This genre seems to be fairly popular, and I can see why. Instead of just building a deck for the sake of building it (like in Dominion), adding a racing element makes the game more interactive, tense, and tangible. I've only played a few, and I'm interested in how Heat compares to for example.

I really enjoy Clank! and The Quest for El Dorado. I'd say Quest is the better game. It's cleaner, has fewer rules, and more variety in terms of maps. However, Clank! can be more fun. All the weird cards, the fights, drawing from the Dragon bag, and trying to get out alive make it a more lively (but also more random) game.