GRID impressions

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choupolo
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GRID impressions - Jun 04, 2008 09:50
Areet, thought I' d drop some impressions on the full version of GRID which I got yesterday on 360. Decided to not to get it on PC in the end, because even though the demo worked well with my wheel, its not really the type of game that gets the best out of it, like other more sim-focused racers.

GRID is a nice mixture of arcade and sim, carrying on in the same ethos that the TOCA/Race Driver series always has. Like PGR the physics engine is tailored to look and feel realistic, but be fun and easy to access at the same time. GRID does a good job of letting you adjust things to your liking more than PGR however, allowing you to have all the assists on and tone down the AI if you want to have fun crashing a lot and still win, or having traction and stability control and ABS off, manual gears and fast aggressive AI if you fancy keeping things as challenging and reaslitic as possible.

The new easy to remember 4-letter name, much like DIRT was to Colin Mcrae Rally, symbolises what Codies have done to refine and streamline the series. From graphics, to menus, dramatic replays, to commentators and sound, the presentation is impeccable. The layout and pacing of the game is tuned to give a nice sense of progression and achievement. And even the most ardent sim-hater can get into this and have fun.

On the other side, those who like a bit of realism get a healthy dose, with accurate track designs, cars, teams and sponsors. There are even planty of famous and less famous racing drivers' names that pop up to make you feel you really are immersed in a huge world of racing. There are loads of cars and series to race in like touring cars, single seaters, GT racing, endurance racing, american muscle, demolition derbies and japanese drifting chamionships. Its a big game.

One thing I didn' t like is how easy the game can be, at least initially. If you know anything about racing lines and track driving, you can use that to your advantage which is good, but you demolish the opposition by miles. I' m currently playing on Savage with ABS off and manual gears, and I find this a nice balance.

I also didn' t like how your buddy is constantly congratulating you as if you' d saved the world every time you overtake someone. Would have been cooler to have your radio buddy give you useful info like how many seconds drivers are either side of you for example, or what your teammate is up to.

Overall GRID has done a great job of making you feel as though you' re immersed in the real world of racing, and progressing up the career ladder from the bottom. It looks great, and feels very dramatic almost as if you' re Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder. Its a fun racer, but can be challenging too if you want it to be. I' d recommend it to anyone, much moreso that I would have DIRT. DIRT was rubbish.

Eddie_the_Hated
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RE: GRID impressions - Jun 04, 2008 10:04
Great review, but <audible gasp>


...You didn' t like DiRT?!

Nitro
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RE: GRID impressions - Jun 04, 2008 10:06


ORIGINAL: Eddie_the_Hated

Great review, but <audible gasp>


...You didn' t like DiRT?!


DiRT sucked ass.

GRID is excellent. I picked the PS3 version up yesterday.

choupolo
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RE: GRID impressions - Jun 04, 2008 11:48
Heh, I just didn' t like the way the cars handled in DiRT, as I think Zoy once mentioned, its like they made the cars pivot on a central pole instead bothering to put in realistic understeer and oversteer. The cars just didn' t feel convincing.

Even though GRIDs physics engine is designed to be less than realistic, more hyperactive and dramatic so the replays look cool, the cars still look and feel as though they have some weight to them when they go round corners or roll 20 times for that matter!

Its not my favourite driving physics engine, but I like it. The damage model is also veeery nice.

GrayFox
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RE: GRID impressions - Jun 04, 2008 23:35
I didnt like the demo. I thought this was supposed to be a driving sim game but seems that i was wrong. What i understood from trying it is that its like a cross over between sims and arcade racers but GT is a way better sim and BurnOut is a way better arcade recer. Didnt think much of the graphics too.Ill pass this one up.

Nitro
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RE: GRID impressions - Jun 05, 2008 00:01
PGR4, GRID and Burnout paradise are the best racing games so far this gen.

choupolo
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RE: GRID impressions - Jun 05, 2008 00:54
I do like GT for its presentation and production values, it has that premium feel to it, and the cars look fantastic.

But there are much better sims than GT with much better physics and AI, (been playing more GTR2 lately) so in the end for me GT is more of a car collecting game these days, rather than a racing game, and I usually spend more time taking photos and watching replays!

Forza 2 was the other one I loved this gen. This was more of a casual sim, and I still know people who hold regular online endurance races every week, where they cap off the performance values and specify certain modification rules and try to tune their cars to perfection + of course paint them with awesome livery. Its in tune to what happens in the real world of amateur racing.

I can appreciate Burnout, but its not really my type of racer. I prefer my arcade racers to be completely unrelated to real life if they' re going to create their own handling physics - eg Wipeout. My favourite Burnout was actually the second one, Takedown was it?

PGR is the best online racer. The single player is a little dull, and there aren' t as many cars as GT to ogle, but the online modes and tournaments are fantasticly fun.

Imo GRID fits in nicely between PGR and Forza.