Asphalt (series)

Last updated

Asphalt
Asphalt Logo.png
Genre(s) Racing
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
Creator(s)
Platform(s)
List
First release Asphalt: Urban GT
November 15, 2004
Latest releaseAsphalt: Moto Blitz DX
September 11, 2023

Asphalt is a series of racing video games mainly developed and published by Gameloft. The series typically focuses on fast-paced arcade racing set in various locales throughout the world, tasking players to complete races while evading the local law enforcement. Gameplay includes teaming up with allied racers and gang groups to assist in police pursuits and shootout races against rival groups such as crime families and terrorists.

Contents

Originally Asphalt had been made and released for mobile and handheld systems but recent titles have expanded to home consoles and computers as well as arcades. Incarnations of the original game from 2004 for various other platforms soon followed, the latest in the main series being Asphalt Legends Unite (formerly Asphalt 9: Legends) released in 2018; a number of spinoffs were also released, such as the endless runner Asphalt Overdrive , Asphalt Nitro, a minimal version of Asphalt for low-end devices with procedural generation as a selling point, Asphalt Xtreme , an off-road-centric entry into the series, and the drag racing game Asphalt Street Storm . The series has remained one of the most globally popular mobile games since the late 2000s. [1]

Common elements

The series puts emphasis on fast-paced, arcade-style street racing in the vein of Need for Speed , along with elements from other racing games such as Ridge Racer and Burnout ; the spin-off game Asphalt Xtreme takes place in an off-road racing setting, with open-wheel buggies, sport-utility vehicles and rally cars in lieu of supercars as in previous games. Each game in the series puts players behind the wheel of licensed sports cars from various manufacturers, from entry-level models such as the Dodge Dart GT, to supercars like the Bugatti Veyron, and even concept cars such as Mercedes-Benz's Biome design study. [2]

Police chases are a recurring gameplay element especially in the early games, but were de-emphasized in favour of stunt jumps and aerobatic maneuvers as of Airborne; they made a return, however, with Overdrive, Asphalt 9: Legends and Nitro, the latter of which combined elements from Airborne and previous games in the series.

Over the course of the games, players are gradually given access to various race courses, most of which are modelled after real-world locations and major cities, and upgrades for vehicles which can be bought from money earned in a race, or in later games, points or through in-application purchases using real currency. Events are presented in increasing difficulty as players advance through the game, sometimes requiring them to complete bonus challenges, e.g. taking down a given number of opponent racers or finishing the race without wrecking their vehicle.

History

The first mainline game in the series is Asphalt: Urban GT , which was released for the Nintendo DS and N-Gage on November 21, 2004, with simplified versions for J2ME mobile phones being released on December 2. [3] A video on Gameloft's YouTube channel however lists their mobile phone adaptation of Speed Devils as the first game in the series. [4]

Asphalt 3: Street Rules was the first game in the series to be released for Android. [5] Asphalt 4: Elite Racing was the first game in the series to be released for iOS. [6] Asphalt 6: Adrenaline marks the first game in the series to be released for macOS; later home computer releases in the series are exclusive to Microsoft Windows, with Asphalt 7: Heat being the first to be released on the Windows Store.

Asphalt 8: Airborne , the eighth main installment and tenth title overall, was released in 2013 for iOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry platforms to critical acclaim, becoming one of the bestselling games on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. Asphalt Nitro, the twelfth title in the series, was quietly released on Gameloft's own app store in May 2015 for Android, alongside a 2.5D J2ME version of the game for feature phones. A main selling point of Nitro was the game's small resource footprint, which was aided by the use of procedural generation. [7]

A free-to-play spinoff entitled Asphalt Overdrive was released for iOS and Android in September 2014. [8] Unlike prior titles in the series, the game is presented as an "endless runner" similar to the Temple Run franchise and Subway Surfers , and does not offer a traditional racing mode. Overdrive was then followed by Asphalt Xtreme, which focuses on arcade-style off-road racing, and in 2016 with Asphalt: Street Storm, a rhythm-based drag racing game in the vein of NaturalMotion's CSR Racing . Street Storm was quietly released in the Philippines in December 2016 for iOS devices. [9]

The ninth and latest mainline game in the series, Asphalt Legends Unite , previously titled Asphalt 9: Legends, was released worldwide on July 25, 2018, for Nintendo Switch on October 8, 2019, for macOS on January 17, 2020, for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on August 31, 2021, and for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on July 17, 2024.

