First off, the visuals are splendid. In fact, there’s so much lens flare you may need to wear sunglasses to play this game. The cars, backgrounds, effects and helicopters are all at the cutting edge of mobile graphics like many of Gameloft’s HD games. Of course this means the demands placed on your mobile device are greater. On my N73 there was a lag in control and general gameplay so this is being reviewed on a Nokia N95 8gb.
After you get over the shine you have a choice between career and arcade mode. In career mode you begin in an office where you manage your cars, check the race calendar and most importantly read your messages for cup races or challenges in Rome, Madrid, Los Angeles or New York. You begin as an amateur running races at the Ferrari test track in Fiorano, Italy where you level up and win money with each win until you can buy certain models and compete in the pro cup races. The problem with this is that after 30 or so wins with various models it gets annoyingly tedious to run the same race on the same track again and again. Interspersed between the Fiorano races are challeges in the various cities beginning with Rome and Madrid. The challenges are pretty simple like avoiding cones, avoiding collisions or beating the same challenger over and over. This too becomes tedious after awhile. The career mode in Ferrari GT needs a major engine overhaul to join the top echelon of mobile racers.
Luckily you can unlock the cities and cars through winning races in the arcade mode but unfortunately there are only 4 cities to unlock.
The city courses are interesting and nicely laid out and with banked turns, downslopes, tunnels and shortcuts through road barriers. Running into cars and walls slows you down and in rare instances you may flip but strangely enough you don’t have head on collisions. You simply go right through the other car and get a speed penalty. There is no nitro on these Ferraris as you accelerate with their horsepower until you reach top gear and when you do the sense of speed is blinding. They handle fairly well and you can customize a large number of their handling characteristics in the options menu.
During the races there is a constant stream of turn signs and scores that pop up right in the middle of your screen that simply get in the way. These should have been placed at the top of the screen rather than blocking your view of the nice graphics. After each race you’re given a replay with the race results superimposed on top. In arcade mode you can replay the race using all the games camera views from front bumper to behind to far behind and a drive-by. You can’t pause or FF the replay but it’s a welcome addition nonetheless.
Ferrari GT contains good audio with nice throaty engine sounds, screeching tires, crash effects and music. You’re also given the option to play in landscape mode and local multiplayer via Bluetooth.
With great graphics and sound, fun courses and a wealth of options in views and car handling customizations Ferrari GT Evolution has a lot to offer. Only the weak career mode and a few more city courses keep it from scoring higher than 4 stars. It’s a nice game to keep on your memory card for quick races but strains under the demands of a long term relationship.
Reviewed by goyami - Nokia N95 8gb