Race Driver: GRID

GRID for PC, PS3 and X360 is the fourth installment of the Race Driver series developed by Codemasters. It is not a typical sequel, though, but an entirely new product that offers many previously unknown solutions to the fans of the franchise. The game references such productions as Project Gotham Racing or Forza Motorsport in many respects.

Mechanics

The game has three primary kinds of play to offer. If we decide to race in the United States, we can count on racing through the streets of the biggest American metropolises such as Washington, Detroit, or San Francisco. To win competitions, we will use powerful V8 muscle-cars like Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang, Plymouth Barracuda, or Dodge Viper. European events teem with professional tournaments that take place on speedways. These include such places as Donington Park, Silverstone, Spa Francorchamps, or Nurburgring. As far as cars are concerned, we have many famous and valued brands at our disposal, including Aston Martin, TVR, Audi, and Koenigsegg. The last group is formed by races in Japan. These competitions are mostly based on drifting, in which we use specially modified Mazda, Subaru, or Toyota vehicles. The player gets to visit the most famous Japanese cities (Tokyo, among others) as well as mountain roads resembling those from Need for Speed: Carbon. As we progress, we buy new cars and unlock new tournaments.

The game has a similar driving model to the previous installments of the Race Driver series. Mastering the racing machine is required to win. However, beginners can make use of many facilities that help at cornering, among other things. The game also features the so-called flashbacks that allow us to reverse time to correct the mistakes we made. GRID offers an incredibly realistic damage model. It applies to both minor bumps and huge crashes that can lead to immediate end of the race. Repeated impacts have a negative influence on the performance of our vehicle.

Technical aspects

Race Driver: GRID for PC, PS3 and X360 is powered by the EGO engine which is a modified version of that used in Colin McRae: DiRT. The most important enhancements were made in car and environment appearance. Races take place on very detailed speedways. In case of city competitions, we can see the characteristic sights of a given metropolis. The game also features crowds that dynamically react to the players’ performance.

Last updated on 25 February 2008