RACE DRIVER GRID REVIEW

 

Name: Race Driver GRID

Release date: 30-05-2008

Developer: Codemasters

Publishers: Codemasters

Genre: Simcade racer

It's been quite a while since my last video game review on my blog. The last piece of writing that was related to gaming was about Yakuza Kiwami 2, and that was almost like 2 or 3 months ago. And to break the brake of me not writing anything game related, I am coming back with a review that is not about the criminal underworld where it's super serious all the time, but rather, it's a fun world of automobile racing where skill is all that matters... For the most part.

Also, with a new GRID game on the horizon, this review is not even a perfect opportunity to come to existence. It's pure coincidence actually. I just saw an hour ago the new GRID's gameplay footage before starting to write this. And it's interesting to say the very least.

But I'm slightly getting ahead of myself now. Time to dive in into the world of Race Driver GRID and see what the fuss is all about with this fantastic and iconic simcade racer...

BASIC INTRO 

Race Driver GRID, or simply GRID, is a game that's the evolution of another racing franchise, developed by the same studio, Codemasters. The game in question is called TOCA Race Driver, and it's both similar and different to its successor. Both games feature vast number of tracks, cars and disciplines, but they also differ in how they look, feel and play. And to say that this game's driving physics and overall control is amazing is a serious understatement. 

To better understand this description, an explanation for the terms "simcade" is needed. Simcade is a racing sub-genre that focuses on games having a mix of both simulation/realism and arcade style of gameplay. Both franchises have this, as they have elements that make them feel like they are realistic  and arcadey at the same time. For the realism part, the game is filled with cockpit cameras, serious damage models, following the rules of proper and clean racing to some degree, and not focusing themselves on high speed racing, but rather, focusing on the technical aspect of racing. As for the arcadey aspect, the previously mentioned "clean racing" falls into this category. Real life car mechanics that are hard to control, maintain and maneuvers that are hard to pull off when you are about to turn a sharp corner or overtake somebody, are easier to pull off. Damages, whilst have an impact on your vehicle, do not kill you off instantly, and most importantly, heavy impacts with the walls or opponents don't mean the end for your driving career. 

Jesus that took a lot of will-power to explain it all. Let's move onto the gameplay and its elements.

This car, and the game itself, are a certified classic that have stood the test of time, even 13 years later...

GAMEPLAY

Don't mind me. I'm just showing off whilst being in the lead...

GRID's gameplay, as seen from the video above, is NOT a true representation of what the game is all about. It's just there to give you an idea about what it is and what it's trying to accomplish.

The racing of GRID is chaotic, but fun. Game has 15 locations. Milan, Yokohama, Spa, Jarma, Detroit are just one of the many locations you can visit and race on, and each location has 2 or 3 tracks, with a reverse variant. 

The game's disciplines are divided into various categories:
- Grip racing (GT, Open Wheel, Pro Muscle, Pro Tuned, and Touring Cars) 
- Drift (Drift GP, Drift Battle, Freestyle Drift, and Downhill Drift)
- Touge (a head to head racing on narrow Japanese mountain roads. Pro Touge and Midnight Touge are the main highlight here)
- Endurance (extreme long races) 
- Demolition Derby (Last one to survive and cross the finish line wins).

Damage plays a HUGE role in the gameplay of GRID. You have 2 types of damage: visual and performance. Visual is very self explanatory. Dents, scratches and broken parts have little to no impact on the overall health of your car. But should your damage be that of a performance level, be prepared to either retire or fight to the end. When it comes to the performance damage: Gears, Suspension, Steering, Engine and Wheels can ruin your day. The damage levels go from low (yellow), medium (orange) and high (red).

I believe that sums up the extreme basics of the gameplay. But before I dive in into the final section of the gameplay of GRID, a cool feature the game has is the rewind feature. Took a wrong turn? Crashed your car? Retired from the race? 

Look no further than the rewind feature. Just open up the instant replay option, reverse the accident and decide for yourself from which point of the race you want to continue, in order to avoid your mistake.

With the basics out of the way, it's time to dive in into the career mode of GRID, and that is...

GRID WORLD 

A simple, yet fantastic addition to an already addicting racing video game

GRID World is the main feature of the game. The goal of this mode is just becoming the best racer on the planet. All while managing your team, teammate, branding and cars.

