Asphalt 7 for Windows 8 Review: The first cross-platform Windows racing game

Before this calendar week, Gameloft announced they will bring their latest arcade racer Asphalt eight: Airborne to both Windows Phone and Windows 8. Telephone owners have enjoyed its predecessor for quite some fourth dimension now, but Microsoft'south tablet and PC operating system has gone without – until now.

Asphalt 7: Heat has but launched on Windows eight and RT with full Xbox support. Information technology includes some impressive features such equally Xbox 360 controller back up, glitchy Play/Pause/Resume connectivity and even cross-platform multiplayer with the Windows Phone eight version! Nosotros've put the Windows viii game through its paces in society to bring you this timely review.

I big racing game

Asphalt seven's career mode consists of 13 tiers with 12 events each; that's a whopping 156 events for players to race through. Those events come in quite a diverseness, such as traditional races confronting v opponents, arcade races against timer, elimination races in which the last racer gets knocked out of the race, and more.

Of those race types, I found knockdown races past far the near enjoyable. In knockdowns, you'll have to literally knock your opponents out (temporarily) by smashing them into a wall or hitting them while in Adrenaline mode (this game's advanced form of Nitro). Knocking an AI racer into the air and cruising on for new prey just never gets quondam.

Depending on how well you perform in each career race, yous'll earn upwards to iii stars. Hitting star milestones unlocks new licensed cars and upgrades for buy in the shop. Win or lose a race, you lot'll always earn money to spend.

Completing single-histrion or online races and performing diverse deportment like drifting also earns yous rep. Rep is basically XP, as it contributes to leveling upward. Reaching certain levels unlocks new cars to purchase, merely your level is mainly a way for other online players to see how far yous've gotten in the game.

Equally if earning stars, money, and rep didn't provide enough goals already, Asphalt 7 also has lots of optional missions to consummate in single- or multiplayer. These goals give you something extra to shoot for during a race or series of races such as knocking down a certain number of opponents or drifting for a ready distance. At whatsoever given time, you'll take three missions to piece of work on – just like in Jetpack Joyride. This game really keeps players busy!

Cloud racer

When I outset downloaded and started playing Asphalt 7 on Windows viii, I figured I would need to accept on the massive career style all again. Imagine my surprise when I signed into Xbox Alive in-game and information technology informed me that I already had salvage data on the cloud. I didn't even know information technology used cloud saving! Users can choose to download the existing cloud salve or start with fresh information.

The cloud save restored my old career progress, level, coin, and cars appeared on my Windows 8 organisation. Actually, the save recovered from the cloud was only on tier 11 of the campaign as opposed to my bodily phone status of tier 13. But slightly sometime save or non, information technology still saved me hours and hours of time in the Windows viii game.

The only question is: will progress from the Windows eight game transfer back to Windows Phone as well? Unfortunately, on the phone I've hit that issues in which the game crashes after the title screen, then I tin't test it. The telephone game is excellent but awfully buggy that way. It would be great if we could jump back and forth betwixt both platforms at will. Until we do more than testing though, it might be safer to assume the transfer is a i-way operation.

Crossing the platforms in multiplayer

Asphalt 7 was the first Windows Telephone eight game with true real-time online multiplayer, and at present we tin say the aforementioned about Windows 8 too. As far as we know, Microsoft has never provided the libraries needed for online multiplayer on phone or tablet, leaving the work completely up to developers.

As such, the phone version of Asphalt 7 used Gameloft's online service Gameloft Live for its multiplayer instead of Xbox Live. Subsequent games like UNO & Friends have switched over to Xbox Live, simply Cobblestone seven still relies on Gameloft Live. Creating a Gameloft business relationship isn't much work though, and well-nigh Windows Phone 8 gamers probably already take ane anyway.

This version'south multiplayer performs very well, with only the occasional dropped connection to mar the experience. You can join or host a game for upward to six online racers, selecting the race type, track, and tier of cars. Automobile upgrades tin't be toggled off by the host even so, meaning high level players accept a meaning advantage over low level players. And sadly, this version lacks any form of chat, just like the phone game.

The real treat with Asphalt seven's multiplayer is that both Windows Telephone 8 and Windows viii players tin race against each other! You needn't do anything special. Whatever players can join any matchmaking game, with no differentiation between platforms. The new influx of Windows 8 players should breathe new life into the phone game; and the existing phone users provide a player base of operations for new tablet and PC gamers to race with.

Windows 8 controls

Since Windows 8 runs on both tablets and PCs, information technology's capable of supporting a diversity of control options. Thankfully Asphalt 7 takes advantage of all the important ones: affect, mouse and keyboard, and Xbox 360 controller. You volition need to select Command Scheme F from the Options in gild to enable the control pad.

As you lot might expect, the controller offers the greatest degree of precision. Steering with a stick and accelerating, braking, or activating Nitro with buttons are all a snap. The controller acts as a virtual mouse pointer in the menus, which makes cup selection cumbersome in career, only otherwise it really improves an already fantastic game. Information technology besides functions as a preview of what Gameloft's Windows Telephone 8 games would be like if they worked with the MOGA Pro Controller.

Achievements

Since Asphalt seven on Windows eight is basically a straight port of the Windows Phone 8 game only with better graphics and more than control options, it also has the same Achievement list. That means that reaching level 80, earning a total of 20 million dollars, and buying all cars and upgrades volition be the almost time consuming Achievements.

I feared that recovering my telephone salvage information might cause Accomplishment difficulties. Thankfully it didn't! Subsequently pulling my relieve from the cloud, all of the Achievements I earned on Windows Phone popped in the Windows 8 game also. What a time saver! You could potentially get 400 GamerScore past playing both versions. Not bad given the full investment of three bucks for both games.

Overall Impression

It might be tardily in coming, only Asphalt 7 still impresses on Windows viii. The Surface RT runs at information technology a depression but playable frame charge per unit (probably virtually the same as a Lumia 920), only on beefier Windows viii hardware the frame rate is perfectly fluid.

With a lengthy career fashion, copious amounts of cars and upgrades to buy, and actual online multiplayer, Cobblestone 7 as well provides a tremendous value for an amazingly low cost. Deject saves and cross-platform multiplayer are simply the icing on 1 delicious cake of a racing game. Don't miss it.

Alarm: according to reader reports, the game crashes on the Windows 8.one preview. If y'all're running 8.ane, be sure to download the trial and see how it does before purchasing.

• Cobblestone 7 – Windows 8 and RT – 0.99 GB - $1.99 – Store Link
• Asphalt 7 – Windows Phone eight – 512 MB – Shop Link (QR tag beneath)

Thanks to Bilal Khan for letting united states of america know about the release!

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/asphalt-7-windows-8-review

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