Asphalt: Urban GT

Asphalt: Urban GT was among the first arcade racing games to cope with the limited power of the Nintendo DS while still offering a fast, flashy spectacle. The player chooses from a fleet of sports cars and races through the streets of several cities in a series of time-trial and head-to-head duels, with the emphasis placed more on the adrenaline feeling of speed than on realistic driving physics. The career mode gradually unlocks new tracks, cars, and upgrades, which motivates players to keep coming back, and it's also possible to compete against a second player via a wireless connection between two consoles. Short duels, built around two-round races, fit well with the style of play typical for a handheld, where the player picks up the game for a few minutes during a train or bus ride.

On the technical side, the game uses the DS's bottom screen as an overview map or for quick access to power-ups, while the top display shows the track itself in 3D. The graphics don't dazzle with detail, but the smoothness and colorfulness of the environments hid the console's hardware limitations well and kept the frame rate at a level players expected from an arcade racer. The sound is typically arcade-style – energetic tunes underline the feeling of rush, even though it's more of a functional than a memorable soundtrack, one that reliably serves as a backdrop for fast driving.

At the time of its release, it was one of the proofs that the Nintendo DS could also offer a genre usually associated with more powerful consoles equipped with analog controls. The game became a popular choice for players looking for lighthearted entertainment on the go, and it helped Gameloft build a reputation on handhelds as a reliable provider of arcade racers, a reputation it later built on with further entries in the series. Today it feels more like a nostalgic memory of the early DS library, but its brisk pace and simple controls can still entertain a player looking for short, undemanding fun.