Hot seat is the first new game/game redo that I have been disappointed with.
The fact that the game is unique by having the contestant ride it is what bothers me the most. I agree, it feels like a carnival ride. But more importantly, in an age where the contestants are often over-the-top with energy, are urged to run to their prizes, and are asked to do retakes of their reactions, the show has introduced a game which prevents the contestant from being energetic. The contestant is required to sit down. I'm siting at home watching a person sit down and ride a chair back and forth. Not exactly exciting even with a clock built in. And this factor just makes the game seem out of place on the show. They could have designed this game with the original carnival wheel setup of Pick-a-pair and thrown in a clock, and I think that I would have been a lot happier.
The game also seems like a "cheaper" version of It's In the Bag. Pricing 5 items in a row. Except it's easier that IITB, because you have to guess only T/F instead of placing the items correctly. But although you have easier decisions to make, the top prize is bigger that IITB.
Hot seat also has one less T/F prize than Punch-a-Bunch, but with significantly better odds of winning the top prize, but the top prize is only $5,000 less than Punch. So it seems more obvious to me now that the top prizes for the cash games don't seem properly aligned anymore with the difficulty level of the game, when comparing the games to each other. Of course, that happens with other types of games too, with some car games being easier than others for example, but the show does differentiate between car games for typical cars and more expensive ones.
I liked the trilons. The rest of the set was okay, but I'm just not feeling it.