Games

Release timeline
2004 Asphalt: Urban GT
2005 Asphalt: Urban GT 2
Asphalt: Import Tuner Edition
2006 Asphalt 3: Street Rules
2007
2008 Asphalt 4: Elite Racing
2009Asphalt Online
Asphalt 5
2010 Asphalt 6: Adrenaline
2011Asphalt Audi RS 3
Asphalt 3D
Asphalt: Injection
2012 Asphalt 7: Heat
2013 Asphalt 8: Airborne
2014 Asphalt Overdrive
2015Asphalt Nitro
2016 Asphalt Xtreme
Asphalt Street Storm
2017
2018 Asphalt 9: Legends
Asphalt Retro
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023Asphalt Nitro 2
2024 Asphalt Legends Unite
Asphalt Moto Blitz DX

Main series in chronological order:

Spin-offs and other titles in chronological order:

Reception

Aggregate review scores
Game GameRankings Metacritic
Asphalt: Urban GT 62% (DS)
82% (Java)
67% (BREW)
72% (NG) [lower-alpha 1] 		60/100 (DS)
76/100 (NG)
Asphalt: Urban GT 2 65% (DS)
62% (MOBI)
35% (PSP)		42/100 (PSP)
Asphalt 4: Elite Racing 78% (DS)
90% (iOS)		78/100 (DS)
Asphalt 5 87% (iOS)82/100 (iOS)
Asphalt 6: Adrenaline 82% (iOS)79/100 (iOS)
Asphalt 3D 47% (3DS)43/100 (3DS)
Asphalt: Injection 51% (Vita)49/100 (Vita)
Asphalt 7: Heat 81% (iOS)83/100 (iOS)
Asphalt 8: Airborne 92% (iOS)91/100 (iOS)
Asphalt Overdrive 56% (iOS)59/100 (iOS)
Asphalt Xtreme 73% (iOS)77/100 (iOS)
Asphalt 9: Legends 72% (NS)
73% (iOS)		61/100 (NS)
74/100 (iOS)

In April 2008, Gameloft reported that the series has had 10 million downloads, making it the most popular mobile game franchise in the world at the time. [13]

In 2020, Pocket Gamer wrote that "The Asphalt series has been one of the biggest names in mobile gaming for, oh, 15 years now." [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Asphalt: Urban GT</i> 2004 video game

Asphalt: Urban GT is a 2004 arcade-style racing video game developed and published by Gameloft, known as the first title of the Asphalt series. It was released in November 2004 for the Nokia N-Gage and the Nintendo DS, making it one of the Nintendo DS launch titles. Mobile phone versions on J2ME and BREW were also released.

<i>Asphalt: Urban GT 2</i> 2005 video game

Asphalt: Urban GT 2 is a racing video game developed and published by Gameloft for the Nintendo DS, N-Gage and PlayStation Portable. A 2.5D Java Platform 2 ME version for mobile phones was also released on November 30, 2005. It is a sequel of Asphalt: Urban GT (2004) and the second major game of the Asphalt series.

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<i>Asphalt 4: Elite Racing</i> 2008 video game

Asphalt 4: Elite Racing is a 2008 racing game published and developed by Gameloft. The fourth major game of Asphalt series and the followup to Asphalt 3: Street Rules (2006), it was released on Java mobile phones in July 2008 followed by iOS and iPod on August 28, 2008, then in 2009 was also released on N-Gage 2.0, Nintendo's DSiWare, BlackBerry OS and Windows Mobile.

<i>Asphalt 5</i> 2009 video game

Asphalt 5 is a 2009 racing video game developed and published by Gameloft and is the fifth major game of Asphalt series. It was released for iOS on November 2, 2009, for webOS on January 8, 2010, for Android on March 18, for Symbian^3 and Bada on December 22, and for Windows Phone 7 on July 16, 2012.

<i>Asphalt 3: Street Rules</i> 2006 video game

Asphalt 3: Street Rules is a racing video game developed by Gameloft Shanghai and the third major game of the Asphalt series following Asphalt: Urban GT 2. It was released in 2006 on Java-based mobile phones, followed by a 3D version in 2007 on other mobile phones and was also released in 2008 for Nokia's N-Gage 2.0 platform and in 2009 for Android. It is It was notably the first mobile game to be played at the World Cyber Games competition.

