Asphalt 4: Elite Racing (DS) Review

We have to admit, the downloadable games for Nintendo DSi have been disappointing. While there are a few good ones, such as Mighty Flip Champs and Mario Vs. Donkey Kong, there's also a number of useless apps, including customized clocks and calculators. Fortunately, Gameloft revved its engine with the release of Asphalt 4: Elite Racing. It may not be the most original racer, but it's more enjoyable than setting dials and crunching numbers.

In the game, you choose from a variety of cars, from the fast-and-furious Ferrari models to the small but easy-to-handle Mini, and then hit one of a number of racing circuits scattered throughout eight cities. Each of these cities feature different terrain, ranging from city streets to tropical island roads. The goal is simple. Win any way you can.

Gameloft added a new aggressive driving system to Asphalt 4, along the same lines of Criterion Games' Burnout racing series. You can now "take down" other drivers, forcing them to crash and giving yourself a boost. The crashes aren't as beautifully detailed as they are in Criterion's efforts (no flying car parts), but they're still fun to execute.

Steering is easy as long as you use the default d-pad controls. You move the car left and right with manual controls, while using the A button to accelerate and B button to brake. Repeatedly tapping the B button during a turn allows you to maneuver your car into a defensive position, setting up an opponent for a quick takedown.

On the downside, we suggest avoiding the finicky touch-screen controls. The wheel doesn't automatically set back into a normal position after a turn, forcing you to scramble so you don't smash into a wall. Trying to hold a stylus while accelerating is near impossible.

Along with a variety of racing events (including cop car chases, takedown challenges and high-payout races), Gameloft also provides plenty of customization. You can tweak your car's appearance and performance, using a number of buyable parts before each race. Furthermore, you can also change various details around the tracks; you can take photos and import them onto billboards in the game. If you ever wanted Van de Kamp's Fish Sticks and Trojan Condoms as sponsors to a race, now's your chance. Finally, you can import your own picture for local multiplayer races, showing your buddies who is boss. Up to four players have the option of racing in each event through wireless play (if everyone owns DSi systems, of course), although Asphalt doesn't support online leaderboards or versus racing.

Asphalt isn't the greatest looking racer, but it's impressive for a downloadable DSi game. Cars sport lots of detail and the tracks are well designed, with lots of twists, turns, and oncoming traffic. A convenient view of each track is located on the bottom screen, so you can always see where you are.

Sound could be better, but it's acceptable. Although you won't hum the background music, you won't reach for the volume control either. The sound effects are decent, although the screeching tires and crash noises repeat.

By now, it's about time we got a DSi game worth talking about, instead of something lame like Mario Clock or Animal Crossing Calculator. Asphalt 4: Elite Racing is worth every penny of its 800-point price, with a huge amount of racing action and great old-school controls. Buy it.