Aside from the (slightly) better than average graphics, as well as the inclusion of a track editor, HSX is a bare-bones title, a poor-man's F-Zero, and not very exciting or fun to play.
But it's only ten bucks.
The first of the true shovelware titles on the PS2, HSX gives you all the packaging and manual inserts of a REAL game, at a fraction of the cost. What it doesn't give you, is gameplay quality. First and foremost, the game is very barren whereas modes are concerned: it gives only you two, circuit and downhill. Downhill is like a slalom, and circuit is your standard round-the-track ordeal. Of course, it's not a very good one, since the AI seems to never even want to try to play catch up. And while HSX does a very good job of portraying a sense of speed, it does so almost to a fault: you can barely even control your vehicle.
HSX's sound is another knock against it: it seems as if someone simply read the manual of an off-the-shelf synthesizer, then proceeded to use it in creating all the in-game beats. Listening to HSX will make you appreciate the efforts of sound programmers, as well as those who go through the tedious legal process of licensing appropriate songs for the majority of titles today.
The addition of HSX's track editor is a nice thought, but pretty much ends up with you just placing pieces (uninspired loops and hairpin turns) in various combos. This will add to the replay value for all of 4 tracks, until you realize that you're not interested enough in the core gameplay mechanics to make it worth building new levels.
If you have any interest in this title, it would probably be a good idea to just pick it up, instead of renting it first. The ten-dollar price tag is certainly HSX's strongest point, and gives it a fighting chance to become a best seller…even if it shouldn't.
-George
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