GRID

"I'm Going Fast!"

The name Codemasters should be very familiar to racing fans. The English developer has long made the Colin McRae, Race Driver and TOCA games. Their first title for next-gen systems, DiRT, was well received by newcomers and classic McRae fans alike. With one success already under their belt, Codemasters has decided to revamp their Race Driver series, this time entitling it GRID.

Before continuing, it is important to clarify just what GRID is. Although it appears to be a simulation racer at first glance, it is actually a track based racer that works between the lines of simulation and arcade territory, much like Project Gotham Racing. However, the racing physics of GRID fall a couple of steps closer to the arcade side of the line. The cars tend to feel a bit floaty and weightless, often making it difficult to get a good sense of a cars' true capabilities. This does take some time to get used to, but within a few races dealing with this becomes second nature.

The actual racing takes place in three regions of the world; United States, Europe and Japan. Predictably, the type of racing that takes place in each region is drastically differently, as are the tracks and cars used. In the US, there is a focus on muscle cars, such as Dodge Vipers and Challengers. The tracks also tend towards the street circuit variety, and are typically short and technical. European racing centers around touring cars (such as the Aston Martin DBRS9) and there are even a few Formula car races, and the tracks match the touring car theme, with the Nurburgring being represented amongst a few other real world locations. In Japan, drifting is the name of the game, and there is a healthy dose of downhill togue racing for good measure. Here players will find themselves sliding around in tricked out Nissans and other tuner brands.

Many of the tracks would be difficult to navigate alone and the opposing racer AI doesn't help matters any. While they do typically put up a challenge, part of that might be because they drive like a bunch of pissed off teenagers. In most races it's rare to get past the first turn without a major pileup. They also have an irritating tendency to cut off the player car, often clipping a bumper and sending the whole thing careening off the road. Still, it seems infinitely more realistic that the other drivers are prone to making mistakes rather than them behaving like robots, incapable of doing anything other than following a pre-set line, as in some other racing games.

And even when the opponent drivers screw up and end up hitting your ride, this isn't much of a problem as GRID implements one of the coolest features in a racing game since Forza's introduction of the racing line. While a catastrophic crash or screw up in another racing game would lead to a restart of the entire race, with the press of a button players can rewind a set amount of time (called a Flashback), thus allowing themselves another shot to take a badly failed turn or avoid a major collision. While this might seem to eliminate the challenge of the game, there is a set amount of times this feature can be used; meaning use of the Flashback mechanic is a very strategic one. Do you use a Flashback token after spinning out and risk not having one for a race ending crash, or save it and try to work your way back up the rankings the hard way?

Naturally, progressing through the career will require better cars. Unlike some other racers where getting enough money to buy new rides is an agonizing process akin to level grinding in an RPG, here the money flows in due to the ability apply sponsor decals which net money (more on that later) and the higher, more realistic payoff for races. While there isn't a huge list of cars (forty-ish), Codemasters specifically picked each one for its racing heritage or importance to motorsports. Picking what to buy is a little difficult sometimes, not only because they're all so cool, but rather because the system for determining each cars performance is a little useless. Instead of showing a cars statistics and hard numbers, GRID uses a five mark system, with marks being given in half mark increments for each performance category (top speed, acceleration, grip, brakes). In effect, this actually gives no real indication of how a car will perform on the track. A simple option to test out a car before actually purchasing it would have been nice, but overall it's a minor frustration.

Once a car has been bought, players will be able to customize their team livery. This basically includes a vinyl design from a large selection, car colors and a team number. Some may be disappointed that this is really the only customization option in the entire game. There's nary an option for performance or cosmetic upgrades or anything else to be found. It is possible to apply sponsor decals to a car though, which will in turn supply players with supplemental cash, as long as the sponsor requirements are met. These requirements include finishing in a certain place, finishing with no damage, or simply finishing. As the team's reputation increases, better sponsors will be attracted and the payout will increase.

Another nifty perk to increasing your reputation is the ability to hire another member to the team. They will race alongside you, and will be able win as well as to reap the rewards of sponsors alongside you. On the flip side, they'll also want a cut of the winnings. Unfortunately, the teammates are universally useless, and in my entire playtime with the game I never had a teammate win a race. It was even a rarity for them to even get a podium finish.

GRID is no slouch in the graphical department. I'd willingly bet that this game overtakes Project Gotham Racing in terms of overall beauty and car detail (which is no small feat). Both cars and environments are drool inducing, and the attention to detail for both is impressive. Damage, which affects the car realistically, is also graphically represented and it's not uncommon for whole pieces of a vehicle to come loose and fly off upon impact with a wall or other driver. There is only one problem I witnessed, as the game suffers from random stops. I wouldn't even call it a frame rate problem as the game doesn't slow down; it simply pauses for a moment in the midst of a race. When it happens it doesn't last long, but during a race even a second long pause is noticeable and distracting.

Audio is a bit unusual. All the normal racing sounds are well done, with the roar of engines and squealing tires achieving a nice equilibrium. In contrast to the navigator of DiRT, GRID has a team coach who sometimes chimes in during a race to comment on how players are doing, or if there's been a crash. It's a cool feature, but it could have been more helpful, especially if he said where the crash was. Music is an oddity here, because there's no real soundtrack to speak of. On the rare occasion it does kick in, it is always a quick-tempo orchestral tune, like in a movie chase scene.

THE VERDICT
Straddling the line of simulation and arcade is a tricky business. Done right, the end effect is something like Project Gotham Racing. Done wrong, the result is Need for Speed Prostreet. Happily, GRID falls much closer to PGR, although the slightly off physics can be a bit weird. Nevertheless, this is a thoroughly enjoyable game that all racing fans owe it to themselves to check out.

HIGHS
- Flashback
- Great car list
- Fun and varied race types

LOWS
- Sometimes awkward physics
- Needs a better system for car statistics

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/05/09, Updated 05/04/09

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