Official Website

Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows

Genre: Racing

Number of Players: 1 or up to 12 via LAN or Online Play

Support: HD 720p, Leaderboards, PlayStation Network Compatible, Headset Compatible

Remember back in the mid-80’s when the newcomers to console games, Codemasters, informed us that “the fun starts here?” Okay, most of you probably don’t, but some do and the fact is that while they claimed this, it often wasn’t always true, though I am still waiting for Dizzy to make a virtual console appearance. However, Codemasters over the years has really changed their direction and become a developer and publisher that rarely releases that game that I don’t have some kind of love for.

What the company has truly managed to accomplish though are some fine racing titles, the kind that easily rival other big names like Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport, and that’s definitely not an easy thing for anyone to do. The release of DiRT last year proved to be quite impressive and might very well be one of the best off-road titles that is on the market, especially since it strictly sticks with that style of gameplay. DiRT is now followed up with GRID, not an off-road game but one that still utilizes the Neon Engine, now know as the Ego engine, for some impressive results.

GRID and DiRT are very much the same games, though with a different brand of racing behind them. Instead of taking the game off-road, you’ll be hitting the tarmac and pavement in some real world locations as well as some very real tracks. The game still begins with the same general idea that you must create your “character,” though you’ll never really see them, and begin your pursuit of become a champion driver. Things begin simply enough in San Francisco with your rookie lap on the field, and it’s not about winning or losing, but just finishing the race. This begins your career and your manager has found a car for you. The problem is, it needs some work, $80 grand worth to be exact, and without a car that is fit to take on the track, you’ll need to find some other means to earn some scratch.

The solution that your manager has come up with is a pretty simple one and in order to earn the necessary money, she’s pimping out your driving skills to other teams around the world. As a rookie though, you’ll be starting out at the bottom, but you’ll have a way to make your name known. Each race you enter will reward you with reputation points and these will vary depending on what skill level you play at. As you race more and more, your reputation will build and these will be applied to the regions as well as your overall world standing as you try and make a name for yourself. As your reputation grows so will your racing opportunities.

GRID also isn’t a game that’s always about winning and hitting the podium, though that’s always a nice touch. When you’re racing for other teams, simply showing up for the race will reward you with money, but there are secondary objectives as well. There are some races with difference classes of racers running against each other and you may be required to place within the top positions. There might be rival teams that you are to finish in front of, or you might simply need to place within the top of the heap. Finishing these goals will reward you with additional money and you also will be awarded with a little more green for each of the flashbacks you have remaining at the end of the race.

And therein lays one of the differences with GRID. The control set up is essentially like DiRT, but there is a new key feature that sets it apart aside from the location of the races themselves. As you undoubtedly know, GRID incorporates body damage into the game, and this can make or break you, though most likely break. You can’t play GT style and slam into a wall at 100 plus miles and hour and you certainly can’t sideswipe a driver, at least not without losing some paneling, paint, and possibly the race. If you slam too hard into a wall, building or anything else, there’s a potential to retire early, but you are given some options, and one of these is the flashback feature.

Much like Full Auto, if you manage to completely ruin your chances in the race, you can press select and enter flashback mode. Here you will see the past few seconds of the race and be given the chance to chose the point that you want to restart from. The idea is that you are given a “second chance” in order to correct the mistake, something that is highly feasible, though you may end up making an even worse mistake if you’re not too careful. You can also simply restart the race, though this option does not exist if you’ve decided to go for an even more authentic racing experience, or you can take your lumps and retire though that’s not necessarily good for your reputation.

Once you’ve earned enough money to fix up your car, there is another choice that you’ll need to make. You can keep taking on different offers from other race teams, something that will line your pocketbook and earn more reputation, but you can also make the decision that you are going to start your own team and compete against those who might have hired your at one point. You can buy your own cars, bring in drivers, and earn even more money as well as reputation. After any race you finish, your lap record will be posted to GRID’s online leaderboard where you can see just how good you really are against others playing the game. There is also a multiplayer mode which not only supports LAN play but also online. You can jump into a race or create your own, and there is even an online voting and points option as well as experience.

GRID isn’t the racing simulator that some games are and it’s not an arcade charged racer either. It does try and stick to what racing should be like more or less (I’m only assuming because I’ve never been a professional race car driver) and once again, that goes back to the body damage and physics of the game. If you scrape a wall, you’ll see that there is some paint removed. If someone hits you too hard from behind, your tail lights could shatter or even worse, your back window. Pieces of your car are definitely going to litter the track if your too reckless, and if you happen to slam into a wall or barricade of tries with the crowd nearby, they will react with gasps. It all adds to the element of the game as do the variety of viewpoints that you can race from. Even the in-car mode is fantastic as it does take into consideration where you are driving in the world and what the standard is, so if you’re in Japan for instance, you’ll be on the right side of the car as opposed to the left found here in North America. If you take too much damage, your car will start to lack in performance as well resulting in unintentional drifting if you’re not keeping your hands on the wheel, or analog stick in my case.

The graphics found in GRID are also stunning, and it goes beyond just seeing parts of your car flying cars the screen. Tracks that have tree for example will have bits of sunlight cascading through them, giving a nice touch of realism. The crows is actually animated and doesn’t have the look of a bunch of cardboard cutouts, something that a certain driving game has feature in past incarnations, though they have been making improvements. Hitting the dirt, or even seeing someone else do so, will yield a dust cloud that might make cornering a little treacherous, at least until you’re in the clear. The stages also incorporate actual landmarks from the locations they are set in not to mention in-game advertising that, at least in this case, is completely acceptable and adds in yet another element to the game that really is required to give it the right feel.

GRID really is a top-notch racing game that is standing tire-to-tire against the rival games. Love of this game though really depends on what you’re looking for, so if realistic simulation is your thing, GRID might not be your game, though it’s worth a try. It might not have nearly as many cars as the competitors, but at least it’s on one disc which is more than can be said for some upcoming titles. There are those who say your should live off the gird, but I think that many will be much better living on it.

-mike-