Asphalt: Urban GT

"A Fun Racer With Limitations"

In the relatively slim DS launch lineup, there was a platformer, two dating sim/adventures, three EA games, and two racers. This is the story of one such racer. Asphalt Urban GT is a slick looking game that handles well, but comes up short in many areas where it shouldn t have.

Gameplay

Racing on the DS is pain in the rear since you have no control stick. After 20 minutes of rubbing your thumb across the control pad you begin to feel the pain and it isn t pleasant. If Gameloft had taken more time to implement a Touch Pad control scheme, perhaps things would be different. Instead of playing for 20 minutes and stopping, I might be able to play a good hour or so, but that isn t the case. I have no problem with the button controls however, B to accelerate and Y to brake is just fine.

Asphalt boasts an impressive list of cars ranging from Lamborghini s to Ford s. Most of them handle very well, with a few exceptions. And because they handle well, you end each race feeling as though you had actually just driven that car. Cars; however, aren t really anything special unless you have some place to drive them in and some goal to drive for.

There are several locales throughout the world that you can drive in, from tropical settings like Bogota Airport and Miami, to chilly areas like Chernobyl. All of these areas are accessible in quick races, otherwise known as the Arcade mode. In the Arcade menu you can find several modes to choose from. All of these offer a quick way to start driving any car you choose.

Instant Play automatically selects the track, the car, and mode of game you will race, this is good if you want to practice any random condition. Road Challenge is a series of five races that you must finish in the top 3 to win. After winning, you receive a cup and you unlock the next challenge. This isn t really anything special, but it is a good time killer. Free Race is basically you choosing the course and the car and you race against others for first place. Time Attack is racing the clock to get the fastest time. The Cop Chase mode is also in the game, even though it sounds fun to chase down other cars in your cop car, it really is not anything to behold. You just end up driving around targeting other cars rather than taking them out.

The meat of the game however, will be taking place in the Evolution mode. Here, you can win races and championships to earn money, unlock new races, and get free cars. By making more money and unlocking more races etc, you can customize your cars and purchase new cars from dealers. It is the basic setup of any average racer. The bad thing about this is, that there is not a lot of customizable options to choose from. And after ten or so championship races, you ll be wondering what incentives there are besides the same old stuff. Actually there is not anything else besides the same old stuff, just letting you know now.

As far as difficulty goes, the game can be challenging at times, but sometimes it is just way too easy. I guess it depends on the conditions and the car, because sometimes I blow everyone away, and other times it s a very tight race.

The multiplayer mode is pretty straight forward with single races, championships, and cop chases. Cop chases are simply the most boring, but single races and championships with your friends (2-4) can be quite fun. The game doesn t lag as long as you stay reasonably close to your friend, and the hosting and joining times are minimal. The only bad thing is that it doesn t support DS download-play, so you have to have friends that have the game to play it.

The one big complaint I have with the game is that it does not use the touch-screen at all! Only the menu s have touch-screen functionality, but there is literally no need to have it since it s a nuisance to take your stylus out just to navigate the menus. It is a minor gripe, but the effect is profound, especially since the DS is a system for innovation, and Asphalt Urban GT does nothing to innovate and is basically an N64 style racer on a portable system.

Graphics

Aside from Mario 64 DS, this is the best looking game on the DS so far. Car models are astounding for a system with these limitations and locales are nicely designed. There are often more than five cars on screen at once as well, and not once did the game slow down in single-player mode.

The level of detail that went into the maps and cars is simply amazing. Roads look like roads, trees look blocky, but believable, and buildings look like very detailed lego s. This is actually perfect for the limitations of the DS. I am just amazed that the graphics are so well done, but not much else in the game is as good as this.

Sound

The game s sound quality is surprisingly grainy, and does not sound right on the stereo speakers. If it gets too loud the game has weird static, but if it is too low, you can t hear anything. Even when the volume is in the middle, there are hordes of problems with this one.

The music is fine and dandy, with some good mid-tempo and upbeat lyric-less urban style music. Nothing really special though, not exactly what I expected from a game with such great graphical features. Some of the songs really get you into the driving, while others turn you off. Lucky you can change the music at any time during the race, despite the fact that it interrupts the race.

Here's the main problem with the audio features: Every single car sounds the same. The Hummer, Ford GT, Lamborghini Murcielago, you name it, they all have the exact same engine sound. Drive through any locale, at any speed and they all sound the same. What is the problem with that? The problem is that you do not feel any originality in the cars and you end up driving what feels like the same old dreary car that you have been driving since the early 80 s. How much longer would it have taken to add a different sound for each car in the game? An extra couple of weeks maybe? I could have waited.

Replay Value

Well, it is a driving game, and there is certainly plenty of replay value here. Even though the game has certain problems that really hurt the game overall, the game will still occupy you for hours on end, which is great right now, since the DS lineup is more frail than Lara Flynn Boyle right now. You might stop playing the game because of its problems, but you will come back later without anything to do except race your car to victory.

Conclusion

If you have no games for the DS, and you don t expect to get Mario 64 DS anytime soon, you should probably think about getting this game. It is one of the only purchase-worthy games of the DS launch.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/02/05