[ElementK]

Introduction

When this game was announced, I was quite excited. The screens looked very nice, and I've always been a sucker for arcade racing games. While everyone was talking about Feel the Magic or SuperMario64DS, I was looking into this game.

When the "Big" reviewers let out their reviews, I was disappointed, to say the least. With the average score being only 6, I was certain that this was another game that "Could of been...".

However, while at my local Target, I decided to pick it up anyways. I gotta say, do NOT trust most reviewers. This is an amazing game that'll occupy you for hours.


Gameplay: 8/10

Simply put, Asphalt Urban GT (AUGT) combines the best from Arcade races with a dash from Simulation racers. The feel of the game is very fast paced, with expansive tracks with long straightaways to use your ever increasing Turbo. The game also seems to borrow a bit from Burnout. You are awarded for dangerous driving with turbo boosts. These are essential to winning a race.

There are two main modes of play. First there is Arcade mode. This is essentially the "Pick up and play" mode. You can play "Instant Play", which randomly selects a track and car for you to race in instantly. There is "Time Trial", which has been included in every Racing game known to man. "Cop Chase" is a bit different then the others, as it has you racing as the cop to catch criminals by car. "Challenge" is the mode you'll be spending most time in. It gives you several Challenges to do, such as beating a certain race with a certain car. Upon completing it, you unlock...something to use in the Arcade Mode. These include tune ups for your car, or unlocking even more challenges.

The great thing about this game is it has actual licensed cars. Ever wonder how a Beatle would stand against a Skyline? This is your chance! While it sounds stupid, the game produces some great car models, and I found myself buying cars simply to tune up and get a good look at them.

Racing itself is very smooth, and very fast. The developers made sure this ran at 60FPS, and it shows. The small screen makes it a bit hard to see sometimes, especially when you're cruising at 220 MPH around a corner, but you'll always know where your car is going. I must stress how great the sense of speed is for a handheld. Use of shadows and other cars really help you understand just how fast you're going.

I do, however, have a few gripes. The Collision detecting is a joke at times. Sometimes when you hit a car, you'll spin out, and keep on going. Other times you'll just plain STOP, and be stuck behind a stupid car until you can back yourself out. Trees, as well as some objects in the road, are not solid. Also, it seems that bumping into another opponent seems to always make you worse off, even if you had the advantage.


Graphics: 9/10

The graphics are very nice for such a fast game with a lot of things going on at once. This is, by far, the best looking DS game to date.

Car models look very nice, and this is a blessing considering the game uses real cars. Backgrounds look hand drawn, and very nice. As I said before, the game runs at 60 Frames Per Second the entire time, and this allows for no slow down. When cruising at 200 MPH, the game look absolutely stunning.

Some things had to take a hit to make sure it ran at 60FPS, but it's not that noticeable.

Sound and Music: 6/10

The sound in this game varies from quite good to quite bad to shoot me in the face bad. All cars have the same engine sound, and the screeching noise while you drift gets on your nerves. While none of sounds bland or bad sounding, it'll get very repetitive very fast.

Music is the redeeming quality in the category. It's face paced and really sets the mood for racing. While not catchy, it does get the job done.


Controls: 10/10

All these controls, with the exception of the D-Pad, are fully re-mappable. If you feel like having your "Gas" be R, then so be it. Want to boost by pressing Y instead of A? Sure, you can do that! I find the default settings are the best, with B being Accelerate, Y being Brake, and A being Boost. R is used to change your view, and L is used to look behind you.

I do have one complaint, but it's the DS's fault, not the game. The face buttons are quite small, and on more then one occasion I've found myself trying to hit gas real quick but I end up hitting boost, or worse, brake.

Final Thoughts

All in all, this is a very good game. If you have a DS, pick this up, even if you are already planning to get Ridge Racer. It's an amazing racing game that'll occupy you for a long time.