Asphalt 5 is a 2009 racing video game developed and published by Gameloft as part of the Asphalt series. It was released for iOS on November 2, 2009, for Palm Pre on January 8, 2010, for Android on April 20, for Symbian ^ 3 and Bada on December 22, and for Windows Phone 7 on July 25, 2012. A PlayStation Portable release is planned, however have been cancelled. Asphalt 5 HD (a high-definition version of the game) was released on the App Store and Android Market on April 1, 2010. It was later removed from app stores on an unknown date.
Asphalt 5 Mobile Game Gameplay
Gameplay in Asphalt 5 is very similar to that of Asphalt 4: Elite Racing and Ferrari GT: Evolution, giving the player the option to tilt the device, touch the side of the screen to steer, or use an on-screen virtual steering wheel. The iPhone version of the game uses horizontal orientation. The game also has a multiplayer mode, both locally through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and globally through an internet connection.
Upon its release, Asphalt 5 received generally positive reviews. The iOS version holds a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on six reviews,
And 87% on GameRankings, also based on six reviews.
IGN’s Levi Buchanan awarded the game a score of 8 out of 10, praising the fact that it didn’t take itself seriously; “Asphalt 5 is a pure arcade racer. It combines the smashing elements of Burnout and the powerful racing action of Ridge Racer in a sometimes silly but always crazy speed game. If you go for this then expect an accurate Real Racing style driving simulation, you’ll be disappointed” But if you download Asphalt 5 with Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride with Ferraris, you will be suitably satisfied. ”
TouchArcade likewise liked, scoring the game 4.5 out of 5, and praising the graphics; “Although you may not focus on the details, Gameloft clearly has it. Whether you’re racing through snow-covered highways, muddy roads, or in the dark of night, the details are everywhere. From the signs on the facades.” Shops and even damaged vehicles, has definitely spent a great deal of development creating an arcade experience with good visuals. ”
ToughGen’s Dave LeClair liked too, scoring the game 4 out of 5, and also praising the graphics; “This is the best looking game yet. There are more than 30 different cars in the game, and each one looks as if it has finished with a good tooth comb, because they all look amazing. The 12 cities in the game also look awesome, nothing but fun to play.” The first level is played in a snowy area, and while you’re driving, snow hits the screen and melts away. This meticulous attention to detail is what really sets Asphalt 5 in the graphics section.
Slide to Play’s Andrew Podolski was less enthusiastic, scored 3 out of 4, and criticized physics; “It’s a bouncy over-the-top racer, playing Jelly Car more than Real Racer. While we love arcade racers so much, these cars don’t seem to have any real weight or power behind them, even though they look great on the road and in the garage.” They also criticized the difficulty of setting “elimination” and called for the option of buying tight-fitting supermodels who offer rewards during “events, even for racing video games.”
WMPoweruser’s Andrew Barris was unimpressed by the Windows Phone port of 2012, scoring the game 2 out of 5 and arguing that “any game nowadays that neither supports Mango’s multitasking nor even supports NoDo resuming to your pause state is a complete failure. You receive a text message in the middle of the race and you have to wait approximately 8 seconds for the game to load then take you back to the starting line, lose all your progress!
Asphalt 5 Review
As of late racing games have becomes big business on the iPhone. They seem to be the one genre that is really pushing the envelope in terms of graphics on the platform, and Gameloft’s Asphalt 5 is no exception.
Allow me to start with what I tend to end my reviews with, and that is the graphics. I’m flipping this review because the graphics are so good I feel the need to talk about them right away. This is best looking game so far. There are over 30 different cars in the game, and each looks as if it was gone over with a fine tooth comb, because they all look incredible. The 12 cities in the game also look fantastic, and are nothing but a pleasure to play. The very first level is played in a snowy area, and as you are driving, snow actually hits the screen and melts away. It’s this fine attention to detail that really sets Asphalt 5 apart in the graphics department. I am playing the game on a 3g and there are a couple instances of slowdown, but I wouldn’t call them game breaking, and I would imagine playing on a 3gs would be better. However if you own a 3g, make sure you give your phone a restart before you play and you should be good to go.
While I’m writing my review in reverse I guess it makes sense to head into the sound category next. First I have a confession to make; I typically play iPhone games on mute, only turning on sound for the review process. It feels good to get that off my chest. Now the reason I am telling you this is because with Asphalt 5 I actually had the sound on at all times, and I actually liked it. It has great music, great sound effects, and most importantly, great engine noise from the cars.
We have not established that the game looks and sounds great, with the exception of the slowdown, but how does it play? Well put simply it plays very well. There are two control options. You can either play with accelerometer controls or touch controls. With the tilt based method you have the option of have auto accelerate on or off. If you choose to have it on you tap the gas pedal on the screen and tilt the phone to steer, if you go with it on, you only have to tilt the phone, and tap the screen to break and deploy your boost, which gives a huge burst of speed, and is necessary to win, as your opponents will be boosting it up. With the touch controls (my preferred method) you tap the left side of the screen to steer left and right side to steer right. Breaking and boosting are done just like the tilt method, but because your fingers are too busy steering, auto accelerate is always on with the touch control method.
DRIFFFFFFFFFFT!
There are a ton of modes to play in Asphalt 5, so variety is not an issue. There is the quick race mode, which lets you jump in real quick and go. There is custom race, which is similar to quick race, but it gives you the option to mess with setting and mode of the race instead of just getting thrown into whatever the game gives you. Last, there is the career mode. This is the bread and butter of the game, and it is clear that Gameloft has borrowed a lot from the big boys on the consoles like the Forza series. There are a bunch of different race types in the career mode, including a straight up race, a drift mode, a cop chase mode and others. There is plenty of variety to keep you coming back to the career mode. There is also a good amount of customization to the cars. You can apply different kits to make your cars handle better or drive faster, and you can even add stickers and paint to make the car look how you want. If you get bored with the car all together then there are over 30 other cars waiting you to purchase them through the in game store (fake money, no micro transactions). The career mode is one of the most robust I have seen an in an iPhone racer. The career mode seems very generous with money, so unlocking all the cool stuff isn’t super hard, but there’s enough of it that it’s still rewarding when you buy something new.
Gameloft also has a very nice set of online leader boards using their Gameloft Live service; it allows you to go the games website and view race time and scores from other players all around the world.
Overall, Asphalt 5 is very solid game, with great sound and graphics and plenty of variety to keep you coming back for more. The frame rate issues keep the game from being as good as it could be. That aside, if you are looking for a new fully featured racer on your iPhone, then Asphalt 5 is a very good place to look.
