Having a car race mode is such a terrific idea AP.
It reminded me that I was recently just discussing the idea online that pinball manufacturers could start selling additional game modes as paid software downloads, like DLC in video games. Priced right – say $10-$50 per DLC or something – it would be good value for home users and keep their games fresh, while being entirely optional for those who aren’t interested, and subsidize ongoing development costs.
Additional modes could be anything. Car Race Mode in Hot Wheels would be an example of that. Other ideas I had:
• Challenge Pack: would bundle in a couple of small novelty high-scoring modes, like One Ball Challenge, 2 Min Scoring Champ, Speed Runner Champ (how fast you can hit every shot & target at least once), and Sharpshooter Challenge (a series of one-shot challenges and you see how many you can get in a row before missing)
• Hot Potato Multiplayer where the game starts in 5-ball multi-ball but keeps shifting between players at random moments, so everyone is jumping in and out, until there’s no one left standing
• Space Invaders Mode (which was inspired by the falling green lights in Hot Wheels when you trigger the Snakes Battle): as the green lights slowly tumble down you have to shoot them to save yourself
• Mine Sweeper Mode, in which the whole table is lit in one color, and you slowly have to chip away at each shot / target to find where the mine is hidden
• Multiball Grand Tour: the game cycles once through each multiball mode and players compete for cumulative high score