''Asphalt 3D'' is a racing game developed by Gameloft and published by Ubisoft for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

. It is the seventh major game of the ''Asphalt'' series. It was released in Japan by Konami on March 10, 2011, in Europe on March 25, 2011, in North America on March 27, 2011, and in Australia on March 31, 2011. It was one of eight 3DS

launch titles This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players. 0–9 A ...

published by Ubisoft and was revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010 (E3 2010). A direct conversion of an Apple iOS game, '' Asphalt 6: Adrenaline'', ''Asphalt 3D'' includes 17 tracks based on real-life locations and 42 licensed sports vehicles. It features several game modes including multiplayer support for up to six players using local wireless play. ''Asphalt 3D'' received negative reviews, with much of the criticism directed at poor controls, numerous bugs, poor visuals, and a choppy framerate. It has received compilation scores of 43% and 47% on Metacritic and

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

, respectively.

Gameplay and premise

''Asphalt 3D'' is a racing game, in which the player must maneuver an automobile to compete against computer-controlled drivers on various race tracks. Players earn rewards such as car upgrades and XP points for winning races throughout the game, and reaching higher levels allows them to use better sports cars to unlock. The game features 17 tracks based on real-life locations including San Francisco and Paris. The games also features over 40 licensed sports cars and motorcycles, from companies like

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi. Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...

Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with ...

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

, BMW,

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

, Audi and

Ducati Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. () is the motorcycle-manufacturing division of Italian company Ducati, headquartered in Bologna, Italy. The company is directly owned by Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini, whose German parent company is Au ...

. The game features eight game modes, including "

Career Mode Career mode is a video game term referring to the mode of gameplay that involves taking control of a single character and guiding the character through a structured career. The mode is normally associated with sports games, where it is referred to ...

"; "Vigilante", an elimination mode; a '' Need for Speed''-inspired "High Speed Chase" mode, in which the player must outrun

police cars A police car (also called a police cruiser, police interceptor, patrol car, area car, cop car, prowl car, squad car, radio car, or radio motor patrol) is a ground vehicle used by police and law enforcement for transportation during patrols a ...

; and a multiplayer option for up to six players using local wireless play. The game makes use of the 3DS system's accelerometer, which is similar to the ''Asphalt'' titles on Apple iOS platforms, and allows the player to control the vehicle by moving the game console like a steering wheel.

Development

''Asphalt 3D'' was revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010. The game was listed by Ubisoft as one of eight 3DS games they planned to release to coincide with the launch of the 3DS in Europe and North America. The game was released in Japan on March 10, 2011, North America on March 27, 2011, Europe on March 25, 2011, and Australia on March 31, 2011. ''Asphalt 3D'' was a direct port of ''Asphalt 6: Adrenaline'', which was released for iOS devices. ''Asphalt 3D'' contains 42 cars, three of which are available at the beginning. In an interview, the developers said that they want to include " ..the newest, fastest and most expensive 2011 armodels, including the most expensive car in the world, the Bugatti Veyron" in the game.

Reception

''Asphalt 3D'' has received negative reviews from critics, currently holding an average score of 47% at

and 43/100 at Metacritic, based on 30 and 37 reviews respectively. The game was described by critics as "an absolute joke", "a buggy mess" and "truly horrible" due to "terrible physics, stiff controls and poor graphics", along with frame rate issues and glitches.

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

's Martin Robinson stated that "a game can't even be bothered to stream its own pre-rendered intro smoothly". Although praising of its "decent car models",

GameTrailers ''GameTrailers'' (''GT'') was an American video gaming website created by Geoffrey R. Grotz and Brandon Jones in 2002. The website specialized in multimedia content, including trailers and gameplay footage of upcoming and recently released v ...

noted that it "suffers from choppy performance, lots of pop-in, laughable animations, and tire marks that float above the road in 3D. It's as if it was made merely to look good in screen shots." Justin Towell of

GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...

felt that the "angular scenery are reminiscent of the

N64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and A ...

". The review said overall "So what can I say in summary? It's a £39.99 inferior remix of a £2.99 iPhone game with bad sound, bad graphics and shockingly slapdash collision logic. Not only is it the worst game of the 3DS' launch line-up, it's a contender for the title of 'worst launch game of all time'. Worse than Pen Pen. Worse than Tama. Worse even than Altered Beast. Do I really need to say it? Avoid.". Nintendo World Report staff writer Josh Max complained of its lack of tutorial sections and stated that it "does nothing to represent the capabilities of the Nintendo 3DS". In their buyer's guide, NWR writer Matthew Blundon and director Neal Ronaghan stated that "when there are far better racers available, namely ''

Ridge Racer 3D is a Racing video game, racing video game for the Nintendo 3DS console published and developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment, Namco Bandai Games. The game was released in Japan on 26 February 2011 and in North America on 22 March, five days prior ...

'', why waste your money on an inferior product such as ''Asphalt 3D''?"

References

External links