Asphalt Injection : Vita

[cavalcade]

Question 1: Does the addition of physical, tangible controls twinned with a successful smartphone/tablet game turn an average experience into a decent experience?Question 2: Is it possible for a racing game with no sense of speed to excite and delight the player?Answer 1: No.Answer 2: No. I bought this as an experiment. I own this on the HP Touchpad. Yes, laugh it up fuzzballs, the HP Touchpad. When the TP is overclocked and tweaked Asphalt works about as well as the iPad version, which is currently available for 2 pence on the app store I'm led to believe. Or something. In any event, on a tablet the game is passable. It looks OK, it plays like a low rent Burnout, it has appalling clipping problems and a ridiculous catch-up mechanic that turns most races into a game of chance. I bought it for the Vita because I was curious. Would it be better? Would the addition of a stick uncover something decent? A hidden gem in the launch line-up. A racer for those willing to look beyond the big Ridge Racer and Wipeout brands for something a little different? What we have is a handheld version of the tablet game, with some additional lens flare and at 100 times the price. Even so.... Even though it's a kick in the chuckies for any right thinking gamer, and a worrying glimpse of a future where Vita exists on scraps from the iOS table, I am sort of enjoying it. It's pretty crap, but in a "switch off my brain and think about turnips" sort of way it's good to wind down on after a session of Unit 13.So, I don't recommend it. I might recommend it if you own the better Vita racing games already, and you've finished them. By my estimation there are at least 4 other launch titles that are better racing games. So it's the 5th best racing game at a new hardware launch, which is pretty cool. It's the underdog. I like that in a game. So don't buy it. But do. Join me.

[ezee ryder]

Isn't the game called Asphalt Injection?

Anyway, yeah, it's average at best. Not sure why you would purchase this when you could pick up WipEout 2048 or MotorStorm RC instead. It tries to be a mixture of Ridge Racer and Burnout, but is let down by the fact that the racing itself is extremely bland. Only good thing about the game is that is makes use of the rear touch pad for gear changes, can't think of anything else.