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by TheDCD on 04.10.11  Y’know, playing Asphalt 3D, I couldn’t help but think back to the days I was initially playing Cruis’n USA on the Nintendo 64. It’s in a similar boat. I remember playing the game on superior hardware (Cruis’n in the arcade, Asphalt on the iPad) and then, upon seeing this version, something is amiss. And I mean completely amiss, to the point that you don’t even want to stay on the road. And considering that it’s a driving game, seriously, what the hell else are you supposed to do?
Most of the Asphalt basics are in place for this 3D edition. It’s arcade racing, pure and simple, as you compete for first place victories while occasionally getting aggressive on your opponents and passerby using nitro boosts and some suggestive bumping. But that doesn’t mean the game is Burnout. In fact, far from it. The car physics are so badly done that it’s remarkable you stay on the road at all, especially after a head-on collision. You barely spin out, dust yourself off, and then get back on your way. This is an arcade game, so we’ll forgive that. Still, there are other problems. The controls itself don’t really click as well as they should. Car physics are okay, but without that definitive challenge or “quirk” that makes it stand out from other racers (even its releases on the iPad and iPhone), Asphalt 3D just gets stuck in a grind. Furthermore, the AI isn’t very smart. It manages to rubber band every once in a while if your lead gets somewhat aggressive, but you still end up scoring a first place victory, even if you don’t properly deserve it.
That’s too bad, because Asphalt, in principle, has a lot of content. There are quite a few tracks to choose from, and they’re not too shabby when it comes to design, though some shortcuts are easier to spot than others. The unlockable cars are pretty high in count as well, though the way that they perform on the road isn’t really as different as they should be. Sports coupes act the same way as normal cars – and we’re still trying to figure that one out. As for the game and how it’s represented on a 3D screen, it just looks unfinished. The 3D effect is okay, but the game itself is lacking in certain design aspects, mainly a smooth frame rate. Even the opening movies manage to stutter, taking away any pizzazz that Asphalt might have gathered in previous renditions. It just looks like a Nintendo DS afterthought, if you manage to take away the 3D effect. Sound isn’t much better. You’ve got a lot of continuous shifting noises, along with bland engine roars and the kind of music you wouldn’t even tolerate in an actual arcade. We’ve heard better sounding stuff coming out of our buddy’s garage on Quarters night. Asphalt 3D is one of the weakest racing games out there, and shouldn’t be trifled with unless you’re doing a curiosity rental. But even then, with the superior Ridge Racer 3D within reach, why would you bother?
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