Nintendo DS Longplay [209] Asphalt 4: Elite Racing (US)

http://www.longplays.org

Played by: MadMatty

Asphalt 4: Elite Racing, developed and published by Gameloft and released as DSiWare in 2009. Originally released on Mobiles in 2008.

"The world is your racetrack! Choose among 28 dream cars and motorcycles from prestigious manufacturers. Race your way through 8 of the most renowned cities in 3D, using either standard or Touch Screen controls. Customize and tune your vehicles in the garage, then take photos to create a custom icon. From Paris to Dubai, race through busy streets in 6 modes plus 4-way Multiplayer. Avoid police, demolish competitors and pass the leader to win and become an urban racing VIP!"

I wanted to say some positive things about this game, but it soon gets taken over with the negative. Compared to first game released on the DS, this is a considerably shorter experience, which is good, and the game looks better overall. However, it is short due to not only shorter races but also very small tracks. In many ways it's like a massively cut down version of Asphalt GT2. The tracks are very flat, and it can be difficult to determine where the corners are before you reach them. The controls can be annoying with the need to drift to gain speed and boost but it's not too punishing letting you grind the rails through the corners. Quite often the cars are just not compatible with the tight track corners. Hitting traffic will stop you dead and it can be slow to get going again even smashing your boost button.

Overall, the game plays like Burnout, but Burnout released on the DS is a much better game. There are 9 places to visit in the game each with 4 events to play. You play through each of them earning money and XP to unlock further events and cars. Sounds alright at this point however when you get to the late twenties, the game suddenly slows down requiring you to replay events of your choice over and over to reach the unlock level for the next event and it's at this point that it starts to feel repetitive. I'm not sure which events offer the least or most xp so i try to keep it varied by choosing different ones. Takedown events are the quickest with dual or cop chase potentially the next quickest. Cash attack earns the most money but takes the full 3 laps as do normal races.

During the longplay I play through each event as it opens up. Along the way I will buy new cars and upgrade them as far as the game allows at that point. Eventually I reach the max level of 50 with all events gold 'ed and the final car unlocked at bought. The game still goes on with no sign of an ending. At this point I buy all cars just to check that off the list but, in the end, I go to the menu and show the games credits from there. That is kind of a black mark on its otherwise good presentation. Overall, it feels like the majority of the game's development budget went onto licenced cars leaving little for the game. More events without the need to replay events would have made it a more interesting game.

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