Asphalt 7: Heat Vs. Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed

We can almost taste the fumes of the upcoming iOS game Need for Speed Most Wanted, but a quiet contender to EA's racing throne has been taking the charts by storm this year. Mobile racing fans will already be aware of the Asphalt series, and the seventh edition has battled gloriously with the previous Need for Speed game, Shift 2: Unleashed.

It's time to put these two to the test in today's clash of the titans. Who's got more muscle under the hood? Can EA be toppled by the cheeky underdog?

Graphics

It'll drain your mobile battery and leave it gasping, but Asphalt 7's graphics raise the bar for mobile gaming graphics across all genres. Slick, smooth, and taking in some eye-popping environments, this game is guaranteed to amaze you (for as long as your battery lasts, that is).

Shift 2 Unleashed on the other hand packs in a fantastic in-car view as well, so if you're the kind of gamer who likes their immersion to go further than pretty pixels, you'll find yourself very well catered for here.

Both games have been updated to support the latest Retina screens, and regardless of which one you pick you'll be very impressed with the results. Still, for personal preference we'll go with Asphalt 7's particular eye-candy.

Winner: Asphalt 7

Courses

Asphalt 7 carries across ten courses from the previous edition, while also throwing in 5 brand new ones as well. There's no lazy rehashing of the content to be found here though, as the routes from the previous title have been gently tweaked to provide a fresh experience.

Shift 2 Unleashed has much more variety in its environments though, with locations as far afield as Chicago, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi and Germany making up the course content. Variety being the spice of life, we'll opt for EA's racing powerhouse here.

Winner: Shift 2 Unleashed

Cars

It's not uncommon for EA to hoard licenses like a greedy kid stashing cakes, but Asphalt 7 upped the stakes in the vehicle department by including a range of licensed cars from the luxurious Aston Martin, to the more adrenaline-fueled delights of Lamborghini and Ferrari.

It might have the extra licenses, but Shift 2 Unleashed can only lay claim to a total of 40 cars in comparison to Asphalt 7's 60. We'll take a greater variety of cars over a name on a badge any day, so this round also goes to Asphalt 7.

Winner: Asphalt 7

Value for money

Both games rely on in-app purchases to put a little more money in the publisher's back-pocket, but the upfront asking price for Asphalt 7 is a mere $0.99 for both the iPhone and iPad versions.

While the iPhone version of Shift 2 Unleashed will set you back the same $0.99, the iPad version costs just shy of five times as much. That's before you take into account any extra in-app purchase costs, and can only go against EA in this round.

Winner: Asphalt 7

Conclusion

With just these two racers mobile gamers are already spoiled for choice, and you should think nothing of grabbing both of them if your money and time allows. In terms of content, cars and thrills though, Asphalt 7 wins today's face-off by a very confident mile. EA, it's over to you for the next round in this endless battle.

Overall Winner: Asphalt 7

Read Modojo's Asphalt 7: Heat Review
Read Modojo's Asphalt 7: Heat Cheats And Tips
Download Asphalt 7: Heat (iOS)
Download Asphalt 7: Heat (Android)

Read Modojo's Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed Review
Download Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed (iPhone)
Download Need for Speed Shift 2: Unleashed (iPad)