Ferrari GT Evolution iPhone Review
Racing games for the iDevices are all over the track. Some scream across the finish line with graces. Others barely sputter into the pits. Gameloft's Ferrari GT: Evolution has the potential be one of the greats, but it still needs some work under the hood.
This is called Ferrari GT Evolution for a reason, because that's all you're going to be driving. The introduction video shows off the sexy appeal of the Ferrari car, getting you pumped up for the race action ahead. Choose between Career and Quick Race and get going. (Online multiplayer is an option, but it still isn't functional and will come in a future update).
If you earn enough credits in career mode, you can choose between 33 different Ferrari vehicles, including the brand new 2009 Ferrari California. You can't upgrade or tune the cars, though. You can only pick the car and the color you want. For some reason the game doesn't like to save the color you choose. I also didn't like the actual car selection menu. If you decide to browse through the cars, you may forget the actual one you own, and the only way to know which ones you own is you have to look for the Sell Car icon at the bottom. I would clean this up in a future update.
There are a wealth of in-game options, from the different car views (inside the car view seems to handle the best) to auto acceleration (turn it off) to the type of controls. You can go with Screen Tap, Wheel or Accelerometer. Wheel is okay, but the steering wheel is much too small on screen. Stick with accelerometer and use your thumbs for the gas and brake pedals at the bottom of the screen.
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But the biggest question is, how's the racing? Not bad. The cars control pretty well, but drifting can be tricky. Sometimes I can hold a really long drift but counter steering out of it can be iffy. There were times when it went well and other times when the car decided to just do 360s. But even if that happens, the game is forgivable and straightens you right back out. There's a pretty good sense of speed, but you will notice the occasional frame rate hit and pop-up. Sometimes it can be hard to tell where the turns are if you're using the in-car view, so rely on the onscreen map for help.
Your opponents are aggressive, yet easy to pass when you're on a straightaway in a faster Ferrari. Turns are also very forgiving and you can pull an Eddie Griffin and hug the wall the entire turn and not lose much speed if drifting isn't your thing. Use shortcuts to your advantage and just be aggressive.
Missions are given to you via e-mails. Race opponents one-on-one, or enter a challenge race. Each mission earns you credits and levels you up. You also have a calendar that shows overall missions and the level needed to play them. One big flaw with the e-mail system is if you read an e-mail and it's a challenge, but have to exit the game before playing it, that e-mail no longer seems to be available when you come back to the game. That needs fixing. You also can't delete e-mails that seem to just take up space.
The graphics are really nice. Each Ferrari is highly detailed and the maps look great. I was really impressed with the detail that went into the game. Weather effects are also a nice touch. You even get Ferrari facts to read while the races load. The music is an exciting mix of techno/rock and the sound effects are really good, with the roar of the Ferrari engine a pleasure to listen to as you take off.
Post: Tram Nguyen
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