Asphalt: Urban GT 2

Asphalt: Urban GT 2 is a racing video game developed and published by Gameloft for the Nintendo DS, N-Gage and PlayStation Portable. A 2.5D Java Platform 2 ME version for mobile phones was also released on November 30, 2005. It is a sequel of Asphalt: Urban GT (2004) and the second major game of the Asphalt series.

The game features a special appearance from The Pussycat Dolls, and a sample of Moby's single "Lift Me Up". The Nintendo DS version was released a year after the N-Gage version, with improved graphics, sound, and dual screen compatibility. A version for the PSP was also released in March 2007 which features the track "Apply Some Pressure" by Maxïmo Park and adds an exclusive "Time Ride" Mode for the Arcade mode.

Gameplay
The gameplay of Urban GT 2 is often compared to Burnout, Need for Speed and other titles as players can eliminate other opponents or police cars by performing takedowns. This is done by either forcing them into the wall or ramming them while using a nitrous oxide boost which temporarily increases the vehicle's acceleration and top speed for a short duration.

The game uses a "wanted" meter governing law enforcement response to players while street racing, especially if nitrous is used, if the player commits property destruction or disables other competitors and law enforcement vehicles by ramming them off the road.

As with the previous entry in the series, Urban GT 2 takes place in tracks modelled after real-world locations; many of the tracks from the previous game return such as Paris, New York City, Miami, Las Vegas, Cuba, the Chernobyl exclusion zone and Hong Kong, though new tracks such as San Francisco Rio de Janeiro and Dubai have also been added.

The game features 57 vehicles, 45 of which are licensed from 23 real-world manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Hummer, Volkswagen, Nissan, and several others. Unlike the previous game whose sole motorcycle is the fictional "Gamelati 1000 SS", Urban GT 2 adds several new licensed motorcycle models in its roster, notably those from Confederate Motors, Ducati, Ecosse and Triumph.

Reception


Urban GT 2 was met with mixed reception. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 65% for the DS version; 62% for the Mobile version; and 30% and 42 out of 100 for the PSP version.

Frank Provo of GameSpot praised the game's improvements over the original and its selection of licensed vehicles and respective upgrades, but noted the game's poor AI. Andrew Hayward of Worthplaying however, was more critical of the game, calling it a "mundane exercise in repetition". Besides citing easy difficulty and AI problems, the use of the Pussycat Dolls was also criticised as being a "marketing gimmick".

In a more positive review, Levi Buchanan of IGN praised the mobile version's selection of vehicles and graphics, though Buchanan attributed most of the game's criticism to mobile device limitations.