PS Vita Review – Asphalt Injection
Gameloft is well known for its Asphalt series, which has graced other handheld gaming devices like the DS and the iOS platform in the past. With the release of the PS Vita, the developer has now brought the series to the new handheld, but can a mobile game compete on a console-like handheld?
Asphalt: Injection is a true arcade racing game – if you’re looking for a Gran Turismo style of racing sim, look elsewhere. Asphalt focuses more on high speed, fast action races in which nitrous requires thoughtful management and drifting requires little skill. Track memorization is the key to the fastest laps, and shortcuts abound.
The controls vary depending on your preferences. You can go old school and use the dual analog sticks for throttle (R) and steering (L) or you can try out the Vita as a steering wheel. Rotating the handheld steers your car and that takes some getting used to. For those that want complete control, along with a manual transmission, the back touch pad of the Vita acts like paddle shifters on your steering wheel and the throttle can be controlled by tilting your Vita forward and back. That is a great feature that is nicely executed, albeit hard to control at first.
Drifting feels quite a bit like an old Ridge Racer game, where you turn the wheel, tap the brake, and then steer into the drift. Most tracks require very little braking, other than for drifting, so expect fast lap times. Drifting, jumping, destroying public property, and taking out other cars all add to your nitrous tank. If you fill your nitrous tank completely, you are given a super boost. This boost will allow you to take out your opponents by just brushing them aside, and you enjoy a brief moment of virtual invincibility.
With 10 different races types and 100 total events, career mode’s great variety keeps Asphalt: Injection from becoming monotonous. Your basic Normal race pits you against a variety of other racers. Time Attack will have you racing the clock from checkpoint to checkpoint. In Elimination, the last place car is eliminated each time the clock runs out. There’s also a ‘Beat’em All’ race, where you’ll have to keep taking out the other cars in order to win.
Each race event has a five star reward attached to it. The first three stars are awarded for how well you finish the race, and the last two stars are awarded for reaching stated objectives. Objectives range from drifting for a certain number of points to taking out a certain number of opponents. As you earn stars, more items, tracks, and cars are unlocked. For completionists out there, earning all of those stars can be a tricky proposition, as the objectives get harder and harder as you progress through the lengthy career.
Tracks are set in fifteen different locations around the world. With a total of twenty tracks, five of which are tracks retooled. Your choice of scenery never gets old. From Los Angeles to Tokyo, and many places in between, there’s enough to keep you busy for a while. There’s snow, dirt, ice, mud, and even changing weather. The graphics are a little disappointing and aren’t as good as other PS Vita titles. The game isn’t hard on the eyes, but at the same time it doesn’t look like its using the full potential of the system.
Gameloft went all out when it came to its stable of cars. With 45 licensed cars from manufacturers like Audi, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, Pagani and Bugatti, there’s something for just about every car lover around. You’ll have to start out with a Mini Cooper and work your way up to the bad boys. As you earn cash and more stars, upgrades for your cars become available. Cars all handle similarly, and there’s really not that much of a difference between your basic Mini Cooper and your top of the line Ferrari, other than acceleration and top speed. Where the Pagani Huayra should feel more nimble and sporty in handling than the Mini, it actually feels almost the same, sans the higher speed and acceleration. This is clearly an arcade game and if you know your cars well, you may find this a disappointing aspect. All of the cars are pretty poorly detailed when compared to far more hi-res games like WipEout and Uncharted. There’s no visible car damage to be seen, either.
Multiplayer gives you two types of races, ad-hoc and online head-to-head racing. Both modes allow you to select from any of the tracks in the library, regardless of whether they’ve been unlocked. There’s only one type of multiplayer race though, and that’s a little disappointing. With all of the modes in career mode to choose from, I’m not sure why they didn’t allow these other modes to be played online. A Beat’em All race would be fun online.
Asphalt: Injection, in spite of its flaws, is a fun arcade style racer. The price is $10 lower than most launch PS Vita titles, which is what it should be. While it does seem that Gameloft might have rushed the title a little to hit the PS Vita launch, it’s still a well designed game with plenty of content to keep you busy for quite a while.
PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score
+ 45 Fully Licensed cars give something for everyone - Only head-to-head racing available online, with several other modes left out - Graphics could be much better
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7 Responses to “PS Vita Review – Asphalt Injection”
What an unintentionally hilarious title.
tried the demo for this game the day I got my Vita…then I loaded the PSP version of Gran Turismo off of my PS3 onto my Vita (that’s right, it’s not on the PS Blogs official list, but a lot of the games not on it still work if transferred from a PS3) and it looked just as good and the game is much better. I plan on saving my money until a real racing game, one that uses real cars anyway, comes to Vita.
Hold on, so your saying its possible to play PSP games that aren’t on the list on PS Vita as long as I copy them across from a PSP. Hypothetically meaning I could buy Burnout Legends on the PS3 store and then copy it to the Vita and have it work? Because that’s a big deal if it works!
some digital PSP games that aren’t on the “official list” work on the Vita.
Valkyria Chronicles 2
MGS Peace Walker
to name a couple.
(i think LBP isnt on the list either? cant remember)
but there still are many that dont work, namely:
Modnation racers(surprising?not really,considering this has multiplayer races and the Vita version doesnt! lol )
Motorstorm
Twisted Metal
i find that the 2D games work best on Vita’s screen.
i tried The Force Unleashed and it…actually LAGS! and the graphics look worse than on the PSP.
but IMHO, VC2 looks sublime. beautiful like a painting.
anyway, back on topic: no way in hell am i buying any Gameloft game.
if they were USD5 and below, perhaps i would give them a shot but ~USD40 for a game i can get free on the appstore? you are out of your mind, Gameloft!
merely giving physical buttons to play with doesnt make it worth 40 times more
Yes, that DOES work, though you’re taking a bit of a gamble if you buy a PSP game assuming it will work on the Vita when it’s not on the official Sony list. Just take a look around some forums. A lot of the games do work, though!
I wouldn’t suggest buying any new PSP games at this point but it certainly doesn’t hurt to try the ones you may own already. Some work and some don’t. I still had quite a few that don’t work but the point is more work than what are on the list they provided and I think the rest of the library will be available soon.
Essentially the same game came bundled on my Xperia PLAY, so I’m going to have to pass on this one. Good review though!