Race Driver: GRID Review

By Tom Bramwell Published 23 May, 2008

Gentlemen, start your enthusiasm.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Pausing and restarting is such an integral part of games like PGR and GRID, where you want to begin every race perfectly, that it surely can't be long before someone binds it to a button, just as the time trial festishists who make TrackMania have done on the PC. But having perfected the start, what do you then do when you try and vault the chicane at 150mph on the last lap only to end up in a tyre wall? Traditionally, you shout and scream. In GRID's case, though, you just hit a button, rewind your mistake and try again.

Flashback is what they're calling it, and it does for GRID what the Sands of Time did for Prince of Persia in 2003: removes unnecessary repetition (and stops us throwing the control pad around the room). Like POP, Codies restricts Flashback's use, allowing you four of them on Normal difficulty. You can also wager your stock of Flashbacks to try and gain more reputation points - which unlock later challenges - by increasing the difficulty; whack it up and you earn more reputation points, but the pressure's on you not to screw up so much.

See the Flashback feature in action as James crashes into a wall repeatedly. (Double-click while playing to go full-screen.)

Not that this would count for anything if Flashback were awkward, complicated or slow to load, but it's none of these things. As soon as you start spinning out, you reach for the button, and after a short pause for a rewindy noise you're deposited on an instant replay screen watching the last few seconds of gameplay. The bumper buttons allow you to switch camera angles to judge when you'd like to retake control, at which point you hit the resume button, the game makes three flashbulb noises in quick succession, each accompanied by a still of the action from an arty angle, and you're back in the driving seat as if nothing went wrong. During 20 hours of play on the 360 retail copy provided for review, we only experienced a handful of split-second pauses at the flashbulb stage. Overall, it just works, and works without incident, and because it's tightly integrated and bound to difficulty level, it feels like a tool rather than a cheat. Flashback, then, is great. But what of GRID itself?

Like TOCA Race Drivers 2 and 3 before it, GRID is a collection of disparate racing sub-disciplines brought together in a single career mode. At the traditional end, there are races in Detroit muscle cars, professionally tuned Japanese sports-cars, open-wheel track cars from Formula 1000, and - lest we all forget where the series began - touring cars. But unlike 2 and 3, GRID builds on this not by veering into the esotericism of classic cars, ovals and rallycross, but into unknowns like Pro Touge and Drift Battles, and Demolition Derbies in the hunt for our love.

'Race Driver: GRID' Screenshot 2

Drifting feels different to PGR, but it grows on you in the same way.

We're only too happy to oblige, as they're almost all great picks. Pro Touge, for instance, is a furious one-on-one race on tight Japanese mountain roads in slippery Japanese cars. You start marginally ahead of your rival and blast down the hill in the first phase, drifting around tight corners, and then start marginally behind him for the second, belting back up to the summit. Contact between cars is forbidden, with the second-place racer hit with a time penalty for any shunts, and the winner is determined by the cumulative gap in seconds between the two competitors. Pausing and restarting sends you all the way back to the top of the hill, so it demands concentration, and its sibling, Midnight Touge, is a one-way, no-holds-barred descent in the dark, and occasionally terrifying.

Less terrifying, but in need of just as much concentration, are Drift Battles and Drift GPs, which feed into the game's competitiveness with PGR. The mechanics are similar to Bizarre's game - as you overpower the wheels into a turn, the backside of your car slides out and you massage the acceleration and braking triggers to maintain stability. The faster you're going, the more acute the angle, and the closer you are to any flags on the inside kerb, the more points you accumulate for each stunt. By fishtailing along straights and moving seamlessly between opposing drifts, you can build up a combo, with a short grace period after each drift to execute another one and build up a multiplier for your eventual score.

Where it differs from PGR is that you can't rely on riding the kerb, going through traffic-cone gates or performing other "Kudos" manouevres to bridge the gaps in your combo. Even so, the appeal's the same, and the Drift Battle approach of putting you on the same track as seven other drifters, offering more points per drift if you're higher up the field, works superbly alongside the more traditional soloing of the oddly-named Drift GPs, which are knockout tournaments.

EGTV's James Hills takes a spin around San Francisco. Forgive his inability to steer and admire the scenery. (Double-click while playing to go full-screen.)

Pitched in a happy middle-ground between PGR and things like Gran Turismo, GRID's breezy accelerator has you feathering the right analogue trigger through corners, anxious not to let the rear wheels run away with themselves, with a handling model that happily supports everything the game allows you to do. Fearsome Mustangs, screaming through city streets, struggling to stay in a straight line ahead of so much power, are governed by the same programming as Supras going sideways into banking mountain hairpins and wobbly balsa-wood TVRs, but there's still great coherency. And thanks to the Flashback tool, the threat of proper damage being done to your car (which can flip, lose its wheels, and even go flying over the railings, and loses some of its performance if it takes a big enough knock) isn't enough to stop you firing yourself dauntlessly over the brows of unknown hills, and swinging the nose of your Skyline under the front end of a parked lorry trailer on a Yokohama dockside to achieve a perfect drift on the inside of a competitor.

For those keeping score, that means we're talking about a potential PGR-beater - one that articulates its vehicles and disciplines keenly and distinctly, and encourages you to take risks throughout each race. Completing the formula is the competitiveness of your AI opposition, which fights you right up to the finish line, seizing on your mistakes but making a few of its own too. Cars spin out, nudge one another by accident and misjudge the odd corner, rather than studiously following the racing line, and you soon realise that if a rival ahead of you spins out and you follow him, rewinding with Flashback allows him to rethink his actions too. The damage model also means that violently bullying cars out of the way, corner after corner, is less effective than it has been in other games.

'Race Driver: GRID' Screenshot 4

Okutama looks like a basic loop, but it's a tough track to master.

This means, particularly as you close in on the latter stages of the game, that you won't always win. We're not used to this - normally we just pound away until we succeed through weight of experience. But GRID's reputation points system, and the range of things to do, copes with this well. Podium finishes all contribute to your rep, and if you're having no luck whatsoever, there are six events for each of the US, Europe and Japan on the first two tiers, so there's always an alternative. GRID World, the single-player career mode, tasks you with building up a racing team from nothing, and while this begins with a straightforward goal - win GBP 40,000 by completing freelance race contracts so that you can restore a sexy Mustang and start racing for big rep bonuses - before long you're part manager, part driver, sifting through potential team-mates to help you win constructor championships in key events, and micromanaging sponsors.

This side of the game is a bit superficial, but it gives you something to do between races and there is something peculiarly satisfying about going through your sponsor slots and deciding whether to take up Fila's offer of a few thousand quid every time you place above 5th, or taking a bigger total from Max Power but only for podiums. Likewise, hiring a team-mate may be expensive, but it will pay off if you go for a Pro Tuned specialist just before you tackle a run of those races, although we could do without the radio banter from mechanic and team-mate, which is repetitive and mildly irritating (even if you can get him to call you "Maverick"). You can also buy and sell cars on eBay Motors instead of just buying and selling them, although beneath the slightly different listings it's just the same menu with some advertising on it.

And despite the sideshows, GRID World's season-by-season racing-team structure is a bustling success, building up a bit of basic Princess Peach in Mario Kart-style rivalry (Tom Kristensen - spit!), allowing for showpiece head-to-heads with your hated rivals (Ravenwest - spit!) at the end of each tier and a seasonal outing at Le Mans, beginning as a freelance for third- or fourth-tier teams struggling for 12th place, and eventually slugging it out in ten-million-pound Audi R10s at 250mph for the win. Each Le Mans lasts 12 real-life minutes, going through a complete day-night cycle, and the monstrous high-speed straights of Circuit de la Sarthe are a welcome alternative to the usual Nurburgring Nordschleife, which has been the arcade racing game's massive lap of choice for the last few years.

A soaking Shibuya hosts some extremely tricky GT1 races later in the game. (Double-click while playing to go full-screen.)

Most of GRID's other tracks share Le Mans' agreeable blend of tricky technical demands and showpiece visuals, whether it's the long left-handers at Okutama with their awkward, jutting rumble-strips in the shadow of a mountain; learning to cut corners by riding sideways across the raised pavement in San Francisco, dancing between opposing right-angle corners on a tarmac and tram-rail floor amongst tall, oppressive buildings next to the bay; riding the Hachiko Drift circuit in the politely and apologetically cone-ringed, rain-slick Shibuya; the lollipop hairpin at Long Beach; or staring incredulously into the dark during the night-time lap at Le Mans, scared of the next corner. Wherever you are, Flashback means you can actually laugh at the odd spectacular crash, and then zip the image backwards and forwards like a DJ scratching a turntable for your own amusement.

