GRID

"If you're a fan of racing games & your PC can take it, buy it."

Overview-
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 7.5/10
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Average: 8.6/10

Intro:
So basically, I'm a pretty picky guy when it comes to racing games. Certain elements simply must be present and some others, eh, not so much. GRID happens to be one of the few racing games I believe is worth purchasing. If you're computer can handle it on a resolution of 1600x1200 with no AA you'll be fine. Anything under that and racing games just don't seem to be as much fun.

Graphics:
I've said it before & I'll sat it again, if your computer doesn't suck & you can play this game the way it was developed to look, the visuals are absolutely stunning. Personally, I have a pretty nice computer and I'm able to run the game at a resolution of 2560x1600 with 4xMSAA anti-aliasing with an average framerate of 35+. I must say, it looks very nice. There's never a minute during a race where I'm disappointed with the visuals. Even the trees and other random things have very nice shades & detail, not that it matters, but if you're a stickler for nice shtuff thrown in like that as I am, it's something to be noted. Additionally, the cars all look great & the crashes are pretty cool as well. They aren't exactly 'Burnout' status crashes, but Codemasters did a pretty nice job considering that most racing games don't incorporate damage at all. All in all, I give this game a generous 9.5/10 in the graphics department.

Sound:
Overall the guys over at Codemasters did a pretty good job here. The voice acting is pretty weird but once you get past the fact that your PC is talking to you, you basically become accustomed to it. Strange, but umm, anyways.... The engine sounds, tire-screeches, crashes and such were done very well. I know my cars pretty darn good and I'd say most, if not all of the engine sounds are at least close enough so the someone with an un-trained ear, so to speak, wouldn't notice a thing. To some of the pros out there, however, perhaps you could say differently. Hmm, the music, generally it was just ok, not bad, not great, but eh... I'm not going to lie though, the replay music is ******* annoying as ****. Haha, no really. Because of this I give the sound portion of this game a well deserved 7.5/10.

Gameplay:
So this is pretty much the part of a game that becomes the deciding factor of wether it's worth buying or not. I must say, this game has one of the best, if not, the best handling mixes between a simulation game and an arcade game. The courses always seem to be the perfect size and the AI is programmed flawlessly in my opinion. One thing that really made me like the game is how the AI works, there is no rubberband, and I'm not entirely sure if there is a dificulty or if the AI learn or what, but what I do know, is that in every race, the AI racers are generally very close to you. Pack racing. It can become extremely intense at points of a race. Now don't get me wrong, it is entirely possibly to get a 10-second lead on someone or even lap another racer, but in the general scheme of things, be prepared to duke it out with some head-to-head action. Oh yeah, not to mention you have the ability to race in Europe, America, & yes, Japan. This covers all styles of racing and each one is unique to the sport in it's own way. Luckily, they are all very, very, fun. I personally really enjoyed this whole region thing. I think it's because of all of the versatility between race styles or perhaps it's because I can also speak Japanese & I end up feeling all cool when the announcer says something about how good I am at drifting or something of the sort. Heh, again, this game deserves a respectable 9.5/10 in terms of gameplay.

-One more thing I forgot to mention, it has online play. <_< Have not personally tested this yet, the single-player will easily keep any average racer on edge for hours.

To finish this up, GRID is a very good game & I recommend buying it if your computer doesn't suck and you enjoy racing games... obviously. It is definitely one of better racing games out right now and if your looking for a quality game, this is it. No questions asked. Overall great game. =D

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/27/08

Game Release: GRID (US, 06/03/08)