Asphalt 3D

Asphalt 3D is part of the launch line-up for Nintendo's new handheld the 3DS.

At it's core Asphalt 3D is a arcade style racer similar to Burnout and Ridge Racer however it's similarities to Burnout are not a coincidence, Infact there is quite a bit that feels like it has been directly taken from the Burnout series.

The main career mode see's you take part in a vary of event types from straight forward 6 car races to drift challenges tasking you with racking up a certain number of drift points, their are a good number of modes that can keep  the title entertaining for a few hours but once you have done them all several time's the novelty quickly wears off and having to acquire another 10,000 points on a drift challenge just to make it to the next cup can get annoying, The different event types in the game are Race, Time Trial, Leader of the Pack, High-Speed Chase, Vigilante, Cash Attack, Drift, and Duel.

The problem with drift and cash modes(having to acquire a certain amount of cash in set number of laps) is you do not score enough points for a drift and on a course with only 5-6 corner's scoring 10,000 points becomes a chore, I found myself having to drift basically everywhere scoring 50-80 points at a time drifting from one side of the road to the other as the average corner can only achieve a drift of 300 with big corners netting between 500-800 now scoring 10,000 in a 3 lap race can get tedious, it's the same problem with the cash attack mode as once you have collected all the cash icons you need to net another 15,000 drifting or crashing and again the money given for these moves is low.

The AI is very poor in this title with cars sticking to set driving lines and never drifting even in drift mode, so while you trying to drift there is 5 other cars just racing normally and to achieve 10,000 you will come last and after you figure out placing 1st does not matter the AI cars would be better off removed from drift events, the police also has allot of problems as they suddenly come out of nowhere crash into the back of you and wreck.

Performance is another problem with the game as the frame rate stutters heavily when police start chasing you and in many other parts especially when several cars are close together, at certain points after jumps I found my car standing still while the Speedo said I was moving at 200mph.

The graphics are very nice on the 3DS, the licensed cars of which there are 42 cars and motorbikes to purchase, upgrade and drive have detailed models, the tracks are varied and well rendered, The 3D gives a nice little pop to the whole game especially in the menu's and overlay.

There is no online multi-player which is a disappointment but there is local street pass play but I never had a chance to try it.

As is the norm with launch titles I feel they always get a little lee-way as there's nothing really to compare them too but Asphalt 3D is a fun little time waster if your wanting a racer to try on that shiny new 3DS.

I would advise on renting this title as it is fun for awhile but not worth the full purchase.

Happy Gaming.