We're not quite in Burnout Paradise territory with the visual representation of damage, but in many other respects GRID is a truly beautiful racing game: the cars are dazzling, whether you're watching the evening sun glide down the side of your first Mustang or watching an F1000 go-kart take off onto a crash barrier as you brake poorly into a tight turn. There's a slickness and polish at work that rarely slips. It's most apparent in the little things: the serenity of the garage scene menu backdrop, with the camera bobbing slightly as if on the breeze; the crash-zoom GRID World intro to starting grid close-ups; the Achievement progress notifications on the loading screens; the seamless ghost-car downloads for world records in Test Drive mode; the range of driver assists, which most will want to turn off, but which reduce the strain on those who struggle.

'Race Driver: GRID' Screenshot 6

We prefer the bumper-cam view (in all things, you know), but the in-car and external views are great for showing off to friends.

Where GRID loses out is in relative trivialities - until you've learnt the track layouts, for instance, you might pine for PGR4's "racification" finish, which illustrated braking distances and racing lines subtly but effectively and is missed here. Despite the damage modelling, it's also still possible to bully the other racers out of your path - although not to the same degree as GT or PGR - and in a game this good looking, not being able to save and share replays online is disappointing.

Otherwise, GRID is a great success: the single-player is varied without being confusing; the online multiplayer supports 12 players and damage modelling, reducing the number of first-corner pile-ups; tracks and cars are well chosen and recreated; and Flashback allows you to race with the same determination on lap three as you did on lap one, mitigating risk in a manner of which other racing game developers will soon be envious. Even if GRID doesn't give Codemasters parity with PGR in US sales, as the developer hopes, it's a fine achievement and an early leader in the race to be 2008's best driving game.

9 / 10

Race Driver: GRID is due out on PS3, 360 and PC on 30th May.

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
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About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (161) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • KingOfSpain #1 4 years ago

    WOW, so it's good then. :-)

  • ram #2 4 years ago

    glad to see the demo was a good indication of the full game

  • Darren #3 4 years ago

    OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... I was so excited about this game after playing the superb demo (Xbox 360 version, PS3 one not quite so good alas) but after seeing two 9/10 reviews here and in OPSM I'm even more so. Can't wait until next Thursday... bring it on! :)

  • Altrezia #4 4 years ago

    9/10? You have GOT to be kidding me. Since when did games only need nice graphics to get a good score??

    Sigh.

  • systems #5 4 years ago

    @Altrezia - I refer you to the EG scoring policy:
    [link url=http://ww w.eurogamer.net/scoring_policy.php
    ]http://ww w.eurogamer.net/scoring_policy....[/link]

    "A game scored nine is another must buy for its audience, or at the very least something you should do everything you can to play. People looking for the best of this type of game won't go far wrong with a nine, and it is a practically risk-free purchase. But it is still a score that comes with a few strings attached that we'll do our damndest to wrestle with before we settle on that "so close" of scores."

    9/10 is therefore correct, as it is a leading game in the console racing genre.

  • peterfll #6 4 years ago

    I thought the 360 demo was v good. Which I downloaded after the PS3 demo, which was technically flawed (and I'm assuming will be addressed by way of a comparison article?). Because if the PS3 retail version reflects the issues of the demo, I would have expected to see comment on it in the review.

  • El_MUERkO #7 4 years ago

    have you played the PS3 version?

    the demo analogue sensitivity settings were rubbish, the slightest movement of the stick had the wheel turning 45 degrees

  • Widge #8 4 years ago

    9?
    I didn't like the demo so deleted it, which was a shame since I was loving it on spec.
    Haven't got Burnout yet and could see me getting that over this.

  • 3william56 #9 4 years ago

    >sigh< Another reason to hate those damn face off articles - now they're not even mentioning the console they're reviewing.

    C'mon EG - don't keep it for the hate fest. Relative PS3/360 merits?

    (El Muerko - I didn't find much problem with the PS3 demo - wasn't keen on the drift race (though after a few goes, I got the hang of it and it's growing on me), but the muscle car was pretty good. Could have used some instruction on how to use flashback though)

  • Beano #10 4 years ago

    Any word on which version is the best?

    I tried the demo on both 360 and PS3 where the 360 version was slightly better... but is this the same for the retail game?

    Hope for a word on this from Eurogamer BEFORE the game is released... NOT AFTER - thank you :)

  • Prodigy_BE #11 4 years ago

    FUUUUUUCK!!!!!

    My PS3 crashed a few days ago.
    I have to send it in, and it will take 5 to 7 weeks for them to return it (it's a 60gig)

    If anyone wants me, I'll be dangling from a rope in the kitchen.

  • Widge #12 4 years ago

    Well, based on the 3 icons by the review, I'd assume the PC version will be the best! :D

  • bad09 #13 4 years ago

    Hmm, I can't say I agree with the new direction codies took (I want a proper touring cars game) but there is no denying Grid is a good game. I'll probably get but when it's cheaper as a quiet protest for making my lovely TOCA series into PGR

  • Bitkari #14 4 years ago

    Awesome. Looks like I have a successor to Toca, TDU, and maybe even GTR!

    I'll be buying the PC version next week then!

  • monkie_king #15 4 years ago

    Yay! Glad the game delivers on the promise of the demo. It just felt exciting and engaging, in a way that a lot of po-faced far-too-serious pseudo-sims utterly fail to.

    Just for fun:
    GRID vs GT5.

  • Kostabi #16 4 years ago

    Surprise! 9/10!

    I'm still not sure if I'll pick this up or not as I thought the touring car section of the demo was a bit lacking but the San Francisco track was great fun to hammer around.

    Extra kudos for a developer finally dumping the Nordschleife for Le Mans, which is definitely the better track for close racing.

  • Eighthours #17 4 years ago

    Even if GRID doesn't give Codemasters parity with PGR in US sales, as the developer hopes,

    I think it probably will, but only because PGR4 bizarrely (no pun intended) sold about 2 copies, despite being amazing.

  • Beano #18 4 years ago

    "Awesome. Looks like I have a successor to Toca, TDU, and maybe even GTR! "

    It's not.

    GRID is a arcade racer... and sounds like a great racer, but no sim like TOCA and GTR .
    Edited by 1 at 23/05/08 @ 09:44

  • jaywalker3010 Verified Mastering Manager, Square Enix #19 4 years ago

    Am so glad to see this game series still going well. Having worked there from `early` toca days. :)

    F1 license is in safe hands i think :)

  • kiroquai #20 4 years ago

    I appreciate the depth it offers, the features, the graphics etc...

    ... but I just can't get over the handling of the demo. It was really horrid - fluffy, floaty and not at all instinctive. Seemed to have the ol' pivot-round-a-centre-axis thing going on. I'm not saying they needed to make it simulation difficulty or anything like that, but a nicer handling model ala Project Gotham would have gone a long way.

  • zooms #21 4 years ago

    So on an engine that Sony helped develop the X360 version is still better than the PS3 version?
    Edited by 1 at 23/05/08 @ 09:52

  • SBfistfun #22 4 years ago

    A bit more insight into multiplayer would have been nice, sounds good though. I played the demo and it was the first racing game in years I actually found myself enjoying.

  • Haloboy #23 4 years ago

    Yeah I played the demo to death, and am still stunned at how Codies made the games engine so slick on a fairly modest PC setup. It's the best time I've had in a racing game in years and that was just a 3 track 3 car demo! Drifting is also a very welcome addition and mucho fun.

    I don't feel the need...the need for speed. And I for one am glad a game such as Grid can at long last show up ProStreet as the pile of rubbish it really is.

    Spot on Codies!!

    Edited by 1 at 23/05/08 @ 09:55

  • monkie_king #24 4 years ago

    "... the serenity of the garage scene menu backdrop, with the camera bobbing slightly as if on the breeze ..."

    You can actually move the camera around a bit with the right stick, also on the loading screens. A nice little touch.

