User blog:ThUnDeR1337/A8 Versus A9: Comparison

Hello! Welcome to my comparison of A8 and A9. I'll be going over the game controls, cars, economy, and whatever else comes to mind. Let's get started!

Controls
The controls of A9 are definitely less fast paced as A8. A8 is a more reflex-based, twitchy game compared to A9, which feels more liquid and slow. A9 is definitely more friendly to newer players in the controls department, with the TouchDrive setting(allowing less skilled/unskilled players to be competitive in multiplayer and career). The nitro systems in A8 are based on keeping them at purple, while in A9, it's less about perfection, it's more about just keeping your speed, coasting, and boosting on straights.

Economy
The economy of A9 depends even more highly on lootboxing and token spending(unless you count A8's 2018 Summer Update and Munich update token upgrades), which means less value is placed on the credits. However, earning currency is much easier in A9 with the Career and Events constantly giving credits and tokens at a relatively quick pace.

Cars
At this point(note that A8 has been out for far longer and therefore has more cars), A9's cars are more based around newer vehicles, compared to A8, which was constantly using older cars, like the Mercedes SLR or the Shelby Cobra. However, many cars that were highly requested in A8 made it into A9, i.e. the Ferarri FXX K.

Graphics
The graphics of A9 are similar to those of Overdrive, with the 80's California color palette and style. The maps are less shiny compared to A8 and more similar to that of Xtreme, and the garage is less detailed(it doesn't have doors, so if you enter it, you're never coming out).

Physics Engine
The physics engine is very different from A8. It isn't the Xtreme physics engine(as I assumed before), it's rather different. However, flying in A9 and Xtreme are very similar, with the rear end of the car falling down in barrel rolls for landings. It's definitely less buggy with flying and ground hitboxes(less glitchwrecking). The car hitbox is a bit messed up, you sometimes die from landing upside down and other times you roll over and keep driving.

AI
AI has always been a messy thing to master, in every game ever. A9 seems to have the system down, AI do not kill themselves on you to mess you up(I'm looking at you, NFS No Limits), they're not too weak, and they're not too strong. A8 has some trouble with getting that perfect balance, in the Summer 2018 update, the AI were too fast. In every other update, they were too slow. I think Gameloft is searching for that perfect balance, and at some point, they'll find it.

Conclusion
Personally, I prefer A8 to A9. The driving feels more intense, there are more cars, the graphics are nicer(in my opinion), and it's just nicer in general. But it's all based on opinion, so to each their own. Thanks for reading!