Hot Wheels (video game)
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- WW: September/October 1984
| Hot Wheels | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developers | A. Eddy Goldfarb & Associates |
| Publisher | Epyx |
| Platform | Commodore 64 |
| Release |
|
| Genre | Racing |
| Mode | Single-player |
Hot Wheels is a racing video game developed by A. Eddy Goldfarb & Associates, and published by Epyx for the Commodore 64.[1] The game was unveiled in June 1984, at Chicago's Summer Consumer Electronics Show, and was released later that year.[2][3] Hot Wheels is the first video game to be based on the Hot Wheels toyline, and was marketed by Epyx as part of their Computer Activity Toys series, consisting of video games based on popular toylines.[4][5]
Hot Wheels begins with the player choosing a vehicle. The player can choose from one of several Hot Wheels vehicles, or can choose to create a custom vehicle instead. Custom vehicles are created by the player in a factory, where the player chooses the design of the vehicle's front, middle, and rear sections, and car paint.[1][4]
Once a vehicle has been selected, the player can drive around a side-scrolling city filled with various minigames and activities:
- A demolition derby, where the player goes up against three computer-controlled opponents; the derby ends when three of the four cars are totalled.
- Going on an expressway shows the vehicle driving along the expressway non-interactively as the game's theme song plays until the player interrupts.
- A gas station called "Bob's Gas" allows the player to control a mechanic who can refuel the vehicle and check its tires.
- An oil change station where the player can control another mechanic to change oil in the car; first they must collect the spent oil from the car with an oil drain cart, and the refill it with new.
- A car wash, where the vehicle is cleaned.
- A parking lot, where the player can park the vehicle and switch to a different one.
- A tuning shop called "Super Tuner" where the player can have the vehicle's engine checked; the player must tune the engine's four cylinders to the ideal frequencies and amplitudes (represented by a crude sine wave).
- A fire station allows the player to switch control from their car to a firetruck, with the objective being to extinguish a fire; if the water runs out before the fire is extinguished, the house burns down.[1][4]
The player may also go back the initial showroom at any time to pick (or build) a different car.