  • jonsaan #25 4 years ago

    @peterfll
    Why was the PS3 demo 'technically flawed' then?. It seemed fine to me. Just handled like a roller skate on ice.

  • Bitkari #26 4 years ago

    "GRID is a arcade racer... and sounds like a great racer, but no sim like TOCA and GTR ."

    You're almost certainly correct. I'm just getting carried away. :]

  • Bealsy #27 4 years ago

    * slow claps at Altrezia while handing him his coat *

  • themorganator #28 4 years ago

    this is still a rental for me. The handling is rubbish on the 360 wheel - regardless of how much you tune it or what aids you're running.

  • Haloboy #29 4 years ago

    Just because it's not one for the Live for Speed/GTR crowd doesn't make it shit you nonce. Some of us just want to have fun in our driving games. Y'know - fun?

  • kiroquai #30 4 years ago

    Re: Haloboy!

    I play LFS/rFactor/GTR, true, but my dislike of GRID has nothing to do with that. I enjoy a good arcade racer as much as any of the aforementioned, as long as the handling is good fun. I found GRID's handling really horrible - there was no 'feel' to it, and it made driving the cars feel pretty bad. I even hooked up my G25 to see if that helped, but it didn't.

    Arcade racing games are awesome and games don't need massively punishing handling models to be fun, but they do need something that is at least a little instinctive and predictable. I found that the handling in GRID was neither of those things.

  • Widge #31 4 years ago

    and thats why I've decided Burnout over this, seems more like fun... and I don't want to have a racers collection really!

  • LeD #32 4 years ago

    This sounds like the race I've been waiting for!

  • BBIAJ #33 4 years ago

    So on an engine that Sony helped develop the X360 version is still better than the PS3 version?

    More like helped fund the development of... ;o)

    But yes, it is rather amusing somewhat, and must be particularly galling for Sony!

  • Haloboy #34 4 years ago

    Re: kiroquai

    It's still a damn sight better than Dirt, and a massive leap above ProStreet which hardly allowed me to even take a corner. It's not perfect no, but as far as arcade raers go it's good enough to make me want to slide my big ass around every single corner that appears in true style.

  • kiroquai #35 4 years ago

    And that's fair enough :-) - it's always horses for courses with this kind of thing. I certainly appreciate what it offers and how it's presented, but for me the core bit of it doesn't float my boat.

  • skillian #36 4 years ago

    Burnout Paradise, Trackmania United Forever and GRID?

    An unusually good year for PC arcade racers this year. I thought the PC had ditched the genre forever...

  • Haloboy #37 4 years ago

    Also, why no replay save option in the final? I could have sworn I saw a save option fitted in some official screens. That is however my only gripe thus far against what is looking to be a fantastic balls nailed down to the pedal racer.

  • malteaserhead #38 4 years ago

    any changes from the demo build in terms of handling/braking?

  • Beano #39 4 years ago

    "Why was the PS3 demo 'technically flawed' then?. It seemed fine to me. Just handled like a roller skate on ice. "

    Based on the demo - the PS3 version have more tearing and framerate issues, and is a bit aliased. Don't know if this is still the case for the retail game. No major difference but still worth mentioning for people who care about it and can see it (like me).

  • Haloboy #40 4 years ago

    I played all 3 versions of the demo recently and can confirm the PS3 version was the only that seemed to stutter from time to time while racing. All 3 look exactly on par with one another aside from that which is exactly how it should be.

  • TheNinkyNonk #41 4 years ago

    "So on an engine that Sony helped develop the X360 version is still better than the PS3 version?"

    If the demos are anything to go by, then yes: it's much better looking and smoother on the 360

  • Stifler #42 4 years ago

    i honestly don't get it, i thought the demo was pap, the handling was a joke and the game far to easy (with all the aids off) and just dull and uninteresting in every way - must not be seeing what you guys are seeing :S
    Edited by 1 at 23/05/08 @ 10:40

  • Bartacus #43 4 years ago

    I loved the Grid demo on the 360 highly addictive.
    If they don't fix the tearing & steering problems on the PS3 version it’s going to lose the face off once AGAIN.

  • muscleblade #44 4 years ago

    "If the demos are anything to go by, then yes: it's much better looking and smoother on the 360 "

    Why arent i suprised?

  • Beats12 #45 4 years ago

    It seems that all the people who are amazed by the high score or 'just don't get' the game are probably people who would lean towards the more realistic driving models found in serious racing sims, which is OK. I (and many other people) don't like/aren't very good at serious racing sims, so Grid's arcadey handling and intense racing (where I can pretend that I'm playing a serious racer while still being OK at it) is just what I'm looking for!

  • deetee #46 4 years ago

    Love the PC demo and have preordered the full game. Bought an "XBox 360 controller for Windows" just for this game and am impressed. Was thinking of getting a console but with GRID, Burnout Paradise and GTA4 coming for PC I see no need to buy one now. :-D

  • jonsaan #47 4 years ago

    the delayed Dirt actually ran better on the PS3 if I recall. Seems odd that this should be the other way round. Is it not the same engine?

  • systems #48 4 years ago

    I have to agree that the handling is rather arcadey. It suits the less-gifted driver as you can get away with anything (and if you make a mistake you can flashback). It's the sort of handling you'd expect from a film not a racetrack.

    I would say it's more from the Need For Speed school of driving than PGR (which IMO has the best balance of arcade and sim). But who cares if it's fun to play?

  • peterfll #49 4 years ago

    @jonsaan

    As Beano said. And yes, Dirt was idenitical to my eye (I downloaded both 360 and PS3 demos of that). So I was surprised by the technical issues of the PS3 GRID demo. It was so bad I actually downloaded the 360 version just to see if it the engine was flawed or whether it was another example of a bad cross platform engine.

    Put it this way, on my PS3 and TV the demo was tearing and stuttering pretty much all the time. On the 360 it didn't do this at all.

    I'm not deliberately courting controversy, but personally I want to know about this sort of thing because I have the choice of platforms and such issues do affect my enjoyment of a game.

  • Widge #50 4 years ago

    I didn't notice any tearing on the PS3 demo, but then again it lasted all of about 5 minutes before I thought "bugger this" and deleted it!
    NICE MENUS THOUGH.

  • CARL05 #51 4 years ago

    imo the PC demo played better than the 360 demo.
    I would buy it for the PC if I didn't already have too many racing games uncompleted

  • BooMMooB #52 4 years ago

    bizarre is not doing a new MSR game. Sega owns that brand and thus it will have to be through them if Bizarre is to do a new game in the original brand.

    I believe MSR is much better name than PGR, but thats another story. :)

    On topic; I totally disliked the controls/handling (every assist was off) - but still everything else was pretty much spot on. Graphics are the best I've seen in a console racer and the sounds was okayish. The presentation and crashes are also much impressive and all in all, I had a good time with the demo. If the full game has softned up the controls abit instead of being so on/off (full brakes in the BMW allows you not to stear? WTF?) the I must admit I'm very much tempted to pick the final game up.

    EDIT: Spelling
    Edited by 1 at 23/05/08 @ 11:26

  • Widge #53 4 years ago

    It'd be nice for a (reputable) PS3 owner to report back once they have it. Well for you lot anyway, as I said... played it, enthusiasm drained.

  • BraveArse #54 4 years ago

    @systems - I guess the problem is that codies *used* to produce racing and rally games that were "fun" for a specific crowd of people ( myself included ) but now that they've gone all arcadey that specific group of people ( myself included ) feel a little abandoned by the very developer that we used to rally behind ( pun intended ).

    Now they're *fun* for a much larger crowd - trouble is they've nicked our tricycles in the process and aren't giving them back anytime soon.

    /Waits for GT with damage and that Ferrari wotsit.

  • AtomicBanana #55 4 years ago

    But the handling is still rubbish, rendering everything else redundant :(

  • Beano #56 4 years ago

    @peterfll : Actually DIRT runs far better on PS3 than 360 (much bigger difference that on GRID), but that's primarily because the PS3 version came out later and the developers had more time to optimize the PS3 version.

  • T4RG4 #57 4 years ago

    Shocked! 9/10!!

    I quite like all the things in the game (sponsors - yes I'm sad, building a team, hiring a team mate yey!)

    But I thought the demo sucked ass on the most important aspect - handling. I thought I was driving on ice (I love Forza, but GRID didn't seem to give me any slipping/tyre feedback). It doesnt matter what is in the game if the handling is pants.

