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Look, I really want to use my Nintendo Switch more than I do, but the system just hasn’t brought enough standout racing games, even in its seventh year on the market. A guy can only play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Fast RMX so many times before he calls his dusty PSP out of retirement. There’s a new indie racer on the horizon for Nintendo’s handheld, called Hot Lap Racing. And while I know literally nothing about it and can’t make an educated guess as to its quality, I can say this: It has a killer car roster.
Hot Lap is due to release in about two weeks, on July 16, courtesy of publisher Maximum Entertainment. The company has posted a full car list reveal video to YouTube, and it contains a variety of vehicles you just don’t see in very many games anymore. That’s saying something, because there have been plenty of racing games over the years, and cars that used to be rarities in the digital realm, like the Alfa 155 and Opel Calibra DTM cars, for example, or the Lancia Delta Integrale, have become extremely common. They just don’t surprise the way they did in, say, Gran Turismo 4.
This game has those covered, but it also has an assortment of cool, weird French cars from the days when French cars were the coolest and the weirdest. There’s the Renault 5 Turbo and Citroen AX Superproduction—road-racing versions of venerable hatches better known for their exploits on rallying stages. You’ll also find not one but two flavors of the Venturi Atlantique, the 400 Trophy and 600 that contested Le Mans.
But that’s not all! How’d you like a CART open-wheeler? Seriously, Hot Lap Racing includes a Lola B02/00, in a livery evoking the Havoline getup Newman/Haas Racing ran decades ago. CART was the coolest, and its cars are unfortunately long gone from modern racing games. There’s also a pair of ’90s BTCC mainstays, in the Vauxhall Cavalier and Renault Laguna, and the visually puzzling Lola B2K/10 prototype. The Minardi M191 F1 car from the early ’90s, with all its offending sponsors removed. Those weird-ass Lamera Cup Cars with the Ford Focus headlights that race in a single-make series in Europe. This roster is all over the place.
There are some more modern inclusions too, like the Peugeot 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar (that might not be competing much longer, if the automaker’s patience for success is truly wearing thin), alongside that wild all-electric Renault 5 Turbo 3E concept from a couple years back. Plus, I’m sure you’ll noticed all the unlicensed homages to beloved motorsport icons, like the Fred Motors GT and Gunma Prestazione X2006. They sure bear a resemblance—but to what exactly, who’s to say?
Again, I have no idea if this game will be good. It has four-player local multiplayer, which is neat and very rare these days, although I worry that mode will bring the Switch’s ancient Tegra X1 to its knees. If you find out, be sure to let me know in the comments. Hot Lap Racing releases July 16 on the Nintendo eShop for $35, though it’s on sale for $30 for those who preorder. It’s also coming to PC via Steam.
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