ic-games Review - Asphalt: Urban GT - Reviews, Previews and Interviews for PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii

ic-games Review - Asphalt: Urban GT - Reviews, Previews and Interviews for PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii ic-games Review - Home - Review, Preview and Interview for PC, Xbox,Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii

Asphalt: Urban GT

Information
Reviewer: James Collins
Developer: Gameloft
Publisher: Gameloft
Reviewed: N-Gage
Genre: Racing
UK Release: 15th Dec 2004
Article Date: 29th Mar 2005
Difficulty: Medium
Retail Price: £25
Price Comparison:
0

Score Breakdown

Experience:
Game Play:
Graphics:
Sound:
Overall Score: 69%

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Pros

Real brands and models

Multiplayer modes

Cons

Obnoxious AI

Button placement

Short in single player

Screenshots

10 of 13

Developers working on the N-Gage come and go, however Gameloft seems to be sticking around, and at the moment having the most success. Asphalt: Urban GT is their latest venture promising some hi-octane N-Gage racing fun. We’ve had just about everything from the N-Gage but a decent racing game eludes the mobile phone, could Gameloft hold the answer?

Straight out of the box there are multiple different game modes available in Asphalt: Urban GT, and while not all of them are successful the variety is welcome. The Arcade mode serves up some decent gameplay treats in itself. The cop’s mode has you riding with the Police trying to target certain vehicles before you complete a set amount of laps. It plays almost identical to the standard race modes in that you’ll have to be somewhere close to the lead to catch all the vehicles anyway but the twist is refreshing. The Road Challenge has you completing certain goals and finally the Instant Play and Free Race modes do exactly as expected.

The real meat of this title though is in the Evolution mode. Its here that you can pick up sponsorships and get to ride in cars like the Aston Martin DB9, Jaguar XKR, Lotus Exige, Morgan Aero 8, TVR T 440 R, Chevrolet Corvette C6, Ford GT, Hummer H1, Saleen S7, Shelby GT500, Audi TT Roadster, Volkswagen Beetle and the Lamborghini Diablo. Of course this all depends upon success in the actual Evolution tournament. The mode is almost indentical to most of the other offline modes except you have the chance to unlock some of the prized cars.

The graphics are pretty standard now for the N-Gage but it’s obvious that some extra care and attention has been placed on the actual vehicles in the game. Occasionally it does become difficult to know exactly when a turning is coming on a course even with the signposted arrows. Obviously this is partly due to the small screen size but also for some reason Gameloft opted to put these warning arrows on screen a little early for our liking. Once you get to learn the courses (and they are beautifully portrayed) this does become a mute point but beginners may find Asphalt: Urban GT a little difficult to get their teeth into at first.

The soundtrack is based around a mini jukebox with seven different tracks accompanying the action. To try and appease everyone Gameloft have opted for differing styles of music from rock to electro so there should be something for everyone. The tracks themselves are all pretty standard but nothing you consciously wish to turn off. The sound effects in the game do shine though and digitalized speech and sound effects have been incorporated to edge up a certain level of realism.

The controls are pretty easy to get accustomed to, even if the layout doesn’t quite work as well as it should. The D-Pad controls car movement with the DOWN key allowing you to view proceedings from the back of your vehicle (rear view mirror). The “2” key provides a speed boost which is earned from good driving. Key “5” provides standard acceleration with Key “7” providing the brakes. Key “9” and Key “6” provide lights and horn respectively.

Of course Bluetooth multiplayer has been incorporated into the design from the outset and the actual multiplayer madness you can participate in is certainly impressive. Three game modes await any Bluetooth connection and are loosely based around the single player modes. Cop Chase, Championship and Single Race. Of course the N-Gage arena also offers additional downloads and stats if you ever feel the need to go online. When you have four players connected it certainly becomes more fun than the lonely single player mode, which should always be a factor when deciding which N-Gage games to own.

The range of licensed vehicles and tracks on offer propels Asphalt: Urban GT into the impressive line up of N-Gage games currently available. Depending on which mode you select unlocking further cars should never be far away. The 20 different models (from 12 different manufactures) on offer are also varied and normally a pleasure to drive. Expect to get acquainted to the teams from Aston Martin, Audi, Ford, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Morgan, Nissan Volkswagen, TVR, Shelby, Saleen, Lotus and General Motors. Course selection is equally impressive, and like the cars, based on their real life counterparts. Paris, Las Vegas, Cuba, Hong Kong, Chernobyl, New York and Bogota Airport are just some of the locations on offer.

Asphalt: Urban GT is not without its problems. The controls can be fiddly at times, especially when reaching for the boost button, and the occasional infuriating moments occur which will leave you stuck behind cars that simply refuse to budge. Also at times it’s difficult to negotiate the corners as the detail levels get substantially poorer when the N-Gage is called to draw at a distance. Aside these small issues Asphalt: Urban GT is still a pretty decent racing game for the N-Gage. The plethora of game modes and available vehicles is impressive and Gamelofts proprietary engine rarely coughs up a splutter. It’s not quite the blockbuster that we hoped for but as an occasional racer Asphalt will calm the petrol head in us all.

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