The career is divided into 3 parts: USA, Europe and Japan. All events are sub-divided into 3 tiers: Beginner, Pro and Elite. Each tier and its championships contain prize money and reputation points for coming in either 3rd, 2nd or 1st. The higher the tier, the better the rewards.

The more rep you earn, the more tiers you can unlock. 1.000.000 rep grants access to ALL EVENTS

43 cars are available to the player for purchase, either brand new or from eBay. The latter is like buying cars from second hand. Be careful which car you buy. Same thing applies for selling a car: on your own or on eBay.

Cars have various characteristics that makes them unique and interesting to drive, and are built for various types of events. Which means that one car # all events. Buy, sell, whatever you want to do is up to you. Find the car that suits you the best and leave your competition behind.

USA and its collection of "mostly" muscle cars are a wonderful sight to behold...

Europe's fine taste in exotics is unmatched. That Audi R10 TDI though. IT'S WUNDERBAR!!!

Japan's engineers are wizards when it comes to making their cars handle like crazy...

The teammate element of the game is pretty fun and unique. You get to pick your first teammate for free as soon as your reach the second tier of racing in any given part. But as your career evolves, so is your teammate. But the ones you'll be finding won't be easily persuaded to join your team, whether the reason is the offer you made for them or that your team isn't good enough for them.

You can fire and hire races through this hub. David Cooper is the best by the way...

Or search the rankings and find the driver of your choice...

Branding and Sponsors add another depth of the gameplay of this game. Branding offers players to customise the design of their team. A simple shade of colour, stripes, or complex vinyls await you. Sponsors act as additional funds for your team. Should you complete their objectives, you'll be rewarded handsomely. Main sponsor pays double, so adjust the best sponsor as your main one.

Vodafone is wonderful. And the others aren't bad either...

A simple white with black, red and gray stripes. This combo is illegal...

All in all, the GRID World is packed with action and drama. Dealing with the opposition is fun and challenging. You'll be facing against various teams both real and fictional, alongside their drivers, who also share the same trait. You have the likes of Tom Kristensen for example, who you'll be facing at the end of each season in the Le Mans 24 Hours race (24 Heures du Mans), should you have a car that is suitable for said race. Jin Kudo from Top Secret, where his strength lies in Pro Tuned and Drift events. And also... Nathan McKane and Rick Scott from Ravenwest...

RAVENWEST

Oh dear God. I hate this team and its prick drivers...

This team will be your worst nightmare throughout your career playthrough. Not only are they the best team in the game, they're also one of the toughest to beat and surpass.

Whenever you start a race, you'll be reminded to aim for third place. That's how strong they are. Nathan McKane and Rick Scott are the team's drivers. They always have the 01 and 02 numbers, Fidanza is their main sponsor, a dark silver metallic with black stripes and a raven on the side is their design. 

Everyone fears this team. Their cars are also faster than everyone else's. They may as well be the Grim Reaper's hunting dogs or something.

They have a random chance of appearing into one of the events during career mode. As an added insult to injury, if you successfully manage to win all the events in a given tier, they will challenge you for proof of worthiness. Reward is cash only. Winning the race against one of the two drivers is fun, but it won't do much for your reputation. 

IMAGES AND VIDEOS

Video belongs to Thorneful

Video belongs to SHDWSKII

FINAL WORDS

Race Driver GRID, even in the present day, is a phenomenal simcade racer that offers the player an immerse experience that is yet to be challenged by other games of its genre. While the graphics somewhat show their age, the gameplay itself makes up for it in a big way. 

And no matter what happens during a race, remember: You're leading your class!

TRIVIA

- Completing the career 100% offers the player the opportunity to play with cheats, which can be accessed in the options menu. They, however, do not give the player an advantage in career mode, and a re only useful for gameplay outside of career.

- 2 DLC packs were released for the game: 8-Ball Pack, which contains 8 cars, and the Prestige Pack, with 10 new additional cars and a race track. Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, Australia. The DLC is, just like the cheats, available for gaming outside of career mode.
- Due to legal reasons, the game is no longer sold digitally nor physically.
- DO NOT LET THE 24 HEURES DU MANS MUSIC TAMPER YOUR DRIVING

Before I sign off, Matchweek 14 and 15 will be a 2 in 1, because I got caught off guard with the games that are being played right now. Also fuck the ref and that goal Arsenal scored.

Until next time
Lord Slayer...