GYG Review: Grid
Grid is my kind of racing game. Available on the 360 and Playstation 3, Grid is brought to us courtesy of Codemasters, the same developer that released the wildly under appreciated rally game, Dirt. It is important to note this, because the games share quite a few similarities. The “tree” course mode will lead you through the Grid career mode, and the driving mechanics / physics are very similar.
Grid has some of the best visuals I have seen on the 360. The cars take on visible damage, and too many bumps along the way will disable your car completely. There is quite a bit of variety to the courses, and one of my personal favorites is the destruction derby segment of the game.
Grid is lacking in the number of cars available, especially following the likes of Forza, Gran Turismo V Prologue, etc. However, I enjoyed Grid because it suits my driving style much better than the other games. That is to say, it doesn’t punish you for a little bumping every now and then.
There’s not much to Grid’s story mode, but that seems to be par for the course in racing games. You will create a racing company, earn sponsorships, and eventually hire a team of drivers to help you on your course for the championship. I do enjoy the achievements being displayed (and your progress towards each) during the loading screen; it gives me something to look at while waiting to race.
Beautiful graphics and fun gameplay make Grid a must for racing fans. You won’t find the realism and upgrade options of other games, but that’s usually not what I’m looking for. I like to have fun and crash my way towards first place. Overall I’d give Grid 4.5 spinouts (and there will be a lot of them) out of 5.