Where car-related games are concerned, the petrolhead has a myriad of avenues to drive on, ranging from the serious, as-real-as-you-can-get technical simulator types to all-out, ballistic, race-over-rooftop-wheeled-parkour fun.
With Gameloft’s successful, long-running Asphalt series, you know which one you’re getting. The latest instalment of the mobile game aims to get that adrenaline pumping through outrageous jumps, spins and rolls (basically, getting some serious air) while you race your favourite cars through scenic routes inspired by locations from all over the world.
The aptly-titled Asphalt 8: Airborne reunites all the elements of a classic arcade-style racing game. Close to 80 licensed cars are currently available, including the Lamborghini Veneno, Nissan GT-R Nismo and Pagani Huayra. There are even – gasp – electric cars like the Tesla Model S, Audi R8 e-tron and Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive.
Nostalgics will delight at classics such as the Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Countach and Mercedes CLK GTR, and new cars are being added all the time – recent surprises include the Jaguar C-X75, Peugeot Onyx and Maserati MC12.
Of course, you can race up to eight of your friends over the internet in Multiplayer mode, but in Career mode, you work your way through eight “seasons” comprising a total of 180 events, earning credits which can be spent on new cars or on upgrading those you already own.
Each event differs greatly – apart from the classic race, there are Knockdown, Elimination, Infected and Gate Drift events – and each has additional objectives to meet for a full five-star score, like no crashes, perform a minimum of three barrel rolls and so on. There are even single-make, single-model and electric car-only races.
We’ve tried Asphalt 8 out, and gameplay is fast – there’s a realistic sense of speed and distance throughout, and you’re constantly on your toes (or more rightly your fingers), dodging traffic, wrestling with different surface conditions or timing your manoeuvres to clear moving obstacles.
But the highlight of the game lives up to its name – the jumps. Cars jump off ramps – often to incredible heights. Apart from the old-but-gold drawbridge jump, you can jump sideways onto an adjacent higher-level road, onto slanted rooftops, over parked buses – you name it.
Drive up a curved ramp and your car does a 360- (sometimes 720- or 1,080-, if you’re fast enough!) degree roll. Drift into a ramp and your car performs a flat spin. The higher or flashier the jump, the more credits you earn. Not exactly the last word in realism, but real good fun.
The game is certainly an entertaining experience for us, but don’t just take our word for it – there’s no better way to experience it than by going airborne yourself. Asphalt 8: Airborne is available for free on iOS, Android and Windows Phone, download it here.