    Might have to download and try the demo again...

    Overall it sounds like a return to form for Codies driving stuff (which I've disliked since the last great, TOCA PS1).


    EDIT - Now that I've read all the comments here it seems opinion is divided. Seems a great game for Arcade players (nothing wrong with that!) but not what I'm after. I too would have liked more review info on the most important aspect (handling).

    Walks on...
    Edited by 1 at 23/05/08 @ 11:48

  • ozallez #58 4 years ago

    sharing the engine with Dirt is flawed IMO, i also felt the handling was off ... rally and track racing seems incompatible to me.

  • Widge #59 4 years ago

    Driving on ice, yes! That sums it up for me.

  • Beats12 #60 4 years ago

    @Egster

    You do realise that your opinion is just that: an opinion (and not a representation of fact, as you seem to be implying)! I for one quite like the arcade handling (though understand why others don't). I pretty much agree with the review and score (though perhaps would have thought an 8 was more appropriate).

    With regards to the Haze score, it isn't only Eurogamer who think it is mediocre at best...

  • polaris70 #61 4 years ago

    Well, been playing the multiplayer on xboxlive and haven't had so much fun since I first put COD4 in the tray. I would buy this game if it was only multiplayer but the fact you get a big single player game as well is the icing on the cake. I found nothing wrong with the handling after I got used to it. Graphics are good, damage is good, presentation is slick, multiplayer is smooth. Next Friday I'll be down Gamestation with my cash.

  • rashes #62 4 years ago

    I'll be buying this for the multiplayer alone... it's excellent.
    The randomness of the 1st corner with full damage on really makes it feel like a more fun and less competitive experience.

  • monkie_king #63 4 years ago

    "full brakes in the BMW allows you not to stear? WTF?"

    Yeah, that's known as locking up your front wheels. To me, complaining about handling not being realistic in a videogame is pretty irrelevant, unless that game is billed as a simulation. It's like moaning that you won't play COD4 because the recoil on the M16 is all wrong. Either the game is fun or it isn't, and OutRun2, Burnout and Ridge Racer demonstrate that driving games can be immensely enjoyable with even the most fantastical interpretation of Newton's laws.

    With regards to the tearing on the PS3 demo, I think somewhere on here I read that the EG framerate counting apparatus detected that it was tearing approximately 40% of the frames.
    Edited by 1 at 23/05/08 @ 12:10

  • fragpig #64 4 years ago

    yeah i'm with monkie_king, there a lot of people spouting off about the physics and that Grid is arcadey, I think they are just repeating what others have said to give themselves some kind of snobbish high ground.

    Forza 2 is supposed to be sim, but to some pc racers that is not the case they look down their noses at it. I think Grid handles fine, different to Forza, but not really 'arcadey', when i think of arcadey i think of outrun/crazy taxi/daytona.

  • T4RG4 #65 4 years ago

    I dont think people are looking down their noses at GRID handling, just stating its not what they want. I find Forza2 to be in the middle ground between say a PC sim (GPL) and PGR (perhaps leaning towards more difficult with aides off, but that's the point of selectable aides) and I love the handling of that.

    But with everything switched off GRID doesn't give me what I want - a sense of controlling a car, so in that sense I refer to it as Arcade (and the rewind stuff certainly adds to its Arcade label in my opinion). I don't sit at home in a specially designed racing chair gripping my £200 steering wheel, but this game is quite far from handling as expected or being fun for me (I think).

    I don't really want to learn to drive something Codies have 'created'.

    I do however set up the controls on racing games to use right analogue stick as throttle/brake not the triggers for the latter do not give enough fine control - GEEK ALERT.

    Edited by 1 at 23/05/08 @ 12:32

  • chris_ace #66 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 11:55:13 13-12-2011

  • monkie_king #67 4 years ago

    Euw, you on a PlayStation pad there? It's been triggers for me since the Dreamcast, through Gamecube and Xbox to 360. Though I did have to resort to right stick for GT3 on the PS2, thanks to the utterly useless travel-free "analogue" face buttons.

  • T4RG4 #68 4 years ago

    X360

    I've always used the sticks since F12001 on PS2.

    Buttons/triggers don't give enough control for me.

  • Darren #69 4 years ago

    Didn't EG report in the update to their GTA IV framerate article that the PS3 version tore 40% of the time using a proper test? That sounds about right from the demo I played. The 360 version had minimal tearing throughout the demo, in fact I only saw it once or twice in the dozen or so times I played it. Of course, the PS3 demo could have been an earlier build than the 360 or the 360's graphic chip may have the edge over the PS3's hence the reason the engine runs smoother. Whatever, the main reason for me pre-ordering the 360 version is I prefer its controller for racing games, it's as simple as that.

  • viper_h #70 4 years ago

    Boring. Once you've played one cack racing game with shit cars that don't steer or stop when you press the buttons, you've played them all.

  • monkie_king #71 4 years ago

    Are you sure your controller was connected?

  • KreyAtiv #72 4 years ago

    I enjoyed the demo of it for the 360, especially the San Francisco track where you hear the thud of the car as you land after a short air time. :)

  • Beano #73 4 years ago

    "Didn't EG report in the update to their GTA IV framerate article that the PS3 version tore 40% of the time using a proper test? "

    If they wrote that, they were wrong. I havn't noticed any tearing in GTA4 on PS3. It has big framerate issues, but no tearing.. or at least very minor tearing.

  • shamblemonkee #74 4 years ago

    Have to say if the handling is anything like DIRT then this is a def no buy. There's realistic racers and arcadey racers but it still has ot fundametally feel like a car you are driving, which in my opinion dirt did not.

  • cyber_nicco #75 4 years ago

    "GRID is a arcade racer... and sounds like a great racer, but no sim like TOCA and GTR ."

    TOCA was so f'ing not a sim! Argh! Go play 2 or 3 again, race with ANY car (even the ancient skinny-wheeled types), accelerate to as high a speed as you like, then jam on the brakes... THEY WON'T LOCK UP. Yes, it doesn't even try to model braking properly. There are other issues as well, and I quite liked 2, but it was no sim.

    Forza is the sim of the consoles...

  • Darren #76 4 years ago

    @Beano - No, you misunderstood what I wrote, EG mentioned that the Race Driver GRID demo on the PS3 had torn frames 40% of the time in their GTA IV graphics comparison update.

    The article is *here*.

  • Beano #77 4 years ago

    @Darren : Ok... makes more sense ;)

    I'm just curious if the retail version (of GRID) performs the same as the demo did.

  • BooMMooB #78 4 years ago

    "Yeah, that's known as locking up your front wheels. "

    Well, if the ABS failed and the wheels are just skidding, that would be perfectly ok. But in GRID that is not what is happening. Based on the demo, what Codies have put in GRID as handling is beneath pretty much every other arcade racer out on this generation. Yes, even NFS ProStreet and Burnout Paradise.

    And if you care to read most of the negative comments here is that the handling issues with GRID is what is taking away all the fun of the game. Which is very sad, since everthing else is top notch. Nobody here was expecting Forza 2 physics but we were promised something along the lines of PGR in terms of handling realism, and surely GRID doesn't deliver this.

    Still, I might buy it (as I've already said)

  • Balaam #79 4 years ago

    What with this and GTA4 I'm genuinely starting to wonder if I've bought a lemon in the ps3; the only thing that swung the decision for me over the 360 were the issues over build quality. Pfft.

    I'd imagine most people can afford both consoles, but still...

    This needs some kind of shocking eurogamer exposé.
    Edited by 1 at 23/05/08 @ 14:21

  • gingerlink #80 4 years ago

    sadly, I will now need to buy this, having played the demo and finding out the full game remains completely awesome

    *sigh* I was hoping to save some money...

  • MrChuckles #81 4 years ago

    Tried the 360 demo. Liked the idea of getting different bonuses for getting different places in teh game, much more interesting than just 'win the race'. Looked nice, everything good..... OMG, the handling? I didn't know that from a standing start accelerating in a BMW while turning puts you into an instant doughnut.

    Jeez, it was rubbish.. At high speed it felt ok, but low speeds it was ridiculous. I am one of the Forza, PGR4, Grand Prix 3 on the PC brigade.

