GRID is a game that we just can’t stop playing, the franchise is back in style in 2019.
We gave the game a positive review on release, as have the gaming media on the whole. Those that played the GRID games between 2008 and 2014 will be wondering how the series has been revamped. Likewise, those that didn’t play any of the series’ previous instalments will want to know what’s been added to entice them to buy.
Overall, GRID is a game that suits both new and experienced gamers alike, something that’s a really difficult balance to perfect, but we believe Codemasters have hit the sweet spot with this one.
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Why it’s special
ACTION: GRID offers close wheel-to-wheel racing
I went to Codemasters’ headquarters back in the Summer to give RealSport the inside track on the then still in-development game. It’s fair to say that I was impressed, I hadn’t felt so happy playing a game in a long time.
It honestly took me back to my childhood, sitting on the living room floor and clocking up the laps in Gran Turismo 3 on the PlayStation 2. That’s not saying that GRID is like GT, those are two games on almost polar opposites of the arcade/simulation scale, but the feeling was similar to all those years ago. I was about half an hour into the play-through by the time that I realised that I was grinning ear-to-ear.
I thought that could’ve been due to the occasion, I never experienced a game before its release date before, but by the time the full GRID game was developed and released, I knew that wasn’t the case, the grin was back.
Those children that grew up playing PS1 and PS2 racers are now adults, we don’t have the time to spend all of our weekend’s gaming anymore, those days are long gone. That’s something that lead developer Chris Smith outlined when we interviewed him, he wanted to make a game that’s accessible to all ages, including his generation.
Furthermore, today’s kids need something that’s exciting but not gimmicky to keep them entertained, good graphics aren’t enough anymore.
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Fun ahead of everything else
RACE ALL DAY: Fun is paramount for GRID
GRID’s success all boils down to one core value that has been lost in so many racing games these days, the ability of a game be fun.
Everything from the fast and thrilling races to the nemesis mode to not having to finish first in every race to “win” the game is meant to make the game more inclusive to different groups of people.
GRID is whatever game you want it to be. For example, it will be an old-school racer that brings a smile onto our faces and calls back to the arcades of 20 years ago. For others, GRID is a thoroughbred racing game that should be played seriously, and you have to win all the series to say that you’ve completed it.
While it’s not got as many cars as Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport, or be as accurate of a simulation as Project Cars, that really doesn’t matter.
GRID is an excellent title that can suit any gamer, whatever their experience or preferences and it will make a fine addition to your gaming library.
