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Anki Overdrive is What You Always Wished Your Hot Wheels Could Be

Anki Overdrive combines the nostaligic toy race car fun of Hot Wheels with the smartphone control and artificial intelligence of Sphero. It's fun, really fun, but not without a few wrong turns.

Released on 09/26/2015

Transcript

(Dramatic music)

Battle begins in 3, 2, 1.

(Groovy music)

If you combine the artificial intelligence

of a Sphero, the Bluetooth enabled bot,

with the nostalgia of a Hot Wheels track,

you might get something like the Anki Overdrive.

The smart, real-life racing game sets you up

with a giant track and remote control cars.

Except these cars are being an app on your phone.

The cars intelligently scan the track

and then you're off to the races.

Twisting and turning, and you and your opponents

battle with virtual weapons that can disable vehicles.

You can even play against Anki's artificial intelligence,

which learns your style of driving,

adapts, and keeps pushing the play.

At least, that's the idea.

While Anki Overdrive is undeniably

a lot of fun, it has its hiccups.

Sometimes, cars hurdle themselves off

the track, or sometimes they can't make the jump.

Or, drive around the track backwards.

These glitches don't mean Anki Overdrive

won't leave you entertained.

Racing a car around a track has

never been a terribly complex game.

But, it's definitely a fun one.

Now, is it a few hundred dollars worth of fun?

No, no it's not, but the starter kit which

costs $150 is definitely a more compelling price.

You'll get your speeding kicks without

the frustration of shelling out for

what can be a glitchy experience.

Starring: Molly McHugh