<i>Asphalt 6: Adrenaline</i> 2010 racing video game

Asphalt 6: Adrenaline is a racing video game developed, published by Gameloft and was the sixth major game of Asphalt series. It was released for iOS on December 21, 2010, for Mac OS X on February 17, 2011, for Android on June 15, for Symbian^3 on July 20, for Mobile phones on August 31, for webOS on September 3, for BlackBerry PlayBook on October 12, and for Bada 2.0 on January 10, 2012.

<i>Asphalt 7: Heat</i> 2012 racing video game

Asphalt 7: Heat is a 2012 racing video game developed and published by Gameloft and the ninth major game of Asphalt series. It was released on June 21, 2012 for the iOS and marks the first time in the series that a game is the same for both the iPhone and iPad. The game was launched for Android on June 25, for BlackBerry 10 on February 21, 2013, for Windows Phone 8 on February 27, for BlackBerry PlayBook on April 3, and for Windows 8 on August 22, and Windows 10 on July 29, 2015. In 2017, the game was retired from the app stores except on BlackBerry.

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<i>Asphalt 8: Airborne</i> 2013 video game

Asphalt 8: Airborne is a 2013 racing video game developed by Gameloft Barcelona and published by Gameloft. It is the tenth major game of the Asphalt series. It was released on August 22, 2013, for iOS and Android, November 13 for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, January 15, 2014 for BlackBerry 10, and April 5, 2015 for Tizen. Its successor, Asphalt Legends Unite, was announced on February 26, 2018. The game has about 470 million players, according to the game description in the App Store.

<i>Asphalt Overdrive</i> 2014 video game

Asphalt Overdrive was a 2014 endless running racing video game published by Gameloft and developed by their Madrid studio. The eleventh major game of Asphalt series. After a showcase in June 2014 at the E3 event, it was released in September 24, 2014 for iOS, Android and Windows Phone, Windows 8.1. The game is officially retired and no longer supported.

<i>Asphalt Xtreme</i> 2016 racing video game

Asphalt Xtreme, also known as Asphalt Xtreme: Rally Racing, is an action racing video game developed by Gameloft and published by Netflix. The thirteenth major game and the only off-road racing edition in the Asphalt series. It was released on 27 October 2016 for Android and iOS mobile devices. A Microsoft Store version for Windows 10 devices was released a few days later, on the 3rd of November 2016.

Asphalt 9: Legends is a 2018 racing game of the Asphalt series, developed by Gameloft Barcelona and published by Gameloft. An expansion update was released in 2024 which also renamed the title to Asphalt Legends Unite.

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References

  1. 1 2 Bald, Cameron (May 5, 2020). "Asphalt series celebrates its 15th anniversary with special events and the return of Asphalt Urban GT". www.pocketgamer.com. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  2. ↑ Nelson, Jared (August 27, 2014). "'Asphalt 8: Airborne' Updated with New Dubai Track, 5 New Vehicles, and More". Touch Arcade. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Enjoying Asphalt 8? We compare it to earlier games in the series!".
  4. ↑ "10 Years of Gaming Evolution - Trailer by Gameloft". YouTube. May 13, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ Android, HD (November 15, 2009). "Asphalt 3 Street Rules on Android - Gameloft - Android Game". YouTube. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  6. ↑ Davis, Justin (June 22, 2012). "A Visual History of Gameloft's Asphalt - IGN". IGN . Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  7. ↑ Hoff, John (May 12, 2015). "Asphalt Nitro racing game launches exclusively via Gameloft store". Android Community. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  8. ↑ Sinha, Robin (September 25, 2014). "Asphalt Overdrive Now Available to Download for Android and iOS". NDTV Gadgets. NDTV. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  9. ↑ Calimlim, Aldrin (December 28, 2016). "Prepare to Be Fast and Furious in Gameloft's Asphalt Street Storm Racing". AppAdvice. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  10. ↑ Android, HD (November 15, 2009). "Asphalt 3 Street Rules on Android - Gameloft - Android Game". YouTube. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  11. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (March 26, 2024). "Asphalt Legends Unite Marks Series Debut on PS4 and PS5". IGN. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Gameloft and Audi Shift Gears To Launch A Free App, Asphalt Audi RS 3, on iPhone/iPod Touch Devices Offers Consumers A Chance to Win A Brand New Audi A3 Sportback". Gameloft. Gameloft | Corporate. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  13. ↑ Contributor, Mark Androvich (April 23, 2008). "Gameloft's Asphalt series tops 10 million". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved September 21, 2024.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  1. ↑ Gamerankings scores archived at https://gr.blade.sk
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