What I hope is that Codemasters adds a dedicated photo mode to GRID to help capture your moments at their very best. Around you, tires will fly out of the barriers when you smack into them, and you can hear the crowd roaring as you zoom past. Besides the fact that you can turn on actual, real, terminal damage, the way the cars fall apart before your eyes is tremendous.īodywork splinters and flaps about, you can damage the roof, and eventually, the hood will fly off given enough persuasion. The damage model, for example, is astonishing.
On top of the best cockpit view of any racing game out right now, GRID is full of little touches that complete the experience. There's a real attention to detail in this game. Attention to detail like no otherġ) Aston Martin ? (wasn't allowed to show that in the preview)Ģ) Some of the accidents are tremendous. Executing a perfectly timed slide up the inside at Paddock Hill Bend on the Brands Hatch circuit as the track falls away from under you gets the blood pumping, and feels genuinely rewarding. It makes it exciting it makes you want to get stuck in mid-pack and have a proper race. If you leave a gap, they'll go for it, and sometimes they'll go in too hot and run wide. The AI opponents battle, but generally speaking, battle fairly. But you rarely find yourself being intentionally rammed off the circuit, or behind a wildly weaving Ferrari. You'll bang doors, and occasionally you'll come off worse. Opponents will race, and they'll race hard. And whether it's the Alonso effect, their years of experience, or a combination of both, Codemasters hit it out of the park. GRID doesn't have anything like that it's just whatever the programmers decided upon for the behavior of your virtual rivals. But it's always been an idea better executed on paper than in-game, with the truth being overly aggressive opponents that ram you at every available opportunity. With Forza, Microsoft implemented Drivatars, AI opponents that are supposed to behave like their real-world counterparts. The AI, though, is perhaps the crown jewel of GRID. And isn't that the most important thing for a video game? GRID sits firmly in the middle, and the result is just flat out fun the play. It's no sim racer, but neither is it something along the lines of Need for Speed or The Crew 2.
It has full wheel support, but this is very much a game designed for everyone to enjoy. And that's with a controller, by the way. The new GRID has that nostalgic feel in its presentation, but actually playing it provokes a surprising reaction. Big drifts and unnatural movement were aplenty, but it's not the case here. The old GRID games were fun, but their physics generally swung more towards the arcadey. Indeed, an entire portion of the career mode is dedicated to him and his esports organization, but it seems to have paid off.
Who knew that involving one of the generation's finest drivers would result in such a positive outcome for a new racing game? Much has been made of Fernando Alonso's involvement in GRID. Incredible AI and better physics than you might expect Ranking up isn't just reliant on how well you do, but how well you drive. GRID is packed with its own in-game achievements and accolades to earn, along with vanity items for your profile and your car.
But there's still enough diversity to keep a player engaged. Instead, you get a carefully chosen selection from some of the world's best race car manufacturers. What you don't get is an absurd roster of cars to collect, a la Forza. The variety is superb, with single-seaters, touring cars, different classes of GT car, American muscle, prototypes, even classic Minis. If you don't have long to play, or you just want something to enjoy in short bursts, it's perfect. GRID has a real pick up and play vibe, perfect for when you don't have long to playĪnd since the races early on aren't very long, there's a real pick up and play vibe with GRID.
You're always bouncing between the classes doing something different. It's refreshing because it never becomes a chore. So that forced me to go off and try something else. For example, I started the game in the Touring class but very soon reached a point I couldn't continue because I didn't have enough credits to buy the new vehicle type required.
There are no microtransactions for in-game currency, so you need to play to get better wheels.īut equally, you have to be selective over which series you complete and when to some degree. You don't want to borrow anything because you don't get a choice of car, and ultimately you want to maximize your winnings to buy more cars. There's also a curveball thrown in when it comes to buying vehicles.