Racing game fans and Asphalt purists may want to take note, because Gameloft’s newest title in the Asphalt series to follow up Asphalt 8: Airborne, in case you missed them announcing it back at E3, will be a game called Asphalt Overdrive. Queue the 80’s music, throw on your favorite pair of acid wash jeans and a pastel colored blazer with the sleeves rolled up because you and Asphalt are about to go all Miami Vice on the world of mobile gaming. Asphalt Overdrive has a nostalgic 80’s theme and feel to it, reminding us a little of the good times had playing GTA: Vice City. If you’re down with those changes then things are looking up.
The part you may want to take note of though is not the theme or setting that Gameloft chose for the next game in the Asphalt series, but the genre or type of game. This won’t be your typical Asphalt racing game, at least, not in the way that you remember them. Arcade style racers are taking the back seat on this one and instead Gameloft has opted to turn Asphalt Overdrive into an endless racer, which basically takes away the free movement so to speak.
The familiarity of the Asphalt franchise is still here though with plenty of the same game mechanics that gamers might be used to in past titles. Car collisions and air-born tricks are still part of the game, and Gameloft is throwing in police chases to amp things up a notch. Because this is an endless racer that also means the game will be played with a different screen orientation and there are no virtual controls, nor will gamers tilt their device to steer like they did in the last game. Instead Asphalt Overdrive is played in portrait mode, and directional swipes control the movement of the car to switch lanes and presumably perform tricks. Look forward to plenty of fast paced action and car collection, with vehicle modifications like new paint jobs. The game is slated for a release onto the Play Store on Sep. 25th, so we just have a couple more days before we can give this a shot. The game will be free once it drops, with optional in-app-purchases included.
