Asphalt 7: Heat (for Android)

Who said phones can't deliver console-quality gaming? Asphalt 7: Heat ($4.99 direct, though it's on sale for 99 cents) gives you exactly the kind of arcade racing experience you've been hoping for. It's also the nicest-looking game in the series. Asphalt 7: Heat isn't a simulator, but it's definitely a great buy for old-school Ridge Racer and Outrun fans, or anyone who wants a real arcade-style racing game?without excuses.

Pedal to the Pile Carpeting
Asphalt 7: Heat is a 1.37GB download from Google Play, and there's also an iOS version available. I tested Asphalt 7: Heat on a stock, freshly-formatted Samsung Galaxy S III running Android 4.0. There are 60 different cars you can drive on 15 tracks, set in various cities such as London, Paris, and Rio. You start off with a Fiat 500 Abarth. Gradually, you move up the line to a BMW Z4 M Coupe, a Nissan 370Z, and later, Aston Martins and Lamborghinis, unlocking more cars and upgrading them as you go along. The latest update includes the 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo and the refreshed 2013 Hyundai Genesis.

Cars are separated into six different tiers based on their performance characteristics; each event you race in is limited to a single tier. You can also customize the paint, decals, and window tint of each car, as well as upgrade its performance with virtual money you win as you play. But upgrades aren't always worth it; increasing top speed by just 2 km/h cost $18,000, which is ridiculous. Sometimes you get a free car just for one event; I was thrilled to take the wheel of an Audi TT after driving the Fiat, and moving to the second tier starts you off with a fast BMW 1 Series M Coupe.

Knock 'Em Down and Take 'Em Out
You steer your car by tilting the handset right or left, and the car accelerates automatically. Tap toward the left side of the screen, and it will light up a brake pedal icon and slow the car. The right side of the screen is the nitro boost area; tap it for a seven-second overboost. Do it with a full boost gauge, and the screen turns blue with neon blue accents, and you hear a prominent whoosh sound as you charge forward. You can also drift by braking and tilting the handset at the same time, which is fun, although it slows you down considerably.

There are 15 leagues and 150 races to complete. You also get a series of goals ahead of each event, such as completing three career events, earning three stars in any one event, and collecting 10 dollar pick-ups. As you complete goals, new ones appear, such as drifting a certain total distance during an event, wrecking less often, or "knocking down" a certain number of opponents by causing them to crash. Meanwhile, power ups are strewn throughout the course. Some of them add to your nitro boost, while others give you prize money. ?Push it too hard?say, crash into an oncoming car head-on, or hit a building?and you'll wreck, although aside from wasting a few seconds, it doesn't have much effect on the game itself.

The computer-controlled AI offers a moderate level of difficulty, and a new multiplayer mode lets you race with up to five friends, either online or locally. Overall, there's a nice sense of accomplishment as you move through the various events. And between the races, time-trials, and position elimination modes, there's enough variety to keep you engaged.

Stellar Visuals?With One Problem
Asphalt 7: Heat is one of the most impressive-looking racers I've seen on a phone. The 30-second-ish intros at the beginning of each event deliver a nice feel for the city you're about to race in; you can also abort these sequences and skip right to the countdown. On the road, there's plenty of detail in the dense urban environments, including nicely textured pavement, building structures, and sun glare, and the car models are all easily recognizable.

Draw-in distances are sometimes a little short. But worse is the uneven frame rate, which becomes more common during races with computer-controlled opponents. Usually, the game delivered 30 frames per second and above. But I caught many short periods of less than that, and even split-second hang-ups that were just long enough to be noticeable and irritating. I also saw a few bugs; on one course, some drone cars disappeared as I approached them, although most events worked perfectly.

The soundtrack is somewhat characterless electronic techno, with a steady, pulsing beat and no vocals. It's well-produced, at times sounding Daft Punk-esque. Sound design is pretty thorough as well. Each car has a distinct engine note; the BMW 1 Series M Coupe had a smooth, throaty, high-RPM bark appropriate for a twin-turbo straight six, while the Fiat 500 Abarth belched and rasped at high RPMs, and the Audi TT surged with its quiet, refined turbo four. All the standard skid-out, collision crunches, and power-up sounds are present and accounted for.

55 MPH Is No Fun?Unless You're Still In First Gear
There's very little here that's new. But even so, Asphalt 7: Heat delivers plenty of racing excitement. If you can ignore occasional interruptions in the frame rate, the game delivers an awesome sense of speed; it's tough not to feel the adrenaline rush as you play. It feels closer to that of a triple-A console title than it does a throwaway game?and a good one, too. That's an easy marker for an Editors' Choice award if you ask us.

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