerned, is how things slightly change as you cruise each course. Tracks are fairly winding, with colors, structures, and environments used to cover up their generic oval and figure eight layouts. The camera doesn't follow from above at all times. Instead, it travels at a distance, tilting lightly with each turn, creating a hint of an angled view.

Steering is tight but you will have to watch out for unforeseen hazards. "Watch out for...hey, wait a minute!" Yeah, that's a tricky one. But it's true: some areas, especially the urban courses, have rails and weird roadblocks that will catch on and slow down your vehicle. The game has many intentional hazards – those are very welcome. There's nothing more satisfying than avoiding a guy (or was it a groundhog? The pixels were too small to tell) in the middle of the road, followed by a speed boost up a ramp that, had you driven over it too slowly, would have guaranteed your loss of first place.

By that same token, there is nothing more aggravating than turning a corner only to get stuck on something you should have been able to screech past. (Or visualize and avoid!) At best you'll lose a little speed and recover. It's going to happen repeatedly, so get used to it. Worst-case scenario: the loss is too much to bear. First place is lost, and you have to start the race over again.

All Out's game modes are surprisingly varied for a racer of this stature. Time Attack is so common I'm waiting for the day when a developer is bold enough to say it's not good enough to be included in their title (it'll happen...just wait). Pursuit and Eliminator, on the other hand, are not found in every game you play.

Need For Speed fans should know what Pursuit is all about: chase a perp and make him pay. Ram into him several times to deplete his energy and walk away victorious. The win will be glorious, and you'll be a criminal-catching king.

Eliminator, a mode popularized by the Burnout series, removes one racer at the end of every lap. If you're the last one to cross a lap, kiss your standing goodbye. Being in last place really means you're in last place. There aren't any opportunities to recover – no chances to get back into the race and show 'em who's boss. Your number-one goal should be to get into first place and hold it until the end. Second place means nothing. In this game, being first is the only way to make progress. But don't let a single win make you cocky. There will be plenty more chances to lose following your first win.

Collector is another mode you don't see everyday, though I'm sure Grand Theft Auto fans will recognize its style. You have just one goal: search the city in search of items. Collect every item before the time limit is up and you win.

Ultimate Challenge, the mother of them all, combines each mode for a series of challenges that will test your ability to adapt to a handful of situations. Are you ready?

Gameplay: 7.0
Course issues aside, Hot Wheels: All Out is a decent racer for the kid who’s new to the GBA or has yet to upgrade to the DS. Kids will enjoy the variety, and if you’re a parent who remembers the original Micro Machine games, you’re bound to get something out the game as well.

Graphics: 4.0
Barren, even by GBA standards. Cars are teeny-tiny (like Micro Machines), and most of the stages – though different and at least viewable – are devoid of detail.

Sound: 3.0
Terribly low-tech. This is what iPods and stereos were made for – so you can listen to something other than bad game sounds, and not have to put up with the annoyance of dead silence.

Difficulty: Easy
Kids will be challenged, so long as they have never touched a top-down racer before. Most other players will find the game to be pretty easy.

Concept: 3.0
A 15-year-old concept resurrected for the sake of another GBA title that uses 15-year-old concepts. Granted, this is one of the better top-down racers available. But there’s nothing new, original, or praise-worthy attached to the design.

Overall: 6.7
Worth it for the kiddies, not for anyone else. Buy it for those who don’t have a PSP or Nintendo DS, or for someone who really, really loves retro-racing games.

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size : ± 1.47 MB

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