Asphalt 5 HD

Platform: Android

RATING:
4 out of 5

PRICE:
$4.99

TASTY:
One of the best arcade racing titles for mobile devices comes to the Android platform, and not a moment too soon!

BUMMER:
If you’re looking for a realistic driving simulator, pick up Real Racing. This is pure arcade racing at its very best, even if the cop chase elimination level is tough to pass.

COOL:
Be sure to keep tilt-steering turned on as your default controls. This leaves your fingers free to break and hit that very-necessary nitro icon!

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

REVIEW:
It’s been a long time coming, but arcade race fans can finally get their fix of Asphalt 5 HD on their Android phones. Gameloft is known for combining top-quality graphics with super-smooth arcade control schemes, giving casual racing game fans a lot to love, including yours truly.

After an hour of non-stop racing, I’d unlocked a bevy of female co-pilots (so to speak), a long list of special events, time trials, drifting competitions, and a fair amount of cash. All of this let me unlock some new whips, upgrades to my rides, and lots more.

Racing is fun, with the default tilt-steering setup working well after a little practice. The first few tries will result in over steering into walls and competitors; figuring out the sweet spot for avoiding this will be critical to your long-term success as a top finisher.

Once you reach your first cop chase scene, you’ll may get a little frustrated. If you’ve played Burnout, you know what this is all about. Except in Asphalt 5, the enemy car AI is nearly too good to be true. You’ll need to finish a few of these to progress, so take a deep breath and do your best. Eventually you’ll reach the proper number of eliminations to progress, although you may want to throw your DROID against the wall at times.

So long as you’re not looking for a true driving simulator, Asphalt 5 has many hours of arcade racing fun in store. There are 30 vehicles to unlock from the usual suspects (Ferrari, Audi, Ducati anyone?), along with 12 tracks of goodness.

Let’s hope that future updates include a multiplayer mode. (Wifi and online, please, if you’re listening Gameloft!)