For a DS launch game, Asphalt Urban GT is good. Graphics are colourful, much nicer to look at than most contemporary racing DS games, such as the need for speed DS games. Although, the 2D textures used to represent the distance streets look flat once you notice them. The handling is very different, but after a while it feels good. You have to break to drift, and you then get locked into some kind of powerslide.

The biggest problem is the spread of cups. Each cup consists of 3-5 races, and these take about 10-15 minutes to finish. It's not very quick to make progress, which isn't good for a portable game. If you only want to do one race, then you're stuck doing the arcade mode. Strangely, a chase mode where you play as a cop is hidden in this section, never is it playable in the championship. Though, it doesn't feel quite finished- You either run past the criminals, or get super far behind them when you try to slow down.

The races are well made. The streets are wide open, and the variety of track themes is quite good, it reminds me of NFS Hot Pursuit 2 on the PS2. Although with no shortcuts on the tracks it can get monotonous on replaying. Overall, the game is very cheap, so it's a good DS racing game to add to the pile.

Reviewed on Sep 08, 2023


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