    Whole package looks awesome, but hugely let down by the handling...

  • NickD7 #82 4 years ago

    Love racing games. Found the handling in this game to be the worst i've ever seen. Like driving on ice while having roller skates in place of the wheels. It's 100% busted. And i'm amazed at this score and even more amazed they released the game with disgusting handling

  • muscleblade #83 4 years ago

    Better than Gran Turismo 5 probably.

  • peterfll #84 4 years ago

    Re: DiRT, well I downloaded the 360 demo when it first came out. Then the PS3 demo some months later so the comparison was based more on memory. Also I couldn't comment on the full retail versions was superior, I was talking only about the demos.

    I find it interesting when people don't notice the tearing \ framerate issues. I thought I was starting to understand the underlying technical reasons for tearing - and I didn't think it was related to your display settings (for example, which might explain why people get different results). But basically the PS3 GRID demo had terrible tearing in it, and for a racing game that's really not good. My PS3 was running it at 720p (on a 1080p TV).

    I remember when EG reviewed Unchartered Drakes Fortune and - paraphrasing it mentioned - "couldn't see any tearing". I've since bought it and it does tear quite a bit on my setup (although overall it's quite a stunning game).

    \confused myself now

    Sorry, I know I'm banging on about technical issues when most people here seem to dislike GRID for the handling \ gameplay, which I agree is the most important element of a game of course. I guess GRID is one of those marmite experiences (there's been a few games like that recently!).

  • Haloboy #85 4 years ago

    What we really want is V rally 4! Or perhaps at least RBR 2. Either will suffice. :D :D :D :D

  • mkreku #86 4 years ago

    I tried the demo but it didn't work for me at all. Graphics flickered, the menus were buggy, there were half-invisible trailers standing in the middle of the tracks. It was virtually unplayable because of all the bugs.

    Looking forward to the retail though. Sounds like a bundle of fun!

  • qwerty123 #87 4 years ago

    mrchuckles
    You need to give it a chance, you've got to be a bit more subtle with the right trigger and the steering and you'll soon get used to it and enjoy it for what it is.
    I think people complain about the handling (me included) because they are initially crap at it and don’t put the time in to understand what you can and can’t do. Try the time trial and do repeated laps and you’ll understand the handling model more as your lap times fall.
    Record stands at approx 1:13.60 in the BMW, I can only manage 1:15.15

  • fragpig #88 4 years ago

    @egster

    i don't think the driving feels like crap even for an arcade racer and obviously neither did the reviewer

  • makeamazing #89 4 years ago

    I love this game, its great fun to play other people online, and the damage system is very cool. Cant wait to get it next week.

    On the technical side, I have had NOT 1 technical tearing or stuttering problem with the game. So this leads me to think there may be other things that people are not considering, like screen resolution, crap internet providers, crappy monitors, a full up hard disk (does PS3 do defragging?) etc.

    I dont know if this is the case, I am just stating Ive had a couple of hangs in the game (played it alot) but other than that I've had nothing, so I would be interested in some of these game sites actually looking into what is causing these problems than saying theres tearing... the same criticism of GTA is exactly the same, had no performance or tearing. To me there is something specific, and not just platform specific.

    PS the driving of the game is not that bad once you get used to it, I do laugh at those that want realistic driving, most people would never have driven cars like this, and lets be honest using a controller or a plastic steering wheel is not the most realistic thing in the world. Perhaps one day people can have a car mock up in their living room and then complain it doesnt drive realistically.

  • NickD7 #90 4 years ago

    Codemasters screwed up DIRT with poor handling, now they've done a even worse job with GRID. Shame as i really wanted them to sort it out for this game.
    They just don't know how to make playable racing games anymore. It's all about flash graphics, fancy menus, broken handling. Rallisport challenge 2 showed people how to do handling on and off road in a arcade racer. Yet it still hasn't been matched.

  • Miths #91 4 years ago

    Good news for us PS3 owners (I do have a 360 as well, but I really prefer to stick to my preferred console - and now that I have a Dualshock 3, the PS3 also fares a bit better in racing games).

    [link url=http://community.codemasters.com/forum /showpost.php?p=4042515&postcount=15
    ]http://co mmunity.codemasters.com/forum/s...[/link]

    "Just a few updates: Firstly, we v-sync every frame, but allow the game to overrun if needed, which is very rare and is much preferable to a complete frame drop. Secondly, our performance tests show that the 360 is running at a rock solid 30fps and the PS3 rarely drops, being rock solid 99% of the time. San Fran in the demo is probably our worst performer when the action gets really heavy on a couple of those long straights. Thirdly, we don't lead on any platform. We have dedicated teams on each platform as that is the only way to get the best from each of them. Fourthly, there are some extra performance improvements between the demo and release on PS3 as we were tuning right to the last minute. This should be apparent in our forthcoming reviews. Just to be on the safe side, we also have some further improvements lined up our patch."

  • T4RG4 #92 4 years ago

    "PS the driving of the game is not that bad once you get used to it, I do laugh at those that want realistic driving, most people would never have driven cars like this, and lets be honest using a controller or a plastic steering wheel is not the most realistic thing in the world. Perhaps one day people can have a car mock up in their living room and then complain it doesnt drive realistically."

    I think a lot of people are missing the point somewhat...

    It's less about people wanting the cars to behave exactly as they do in real-life (because you are correct, we haven't driven them all) but more about them behaving in a way people EXPECT such cars to behave (or cars in general). Considering a lot of people have driven cars and/or realistic simulations, I think their opinion on the handling, and belief that it's less than great, is valid.

    Dare I generalise and say that if you drive using the external behind-the-car-cam, that this game is right up your street. If you play cockpit/nose cam then go for the more rewarding 'simulation' Forza2 ;)


    btw - I hate the fecking Guitar Hero ad popping out all over the comments box - feck off with that. Anyone suggest a good flash/ad blocker for Firefox?
    Edited by 2 at 23/05/08 @ 17:18

  • infoxicated #93 4 years ago

    @T4RG4

    Flashblock is your friend. :o)

    https://a ddons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox...

  • T4RG4 #94 4 years ago

    Ooh nice one infoxicated!

    Cheers.

  • kiroquai #95 4 years ago

    T4RG4 just hit the nail on the head. I don't want the game to handle as a racing car in real life would (I have brief experience in that field, but nowhere near enough to be able to judge properly). If I wanted that I would carry on with rFactor.

    No, all I wanted was the handling to be good; to give the player something that he could get used to and control instinctively. The handling on GRID is really floaty and fluffy, and it makes it bloody hard to be smooth or consistent with lines and the like. I appreciate that it's not a full-on simulation, but at least give us handling that is simple and predictable.

  • Corben_Dallas #96 4 years ago

    jurys our on this one. Demo handling was Meh. way too easy, no testing physics at work, just screehy sounds and leany body roll but nothing else goin on.

    Might give it a rent.

  • 8bitMofo #97 4 years ago

    Fully deserved.


    Apart from the drifting...

  • freedumb #98 4 years ago

    Even an arcade game can have crappy handling, man. Complaining about the handling doesn't suggest you are a snobbish simulation geek. I enjoy both types of racer.

    I'm dissapointed at the direction they've gone from the TOCA Race Driver series, which was a good mix between sim and arcade (having options for both). This is now a genuine arcade racer, and while the mustang race was fun, the BMW handling is ridiculous. It's too loose and all over the place, yes, like driving on ice. Even the mustang race I had to struggle with the handling at times. It's pivot style and doesn't seem to be fully reacting to the road, like elastic and rubbery.

    Also where have all the disciplines gone? I wanted TOCA RAce Driver 4, not this americanised stuff. I won't be buying it.
    Edited by 2 at 23/05/08 @ 17:51

  • Haloboy #99 4 years ago

    Re: 8bitMofo

    O_O

    But the drifting is awesome fun and seems to be catered just right for that one more try gaming session. I practically played that section until my fingers almost bled I became so obsessed with beating the NPC's score. And I eventually did just that. If you want to experience dodgy drifting, I suggest you try out Juiced 2.

  • DanWhitehead #100 4 years ago

    There was another racing game about three years ago that did the whole rewind-time thing, but I'm buggered if I can remember what it was called.

  • Haloboy #101 4 years ago

    Timedrift!

    No wai....

