Asphalt: Urban GT

"Not all that great."

I was told that this was the best racing title on the DS so far, which I thought wasn't saying much since the only other racer out was Ridge Racer DS. Gamespot.com, the only critic I trust (aside from Game Informer Magazine) gave the game a 7.5, which wasn't very good, but it was deemed "average." I think it deserves much less, which is what I gave the game, as you can see.

The game is supposed to combine the graphics of Gran Turismo, the car detail of Need for Speed, and the dangerous lifestyle of Burnout. You would think that this would make for an enjoyable experience, and it's not the concept that causes the game to fall. It's the execution.

You start out driving on the wrong side of the road and running into destructable objects. That's the easiest way to gain boost. You're racing against seven other cars jockying for position. The top screen is your main gameplay screen while the bottome screen is a map of the track. This isn't a very inventive use of the bottom screen, but it is helpful in letting you know of upcoming straigtaways so you can use you boost, or at least that's what Gameloft wants you to think. In reality, if you take your eyes off the main gameplay screen, you'll probably rear-end a car, stopping you on a dime. I'm serious. You don't crash in this game. If you collide with a car head-on, you'll spin out of control, but the physics in this part aren't evven right, because you actually go FASTER than you do while driving and when you regain control, you'll be at the SAME SPEED. This alone says "budget title" to me with a capital B.

Of course, don't think that the physics are the only bad thing about this game. That would make me crazy if I were to drop a score to a six because of poor physics, but the steering is also abysmal. The Dpad on the DS isn't analog. Therefore, you only have one level of sharpness when you turn, which isn't very sharp at all. Even if you just hold down the steering button while holding down the brak, you'll ram into the side of the track OPPOSITE of the direction you're trying to turn. This significantly slows you down, allowing for multiple cars to pass you.

There's no story, so I'll skip this part.

Now don't get me wrong. This game does have its pluses, like the graphics. This is undoubtably the best looking game on the DS right now (aside from Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, but it's a demo, so it does not count). The environments are great, and the cars are in awsome detail. The game also delivers a good sense of speed, especially when you're in your boost of speed.

The sound is merely decent, even for a portable game. There is a good track in the game. The engine roars okay and the tires squeak around corners satisfactorly, but the sound effects are the same for EVERY CAR! It is just boring after a while.

I would not reccomend buying it. I had to learn the hard way. Do not make my mistake. There is very little replay value in this game because of the bad physics and abysmal steering controls.

Score: 6/10. By six, I mean that some people will disagree with my decision, but I was left craving something more. Rent it, and if you can get used to the controls and you can put up with the bad physics, buy it, but don't just up and buy it. You might be as dissapointed as me.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/14/05