Asphalt (series)

Asphalt
Genre(s)Racing
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
Creator(s)
Platform(s)
List
First releaseAsphalt: 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.

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

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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

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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 5 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

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

Main series in chronological order:

Spin-offs and other titles in chronological order:

Reception

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Aggregate review scores
Game GameRankings Metacritic
Asphalt: Urban GT 62% (DS)
82% (Java)
67% (BREW)
72% (NG)[a] 		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]

Notes

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  1. ^ Gamerankings scores archived at https://gr.blade.sk

References

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  1. ^ a b 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)
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