  • Kostabi #102 4 years ago

    There was another racing game about three years ago that did the whole rewind-time thing, but I'm buggered if I can remember what it was called.

    Wasn't it by Milestone? I seem to remember it might have had an Italian theme for some reason.

    /Googles...

  • Kostabi #103 4 years ago

    Found it!

    SCAR: Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo and they apparently called their rewindy feature 'Tiger Effect'
    Edited by 1 at 23/05/08 @ 19:54

  • Haloboy #104 4 years ago

    So it was. And funnily enough I remembered it was featured in yet another Blackbean creation:

    Evolution GT’s features include:

    · Unique features like cunning overtaking and the tiger effect where players have the ability to avoid accidents before they happen!

    Shame it was still utter trash.
    Edited by 1 at 23/05/08 @ 20:11

  • AOFanboi #105 4 years ago

    <em>>sigh< Another reason to hate those damn face off articles - now they're not even mentioning the console they're reviewing.</em>

    Yeah, I bet that "XBox 360" in the sidebar being highlighted is a COINCIDENCE. It cannot possibly be to indicate the platform the review is for.

  • septimus #106 4 years ago

    Didn't notice any gfx tearing on the PS3 version... did notice shitty handling. Seemed more sensitive than the 360.

    Then I put the 360 version on with the MS wheel... think that actually opened the 8th gate of hell. Even more shitty than Dirts wheel implementation.

  • vegard #107 4 years ago

    haha, i've never seen any of the GT games before. that video somebody posted earlier in these comments was hillarious!

    the 360 demo for this game was sweet, although i understand those complaining about the cars having no weight.

  • BadBoyBonner #108 4 years ago

    Septimus

    I'd say the implementation of the wheel is markedly better than the Dirt one (when comparing demos).

    However, I would say that it is when driving with a wheel that, the pivot turning implementation becomes most apparent - as anyone who has spent years driving soon realises (well maybe they don;t realise it at all, but they do realise it feels very "strange" as noted by several family members that came round a couple of weeks back).

    It seems strange to say that the most realistic "sim" like race experience maybe launching on Xbox Live - although this maybe just me wishing it to be so with it being Blimey Games that are developing Kart Attack. Hopefully there will be a sim mode and arcade mode, fingers crossed.

  • myke6699 #109 4 years ago

    As good as Sega Rally then?

    Me think this is more for the 360 crowd. Except for PGR and the Forza thingy, they haven't got much to race with.
    Edited by 1 at 24/05/08 @ 12:19

  • Jigglybean #110 4 years ago

    @ freedumb
    Have you actually seen the British Touring car racing recently? Why on earth should Codemasters support a dull, boring format? The series is NOTHING like it was 10 years ago when it was worthy of a racing game but now, its utter rubbish - and, probably the only sport in the world where the winner gets punished!

    Publishers and developers can't afford to make niche market games anymore and that is what ToCA essentially was. The game is an easy pick up and play, have fun racer and it does just that!

  • freedumb #111 4 years ago

    'Also where have all the disciplines gone? I wanted TOCA RAce Driver 4'

    To quote myself, I'm speaking of the recent TOCA Race Driver series (not the orignal TOCA's), the last two didn't even have the BTCC in it! They had multiple disciplines though, classics, oval racing, offroad, open wheel (Formula 3 and Formula BMW were among my favs), touring cars (like DTM and V8 Supercars), even Supertrucks; basically a mix and match of all types of racing, and sim (arcade) and (pro-sim) sim/realistic options for each and every one.

    That was a fun series, which had a variety of racing types to appeal to everyone not just a niche, and the handling was great, but this one isn't imo.
    Edited by 7 at 24/05/08 @ 17:49

  • CHAZBIGPOTATO #112 4 years ago

    "imo the PC demo played better than the 360 demo. "

    No thats not allowed, you are only allowed to compare the 360 version with PS3 version, this is Eurogamer!

  • captain-future #113 4 years ago

    Can't wait for it!!!

  • captain-future #114 4 years ago

    @simakperrce: *LOL* GT5p has very realistic physics, yes...? Watch this (the crashes are like Matchbox cars)...!
    [link url=http://xboxer.tv/2008/05/race_driver_grid_beats_gt5_ pro.html
    ]http://xb oxer.tv/2008/05/race_driver_gri...[/link]

  • oneiros #115 4 years ago

    "...the monstrous high-speed straights of Circuit de la Sarthe are a welcome alternative to the usual Nurburgring Nordschleife, which has been the arcade racing game's massive lap of choice for the last few years."

    Couldn't agree more, although weren't the races previously touted as 24 minutes, not 12? That's what, four laps? I guess it might just about allow you one lap each of dawn, day, dusk and night.

    Still slightly worried about the handling, and a bit disappointed how little time the review spend discussing it. Maybe that's 'cos it's not an issue? Hope so. Whatever, this is certainly a must-have for me; wonder if I can finish GTAIV by next Friday...

  • Dop #116 4 years ago

    Well, I did manage to win a race in the demo, after I realised the little red light next to the speedo tells you when to brake.
    Admittedly, the car had no front bodywork left other than the bonnet after I'd bounced off so many walls (so, damage model largely cosmetic?).

    It looks very nice. The replays are totally OTT.

    But I have to agree with everyone who's criticised the handling. It seems to go from 'stuck to the road like glue' to 'swapping ends' without any kind of intermediary feel, and it has that fabled 'car mounted on a central ball bearing' look & feel.

    Not one for me, then.


  • T4RG4 #117 4 years ago

    Okay, I've played the demo a bit more (including online race) and I conclude the handling completely sucks.

    This is probably why it can look so pretty, there are no serious calculations in relation to handling/car physics. This is a crap stab at a dev team working on car handling. However, I can see it suits Arcade players who blat around the track (again, nothing wrong with this I can see the appeal) but even so, it could give a little more feedback when cornering! There is nothing, eugh.

    Horrid. Shame, as everything else looks quite nice (menus are OTT and slow though).

  • tiddles #118 4 years ago

    After initially not liking the handling, I now love the demo, and will be buying the game. I think a lot of the problems are caused by the third person camera - the pivot point is quite far back, exaggerating the appearance of turning and making the car feel over-responsive. A lot of the time when people talk about "cocktail-stick" handling they're actually describing the behaviour of the camera... when you go into any of the 1st person modes you can see that the handling model is actually fine (in my opinion - others will no doubt disagree).

    However, I would also say that you need to play around with the driver assists too. I ended up settling for Traction Control as my only assist, as the spinning out you get without it when you give it too much gas was a step too far in the direction of realism for me! I would definitely recommend disabling Stability Control though, as it appears to give the car a much weightier feel, even though you have to take more care with cornering. Braking Assistance can be used if you don't want to worry about locking up the brakes, but personally I like having to deal with this, and it was a feature that was always well implemented on previous TOCAs.

    Once the handling clicks, and you find the right combination of assists, it provides a fantastic exciting racing experience - they've brought back that unique TOCA feel of jostling with a huge field of other cars and fighting for your place. And the rewind feature is great too - perhaps this should become a feature for ALL single-player games, not just racing and Prince Of Persia? :)

  • ozallez #119 4 years ago

    "Still slightly worried about the handling, and a bit disappointed how little time the review spend discussing it. "

    wondered the same too... all those expensive banner ads clouding their judgment? ;)

  • Grayvern #120 4 years ago

    I cant stand the drifting but i still may buy the game. The demo with the mustangs was pretty good, i have a soft spot for mustangs though, but just like shotguns in shooters thats often a no-win relationship. Damn muscle cars.

  • FooAtari #121 4 years ago

    Quite surprised by this review. Sure the game looks nice but sim or arcade the handling is awful. I love most types of racing games from games like GPL and rFactor to PGR to Sega Rally.

    I expected Grid to err on the arcade side of things, so was hoping for something along the lines of PGR physics but wa left pretty disapointed, not even as good as the medicore Pro Street in this regard.

    Both DIRT and GRID are poor compared to the peaks of each series.

    It's a shame that Bernie Ecclestone is such a greedy bastard and will only sell the rights to one developer and charge such an extortionate sum of money (although F1 has been so tedious over the past 6 or 7 years i guess its no loss that Codies have it). Thank god for quality mod makers that produce some stunning work for rFactor.

    But yeah unless the handling was reworked from the demo I'm surprised anyone thinks thats it's good. To floaty, twitchy and seems to turn on a central axis.

