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RACE DRIVER: GRID Posted by Joe Anderson on Jun 2, 2008 13:47 (Jun 2, 2008 13:47) |
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The Xbox 360 is certainly not short of quality racing games, Burnout Paradise, Forza Motorsport 2, PGR4, Sega Rally and Colin McRae: Dirt all see to that, however CodeMasters have decided to add another to this line up in the shape of Race Driver: Grid and this just may be the best of the bunch. From the moment the menus load up in Grid, you get a real sense that this may be a special game, everything about the presentation, even from the beginning is very sleek, add to that fact that the menus are very easy to navigate and the first impression is certainly a good one. Before you being the game you are asked to provide your drivers name and then choose the way this will be said during the game by your staff, there is a rather large list of common names, so hopefully it will cover your characters name, however if not there is also a list of nicknames which you can be known as.
Once you have your name sorted and get into the action it becomes apparent that the great presentation of the menus is carried over to the game itself, the cars and environments in which you are racing look and feel fantastic. No matter which view you choose to race you car, the game seems to pull off the action flawlessly, well I say that but there does seem to be one sticking point, sometimes when racing the screen will freeze for a split second, it is quite annoying and does spoil the sense of being there, however having done my research on the internet I have discovered that a patch is on it’s way to fix this, so I won’t hold it against the game too much. Racing in Grid takes part in many forms, to begin with you are tasked with racing for various teams in order to make some cash, however once you make enough money you then start a team of your own. Creating a team requires you to choose a team name, colour (which will appear on all of your teams cars) and design, although the customisation options are not hugely impressive when it comes to the choice of designs. Once you have got a team the real fun begins, you’re a given three rookie licences, one for each of the three regions (USA, Japan and Europe), each race you win in these regions will gain you reputation points, allowing you to gain a better license and unlock the next tier of events. The choice of events is quite impressive, whether it’s a demolition derby, a GT1 race or a BMW challenge there really is something for everyone. As well as the various events which you will take part in during the season you will also have the option to participate in the 24 hour The action itself is very fast, while Grid is not really a driving simulation as such you still get a real sense of being there, the handling of the cars is very easy to pick up, and the crashes, well they are quite spectacular as well as frustrating. Crashing your car can really make things difficult in Grid, depending on which part of your car get’s damaged you could find steering suddenly pulling in a certain direction, which not only makes cornering difficult but even driving straight a bit of a task. Opponents will also do their best to introduce you to the barriers as often as possible, so it’s up to you to avoid them, otherwise you may find your car being written off on one or more occasions. Should you wreck your car (and it will happen) or just not be happy in general with something you have done during the race then a flashback feature has been implemented into the game which will take you back to just before you crash, this enables you to try that corner again. Now this may sound like a spoiler for some, however the option is there and not mandatory, meaning you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to, for me personally this feature came in quite handy, though I can see how it will spoil the game for some. The choice of cars, while not the biggest out of the many racing games available is still pretty decent, there are over 40 cars which will become available throughout play, starting off with a Dodge Viper you will soon work your way through BMW’s, Audi’s, Honda’s and Chevy’s amongst others. Each car has its own unique points but all of them are great fun to drive.
The sound plays a big part of the game, your staff are constantly chatting with you, reminding you to choose new sponsors or when racing warning you of dangers ahead. There are two problems with the constant chatter from your staff, one is that it can get a bit repetitive and the second is that sometimes it can fall behind a bit or be wrong altogether. One example of this came when I was racing around the track and a major collision was noticeable ahead, it wasn’t until I was well past this that I was warned of the danger, which is not ideal obviously. Xbox Live is well represented in Race Driver: Grid thanks to it’s ability to have up to 12 players online at one time, there are plenty of options too, either having the choice to leave damage on or off as well as being offered plenty of events to choose from. Online the game is fairly lag-free, I personally didn’t experience any problems and hopefully this will continue as the servers get busier. Racer Driver: Grid really sets new standards for the racing genre on the Xbox 360, it’s fast and furious, certainly doesn’t lack realism and has that "just one more go" appeal to it. Sure there are a few niggling problems within the game but these don’t take away from what is a fantastic experience.
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