Ever since I saw Gameloft’s Asphalt 5 at the WWDC keynote, I’ve been wondering how it stacks up with the existing iPhone racers, especially with competition like Need For Speed and Real Racing.
Asphalt 5 is a neat racing game, although it is obvious that it was inspired by Burnout games. Everything from the gratuitous boost system to slow motion crashes and even takedown of rival racers are in game.
The accelerometer controls steering, acceleration is automatic, and there’s an on-screen button for both braking and boosting. Racing games always seem to work great with these controls on the iPhone, and Asphalt 5 is no different. I was able to burn around the track, boosting at every opportunity, while slamming in to other cars with ease. The game provides a good sensation of speed, and a soundtrack that fits well.
The graphics are great, but as to which game has the “best" graphics between the big racing games on the platform seems to hinge more on personal preference than anything else. Asphalt 5, Real Racing and Need for Speed all look equally good in their own styles.
The following gameplay video was recorded with the game being played on a 2nd Generation iPod Touch:
[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]
Asphalt 5 is coming soon and will support local multiplayer via both bluetooth and WiFi in its initial release along with multiple cars and tracks to unlock.
Update: Gameloft let us know that the intro cut scene has been changed for the final release, so we removed it from our video.
