Hotshot Racing features no less than 32 cars belonging to 4 different categories (balanced, speed, acceleration and drift), 8 pilots and 16 tracks (4 in each of the 4 environments of the game). In this preview build, we have been able to play 3 modes (Grand Prix, Single Race and Time Trial) out of 5 (Cops N Robbers and Drive or Explode) in one of the 3 difficulty settings available (normal, hard and expert). Much like the arcade games of the 90s, Hotshot Racing relies heavily on drifting as it allows to fill a turbo gauge, but drafting is also paramount (and very efficient, including for AI opponents), meaning that driving well and leading a race does not guarantee you are going to get rid of those who are on your tail. Changing the difficulty setting does not only affect the level of your opponents but also the speed of your vehicles, like in Mario Kart if you will, and it actually makes a big difference. See, after playing most races in normal mode, we were a bit disappointed in the sense of speed, which was only satisfactory when using the hood cam, but when we tried the hard and expert modes, it was a totally different story. Obviously, being able to drive much faster also has an impact on gameplay as drifting becomes more necessary and keeping momentum is somehow made both easier and trickier. That's where all the fun is in the end, though we still wonder if 16 tracks is not going to be a bit shabby after a few hours, even if they all have their own mirror version. You should also know that it's possible to play with up to 3 friends locally, which is quite an argument for an arcade racer. Time should tell us soon though, so we just have to wait and see. Until then, check out our 3 videos, you should definitely see a major difference between the 3 difficulty settings.