  • Tonga #122 4 years ago

    I really enjoyed the demo. Can see how the handling isn't for everyone, but it had that addictive quality., just one more go... :)
    Graphics were superb. Definite buy for me. Multiplayer is awesome.

    I don't see the so-called 'pivot physics' though, seems fine, from bonnet cam you can see the weight transfer when turning (although it's not as exaggerated and unrealistic as other games), plus you can see it doesn't turn from a central axis when driving slowly, or doing doughnuts on the spot. As has been said before I think it is just a case of the chase camera being really loose and giving that impression. It's fine from bonnet and bumper, and that makes it fine for me :)

    (Although that said, I'm one of those who loves the drifting, so that probably makes me weird... ;)

  • Moz #123 4 years ago

    Played both demo's yesterday and just find the game way too punishing, the number of times i had to restart a race 30 seconds in cos my steering was already screwed from damage was just silly!! From other people opinions it would seem that some of you like that. But it's back to PGR4 and GT5P for me. And trying to compare GRID to either is a waist of time as they very dfferent games

  • makeamazing #124 4 years ago

    Learning to drive the vehicle and understanding how it drives is not that difficult, from a multiplayer point of view trying not to get smashed off the track on the first corners is the big challenge. Thats where most of my poor races have been, when some idiot behind doesnt want to break but use my car to get round the corner. I hope there is an easy way to kick people from inside the race, those that decide to drive the wrong way around the track and not actually race are just muppets!

  • tiddles #125 4 years ago

    Played both demo's yesterday and just find the game way too punishing, the number of times i had to restart a race 30 seconds in cos my steering was already screwed from damage was just silly!! From other people opinions it would seem that some of you like that. But it's back to PGR4 and GT5P for me. And trying to compare GRID to either is a waist of time as they very dfferent games

    Tried using the flashback function? Select Instant Replay and press X / Square.

  • moles200 #126 4 years ago

    Well i have down loaded both version ps3 and 360 and i cant see hardly any differences between the two-hardly any tearing or frame rate poblems on either version-so i have come to the conclusion that all these people complaining about the ps3 version are either 360nfan-boys or dont have their tvs set-up corectly

    Either way shouldn't everyone wait until the fullgame is released before comparing the two versions FFS
    Edited by 1 at 26/05/08 @ 22:04

  • MaxiSleep #127 4 years ago

    I was very unimpressed with the PC demo version handling but downloaded the 360 demo and it definitely has more "feel" to it (using a 360 controller on both so that was not the issue with it). Very hard to say what the difference is but I get the sense they are doing more physics updates per second cos it is possible to sense the car going out of line and then bringing it back. So if u hated the PC demo do try the console versions. You might be plesently surprised. (core 2 3ghz with an 8800gtx)

    /buy status back on.

    And lads since this is a multi format magazine it would be nice if you could give impressions of the diff systems with the review. :)

  • Agent_Llama #128 4 years ago

    Really want to like this but after numerous tries at the demo I just don't. It looks utterly lovely, but the it's killed by the horrendous handling, which, as others have said, does indeed feel like you're on ice - there's no feel of traction at all.

  • random_name #129 4 years ago

    I played the demo on my PC - loved it. A definate buy for me.

  • sonmi451 #130 4 years ago

    tried the demo and hated the handling. read this review so tried the demo again and after an hour of driving and adjusting settings I deleted it again. even as an 'arcade' racer i find the handling just wrong. a good 'arcade' racer is PGR with just the right balance of hollywood vs. realism. but to be honest i don't really find arcade racers appealing nowadays. since GT came along and really sorted the physics I've found it hard to appreciate another car game. i'll stick with GT5p until GT5 arrives. but i might just boot up PGR3 from time to time.

  • themorganator #131 4 years ago

    I'm not going to be rude or disrespect anyone else's comments but I can't believe how bad this handles. Ok, so I'm into the sim side of gaming but this is never going to tempt me from GT: Prologue or Forza 2. It looks great, don't get me wrong, but this game seems designed for the younger gamer and certainly not for the MS wheel. I spent hours trying to get the settings feel acceptable and that's just not right.

    well, thats my view anyway. Just like Dirt, the central pivoting means this is not getting added to my library. I'm gutted, all I wanted was to drive Le Mans too.

  • Tonga #132 4 years ago

    @themorganator: I didn't think Dirt centrally-pivoted. Just a chase camera thing, looking at other games the camera is a lot more locked to the back of the car than in Dirt and Grid. Maybe they should add some controls in to allow you to lock it so people wont think that's happening. Bonnet cam shows the turning and weight transfer pretty well. As I said earlier maybe they just need to overexaggerate the suspension like most other games do to show off the weight transfer.

  • DjWhizzkidd #133 4 years ago

    Awesome game. Ignore comments from people that cant play the game (they blame the handling because they cant handbrake turn at 95mph). Just check the other official reviews - they all score it highly as they have spent time with the game and learnt how to play it.

  • UncleLou #134 4 years ago

    Awesome game. Ignore comments from people that cant play the game (they blame the handling because they cant handbrake turn at 95mph).

    I for one had no trouble playing the demo and still think the handling is awful. Yeah, I know, you're confused now, sorry about that.

  • tiddles #135 4 years ago

    Anyone having difficulties with the handling - turn OFF Stability Control and see what you think then... makes a huge difference imho. (This option would probably be better named "Ridge Racer handling on/off".... ;) )
    Edited by 1 at 28/05/08 @ 10:33

  • UncleLou #136 4 years ago

    Anyone having difficulties with the handling - turn OFF Stability Control and see what you think then... makes a huge difference imho. (This option would probably be better named "Ridge Racer handling on/off".... ;) )

    I did that, and tried all combinations between everything off and everything on, it just never felt right to me. Cars feel too light, which influences everything from cornering behaviour to too effective brakes to often not having to use the brakes at all.

    I might still get the game because the racing action is superb, as is the damage modelling, but I just wish it would have been a little more Toca of old/Gran Turismo in the handling rather than Need for Speed.

  • m0thr4 #137 4 years ago

    Well i have down loaded both version ps3 and 360 and i cant see hardly any differences between the two-hardly any tearing or frame rate poblems on either version-so i have come to the conclusion that all these people complaining about the ps3 version are either 360nfan-boys or dont have their tvs set-up corectly

    I'm glad you posted that... after reading all the above posts, I was just starting to think the exact same thing.

  • m0thr4 #138 4 years ago

    I might still get the game because the racing action is superb, as is the damage modelling, but I just wish it would have been a little more Toca of old/Gran Turismo in the handling rather than Need for Speed.

    Um... having played all the Need For Speed games, especially Need For Speeed Carbon, which changes the entire physics model for so-called 'drift' challenges and Need For Speed Pro Street in which your car grips the track as if it's on rails...

    ... I would say that Race Driver: Grid is more Toca of old/Gran Turismo in the handling rather than Need for Speed.
    Edited by 1 at 28/05/08 @ 14:02

  • themorganator #139 4 years ago

    @tiddles

    "Anyone having difficulties with the handling - turn OFF Stability Control and see what you think then... makes a huge difference imho. (This option would probably be better named "Ridge Racer handling on/off".... ;) )"

    I tried this mate and it still doesn't work for me... personal preference i guess. It just really grips my shit when people make personal and attacking comments to people who don't agree with the handling. You're all just children.

    Personally, I'm still really disappointed with this and I would love someone who loves it to play Forza 2 (on the MS wheel) and then comment about the handling physics. IMHO, Forza doesn't look anywhere near as good as this but it destroys it on the physics front. Also, I cannot understand why Forza continually gets pencilled into the sim category when it has a significant arcade section. If you haven't played FM2, pick up a used copy. Should be less than £20 now.

  • Darren #140 4 years ago

    My 360 copy is on its way from GAME so hopefully it'll come tomorrow. I must say that I loved the demo and haven't been this excited about playing a racing game since... oooooh... PGR 4! :)

  • septimus #141 4 years ago

    Handling is nothing compared to Forza 2 and it is completely arcadey, not matter what aids you turn off.

    But, it seems more fun now than PGR4 which became stale really quickly (the single player was a horrid experience all around) and this seems a good replacement for it.

