Asphalt: Urban GT

"Second Best Racing Game on the DS ain't that bad of a title."

First of all, I'd like to say that this game could really hold its own. The DS is obviously not as much as a platform for racing games as it's next-gen counterpart, the PSP, but it does have some bright spots. Mario Kart DS is probably the best Mario Kart ever made, and that's really saying something (the memories of me and my friends wasting hours playing Mario Kart 64 come flooding back to me)! Then, of course, there's Asphalt: Urban GT. A very awesome game in it's own right, Asphalt succeeds at what it sets out to do: Set the tone for arcade racers on the DS. Which it did, very well I might add, with this above-par installment. On to the review.

Graphics: 8/10
What can I say? The DS definetly has way more graphical capability than it's predecessor, the Game Boy Advance. In fact, I shudder to think about what this game would look like had it been on the GBA. Once you unlock the cars (there are a handful available at the beginning), you notice that there is a pretty good variety of cars, and they all look nice and purdy. As to the tracks, which are very good for a handheld racing game. Although the backgrounds kind of detract from the score (very dull, and uninspired), the tracks and the cars give it a solid 8/10.

Audio: 2/5
Meh. The music in Asphalt consists of the awesome variety of three entire songs, and they're all in the same techno, pump-your-blood variety, although they don't really pump me up (something about it being on a handheld console). The sound effects, well, aren't particularly good, and that's being generous. There are some incredibly annoying affects as well. Just try crashing into a wall, or, worst of all, screeching your breaks. Nails on a chalkboard. Still, the engine sounds are pretty cool, so that'll boost it up to a near-par 2/5.

Story/Modes: 7/10
It's a racing game, and the story won't be included. Instead, I'll just rate the modes. There's arcade, which allows you to just pick up and race, and then there's evolution, which is about the equivalent of simulation in Gran Turismo, although not as easy to pick up. There's also multiplayer, but, I haven't played that, so I'll just pretend it doesn't exist. Perhaps its awesome, perhaps it stinks. Overall, it's pretty standard for a racing game, and nothing special, but I can't say it really is lacking something, so that'll put it at a decent 7/10.

Controls: 5/5
Okay, the controls in this game may not utilize the touch screen to it's full potential (you race on the top, it shows the map and displays driving tips that are a bit too hard to catch on the bottom), but who says every game on the DS needs to use the stylus like crazy to be good? The controls are pretty much exactly what you'd expect: B for acceleration, Y for break, X for horn, A for Nitro (handy little function I might add), and the D-Pad steers. Easy to pick up on, and, well, I don't see what else they could have done, so it'll have to be a tremendous 5/5.

Gameplay: 12/15
Asphalt is a pretty fun game to play, although its interface between races is a bit confusing, but once you get to the actual racing, you'll find yourself having a good time. The races are sometimes easy, sometimes average, never too hard, especially if you're a racing game aficionado, but always fun. I love the AI in this game, and, unlike scores of other racing games, there is nothing fixed at all. The car that starts in 5th place doesn't necessarily finish in 5th place, it can finish anywhere from 1st to last, and that is a very handy little feature. The camera angles, especially when rounding corners, can get on your nerves, and the races could get a bit tedious after a bit, but, all in all, it's not bad, putting it at a nice 12/15.

Replay Value: 3/5
Well, it's a racing game. That's about as good as I can put it. There are an infinite number of possibilities, but a definite (-ly small) amount of tracks and cars, and that's about the only way to put it. It's not bad, and averages at a mediocre 3/5

Well, all in all, it ain't bad, and it's actually pretty good. It's pretty cheap on eBay, and if you're looking for a nice little racing game to spend some time on, I'd definitely recommend picking up this game. While there are some flaws (camera angles, confusing interface, relatively poor sound, noticeable lack of much creativity, especially when considering this IS the DS were talking about), it's a lot of fun.

As always, I'll let you make up your own mind whether to buy, rent, ignore, etc.

Averaged Total: 37.6/50, or 7.4/10

Bottom Line: Nice little racing game, although not without a few flaws, that should give you a nice amount of fun.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/11/06