Ferrari GT: Evolution – Finally a racing game for the iPhone. | TapCritic

Ferrari GT: Evolution – Finally a racing game for the iPhone.

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I really didn’t want to review Ferrari GT: Evolution, by Gameloft, because I was done with racing titles for the iPhone. I’d been there. I’d done it. This wasn’t my first mobile gaming rodeo. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me with four pages of Racing Games, shame on me. All iPhone racing games suck right?

Nope.

MY EARLY LIFE WITH RACING GAMES

This was mindblowing when Mr. Pence was a kid. Apparently, so was indoor plumbing and antibiotics.

Some of the best memories of my life are the days of my youth spent heading down to the local arcade. For some of you young pups, “Arcades” were the dark and smokey places where geeks of the time hung out. It was where you played “real” video games; no crappy home video game systems. I mean, the Atari 2600 was cool but It didn’t have the graphic abilities of the uprights.

Merlin’s Castle had all the uprights.

One day at Merlin’s, after finally getting the highest score on Satan’s Hollow, I saw a new game called Pole Position. It was the first racing game of it’s type: it was a sit-down game, complete with steering wheel and stick shift.

I fell in love.

Since that day, and through the evolution of games and gaming systems, I’ve been an avid racing gamer. Even today, I follow the Grand Turismo and Forza franchises.

RACING AND THE iPHONE

When the app store first opened, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D was my first purchase. Why? ‘Cause I’m a video game racing junkie. And, apparently, a glutton for punishment. I was immediately disappointed. While I love the accelerometer in some iPhone and iPod Touch games, it just didn’t translate that well for me in this racing title. The graphics were ok, but nothing like I was used to from current-gen consoles or even my DS or PSP.

Then, Cro-Mag Rally was released. I had the same results with this title. It was disappointing. The accelerometer controls are cool, but isn’t there another way of controlling your car? Couldn’t the graphics be better? Couldn’t the frame-rate be better?

Why aren’t developers taking racing for the iPhone OS seriously?

FINALLY A GREAT RACING APP

"Hey, see that guy over there racing a Ferrari on his iPhone? He's sooo compensating for something."

And then came Ferrari GT: Evolution, by Gameloft. First off, I was impressed with the graphics and frame-rate. Someone has done some serious software development. Graphically, this game is better than PSP quality and totally up to par with the best PS2 racing titles.

The second thing that impressed me? Three different options for steering controls. THREE.

There’s an “Accelerometer” control if you want it, but you can also choose “Wheel” or “Screen Tap”. The Wheel control option places a virtual steering wheel on the screen and works well. The Screen Tap option is my favorite. However, I think I could easily adapt to the virtual steering wheel.

[Video Review by Mr. Pence.]

GAMEPLAY

Your road rage will be piqued. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!!"

There are eight different beautifully designed courses. Weather varies on the courses, and some are driven at night. Once you’ve full unlocked the game, there are 33 different Ferrari’s to choose from.

From the first time you rev your engine, you feel like you’re playing this on a console. It’s fast, responsive and the environments and textures are detailed and well laid out. The glass on the cars is reflective, as are wet roadways. The sun causes lens flare, and just wait until it rains.

Wifi multiplayer is easy to set up and fun to play, although there have been a few network hiccups in my testing. However, Gameloft’s promised online update may fix that, as well as introduce online head-to-heads with other iPhone OS gamers anywhere in the world.

[Multiplayer Review by Mr. Pence]

IT’S THE SIMPLE THINGS

Have you ever played an iPhone OS game only to find your palm obstructs the speaker the whole time? Yeah, I have too. Gameloft fixes this by allowing you to hold your device in either horizontal position, allowing you to free your speaker from any blockage. Kudos to Gameloft for thinking about the end-user.

CONCLUSION

If you have tried a racing app for the iPhone OS and you were totally disappointed like me, you owe it to yourself to purchase Ferrari GT: Evolution. If you’re looking for a great racing game and find yourself on the fence about which one to buy, you’ll be blown away by FGTE.

As Grand Turismo is to PlayStation, and Forza is to Xbox, Ferrari GT: Evolution is currently the racing game for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

You won’t be disappointed.

[Course runs by Mr. Pence.]

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