  • DjWhizzkidd #142 4 years ago

    UncleLou , If Im so confused, then I guess all the review sites giving it high scores must be confused too.

  • Whizzo #143 4 years ago

    Does anybody elses full version of the game keep freezing for 1/2 second (360 version) during a race?

    Not had that happen to me once in any of the races I've completed in the retail release.

  • UncleLou #144 4 years ago

    UncleLou , If Im so confused, then I guess all the review sites giving it high scores must be confused too.


    Epic failure on your part. You try to shut up people who dont like the handling with "learn2playn00b", now your only argument is review scores. Waste of time talking to you, bye.

  • makeamazing #145 4 years ago

    Theres lots of things to do in this game, guessing you havent read much about it :D

    I dont think it will get that boring that quick, I mean the demo has only a couple of races, but Ive played it more than I would a full game.

  • ozallez #146 4 years ago

    DjWhizzkidd: review scores? Check out the top and right banners on most these sites ... Grid ads everywhere! Explains the scores and reviews that barely mention the handling.

  • makeamazing #147 4 years ago

    Theres nothing wrong with the handling from an arcade racer point of view. I think some people were expecting to load up the demo and straight away drive around the course and be really full on power etc. Like the review on EG, when i first played the game I crashed ALOT... then after about 30 mins/1hour i got to a point where i knew where i could be full on and where i would have to ease off.

    Now i can pretty much get 1st in single player modes on the first 2 or 3, then the top two levels i got into the top 8-10. So that pretty sums it up to me.

  • DjWhizzkidd #148 4 years ago

    "DjWhizzkidd: review scores? Check out the top and right banners on most these sites ... Grid ads everywhere! Explains the scores and reviews that barely mention the handling."

    Good point. I forgot that every game which uses advertisement also pays every single game site to give them good reviews. How foolish of me.

    Perhaps they dont mention the handling because there's nothing wrong with it?

    Uncle Lou, sorry I used review scores to back up my argument. "Epic fail". Nice quote, not geeky.

  • WangFu #149 4 years ago

    @ ozallez - DjWhizzkidd: review scores? Check out the top and right banners on most these sites ... Grid ads everywhere! Explains the scores and reviews that barely mention the handling.

    So, how does that explain the review score for Ninja Gaiden 2 then? They advertise here too, or is that not worth pointing out because it doesn't help your point of view?

  • NickD7 #150 4 years ago

    Better than MGS4 then...coolz

  • jontam #151 4 years ago

    I found the cars handled better for me once i'd switched to bonnet cam, which may be a bit of a placebo effect, so don't know if anyone else would feel this way. When you have the chase cam the cars really do feel too light, almost to the point you feel like you are driving on ice.
    One funny thing happened during an online race yesterday though, one of the people I was racing against took a corner too fast, flipped his car and landed on top of a tyre wall and was stuck there for the remainder of the race lol!
    Overall it is a good game though, probably a 7, maybe an 8.

  • makeamazing #152 4 years ago

    Ive got stuck on a few tyre walls... funny :D.

    Im loving this game, its hard to begin with, but turning down the difficultly is a good place to start. I certainly dont think this game is a 7, I am happy with it being an 8.5 to 9. Most sites ive seen are giving it inbetween that (just read PC Format which gave it a 90%).

  • BarryCock #153 4 years ago

    Perhaps the Codies would be better off making an Ice Skating game rather than a Formula One game seeing as they have a fixation with "slidey" things.

    Whats the betting Ferrari will pull the plug on Codemasters F1 game just as they have with GRID.Cant say that I will blame them if they do.

  • makeamazing #154 4 years ago

    Well looks like most reviews dont agree with the handling situation, I dont agree with the ice rink analogy.

    You do know that getting a F1 license means giving the FIA alot of money, i somehow dont think Ferrari will pull the plug for the handling cause its a computer game... Ok so you dont like the handling of the cars, but i dont think you need to live up to your name making stupid comments ;)

  • bigmoal #155 4 years ago

    I'm encouraged that loads of people are loving this game. I'm definitely one of them!!!

    I've read quite a few forums and some people (I think sim-heads mainly) seem to be negative about the handling. I personally don't see the problem with games having different handling to each other - they're all a challenge in differing ways (which is what makes life interesting, you know). You have to learn to master the nuances of each one to get the fastest times. Learn to love them all for what they are :)

    I personally found GRID's handling to be fun. The handling feels different from car to car so you have to learn the cars: the slower cars can be chucked aggressively round the corners, the powerful cars have to be treated with a little respect when putting the power down.

    makeamazing - you said you got stuck on tyre walls. I noticed you can reset the car back onto the track by going into the pause menu - just look at the options at the bottom of the screen. Hope that helps, I know it helped me out a few times already :)

  • db3 #156 4 years ago

    I really enjoyed Dirt and made a Grid purchase in the hope demo physics weren't final.

    What I found was a mixed bag....as if the different departments within Codemasters couldn't agree on what they wanted it to be.
    The car interaction and damage is great making GT look dull. But overall it just feels speeded up cartoon-like with no weight to cars and unrealistic grip.

    Very disappointed.

  • themorganator #157 4 years ago

    I agree

  • SteveB #158 4 years ago

    I think Codemasters aimed to recreate the thrill of racing rather than driving and in this they have succeeded. I find the handling perfectly acceptable (in car view), but it’s the excellent AI that really makes this game.

  • ScottyXTUK #159 4 years ago

    Game is superb in my opinion, really enjoying it, lots of variety and the gameplay is top notch.

  • Games4life #160 4 years ago

    Great fun takes a bit of getting into but once there it's very addictive, challenging, fun and rewarding. The rewind your crash feature is excellent and helps take out frustration but the actual racing is exciting I've had some cracking finishes battling with the AI, you can crash into them and the car damage is awesome. It reminds me a bit of Colin Mcrae, PGR and Dirt all mixed together. and the variety in tracks and racing keeps it interesting. Not tried it on-line yet but it looks good. Awesome graphics and the cars are really fun to drive and look amazing. Finally a decent racer for the PS3!
    Edited by 1 at 04/06/08 @ 16:22

  • spiny #161 4 years ago

    Awesome game best racer evar!

    And on PC!

  • andylite #162 4 years ago

    Right now going through DIRT. Tried GRID - worthless waste of hard disk space.
    Good: awesome cars, great graphics, pleasant driver interface
    Bad: compared to DIRT car moves & keep-to-the-road don't seem real + overlook out of driver's cockpit isn't as informative as in DIRT.
    This game is kind of a graet attempt to obtain the NFS niche, removing it out of the market. But it has few realism to concur with either TOCA Race driver 3 or Colin McRae DIRT.
    Like dealing with spiolers, moldings, paints & stuff? - enjoy GRID.
    Wanna play hard and reach the champion's high? - dive in Toca or DIRT.

  • UKPartisan #163 3 years ago

    When I first picked up the controller and started playing, I thought wow this is pretty damned good but after several hours play the whole experience started to grate. I'm not saying the game is bad overall, there's perhaps too many half baked ideas and poorly implemented gameplay issues.

    My main gripes are:

    Career mode is fairly rudimentary and not at all as deep as many reviewers have stated.

    A number of racing disciplines are under-developed, others are just plain crap...Drift anyone?

    There is an over reliance on narrow street courses. While fun and chaotic at first, really begins to try your patience when you've been shunted in to a tire wall for the umpteeth time by the overly suicidal AI.


    It just seems to me that the developers were aiming to create a respectable sim experience but were told by Codemasters during development that they had to reach a wider audience. The result is a game thats unsure of itself and rather left in limbo.

    Shame really, worth playing though.

  • xxadamxx0001 #164 2 years ago

    The sence of speed and and and blur when u go really fast make while in side the copkit view made it feel like you where in a real race car!. When I first got the game I found the contorls not to bad since I got this game after Need for speed shift.
    When i brought it i had a felling that the game would kinda be like need for speed shift. Well yes but the alot of it was difrent.
    Anyway the steering of the cars felt sticky to me at first not easy or lite but sticky? After that the game grew on me. As most racing games do. I would give the game 8/10 I couldent be botherd by unlocking every thing my self (So? i got lazy once in a game) So i got cheats $5.57 AU ? U gotta be kiding really? any way i gave it an 8/10 coz just somthing didnt feel complete. Not enough actual race tracks. Maybe? I just dont know!?