Gaming Spotlight: GRID (2019)

Cast your mind back 11 years ago, when the original Race Driver GRID hit the shelves. It was Codemasters' first tarmac-based racing game on seventh generation consoles and showcased the developer's EGO graphics engine, which is still regarded as impressive today. It was a hit with the racing game market, but its successors have never been able to hit those heights for one reason or another. GRID 2 veered too far into the arcade racing category while GRID Autosport launched on seventh generation consoles while the Xbox One and PS4 had already been on the market for half a year. Codies knew the best route to take was to go back to basics, so has rebooting the franchise paid off?

Looking at the game on paper presents some mixed feelings. While the 70+ strong car list is sizeable and impressive, the same can't be said for the track count. The game only comes with 13 tracks on the disc, with one of them being a point to point variant of an existing circuit, so you have 12 unique environments in total. When you factor in GRID Autosport came with 22 tracks at launch (more were added as DLC), this sounds more disappointing. On the flipside, Codemasters has promised future updates will include free tracks so hopefully it is not long before the total track count is closer to the total from the previous GRID installment.

When you actually get into the game, a far more positive sentiment starts to emerge. While the graphics are not the best the genre has ever seen, the atmosphere for a track racing game is second to none. The trackside decorations and commentators (which have Ridge Racer-like audio effects) make the game feel incredibly immersive. The handling model uses the optimum blend of realism and arcade flair, providing a somewhat authentic feel while providing an enjoyable experience. There are 100 career mode events to take part in and the AI will make you fight for every one of those victories, especially if you turn up the difficulty. Frequent contact is to be expected and as you take your car to more races, more battle scars from previous races emerge on your paintwork. It is not totally lawless racing, you can get penalised and even disqualified for cutting one too many corners. Oh, and if you hit one driver too hard, they will become marked out as your nemesis. If you don't want to be taken out by them, maintain your distance.

We've established the game provides a satisfactory experience where it matters most, but what about other areas? In terms of customisation, you are only restricted to preset liveries, where more becomes available as you rank up in the game. Unlike the previous game, sponsors have no impact on progression so each car comes with a random set which you can't change around, which is a shame. Speaking of things without much use, you have a teammate which you can swap around over your career. While more valuable teammates tend to yield more impressive results, the commands seem to have little to no impact on how they perform during the race.

Make no mistake, the GRID reboot has managed to capture what made the original game so fun to play with game featuring excellent presentation, competitive AI and thrilling drives. However, while GRID delivers 9/10 gameplay on track, it feels enclosed in a 6/10 package. With Additional content and features road mapped, it won't be long before this game reaches its full potential. The race has truly returned.