Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Game Review ( Asphalt 4: Elite Racing - iPhone/iPod App )

A4:ER is - simply put - the best racing game from the app store. Even though the price is steep at $10, you will find more depth than any other racing game in there. I'll keep the review as short as possible. Basically, I'll tell you there are 9 different tracks, ranging from New York, Dubai, Los Angeles, Paris and so on, and 28 unlockable cars.

Graphics: 4.75/5 This is an iPod/iPhone and this thing has graphics better than those of the DS? Get out. The different tracks and cars look fantastic, and the frame rate pretty rarely drops. This game is gorgeous. Easily the best looking App I have, I'll tell you that.

Sound: 1/5 Turn. It. Off. I played less than half a race with the sound on before turning on my music. The drift sound is quite possibly the most annoying sound I've ever heard in my LIFE. The music and the like isn't necessarily bad, but it's just a lot better to be able to listen to your own music rather than a REEEEKWWWWEEEEEEE!!!! every three seconds when turning a corner. Gah! My ears are bleeding thinking about it.

Control: 3.75/5 There are three different ways to control. You can use the accelerometer ( Move iPod/iPhone side-to-side to steer ) tap ( Left side to go left, right side to go right. ) or steer using the on-screen steering wheel, which I only tried to use once but gave up because it just seemed pointless. One thing all three controls have in common are that your car is ALWAYS accelerating. Nothing to press to move, it happens automatically, which is actually pretty cool. My real beef with the controls are that none of the three work spectacularily well. Although the "tap" mode is best, it's still hard to control drifts and the like.

Fun: 3.75/5 When you first play A4:ER, you'll likely love it or hate it instantly. I for one loved it. But after playing all the tracks about four times over each, I realized that the game was $10 for a reason. It does have depth, ( 28 cars to unlock like I said, including some pretty good customizing ) but only about $10 worth. If you do buy this game, I recommend you really pace yourself, otherwise you're going to regret it. You'll fly through the game and realize that it wasn't worth $10. This game is great for Burnout/Need for Speed/Cruis'n U.S.A. fans, since it has features similar to those all in one, but it's just to easy to fly through. Sure, there's multiplayer, but it's seemingly impossible to find anyone that is playing online. I recommend, unless you really can't wait, getting Need for Speed from the App store, which is due out in November. Not to say A4:ER is incomplete, it just seems to be missing a few things, and it's sort of hard to really justify the $10 price tag.

3.75/5

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