Now, I have played many racing games in the Need for Speed series. Some that are gold (Hot Pursuit 2, Underground 2, Most Wanted), some that are lemons (Carbon, Prostreet and Undercover on PC), but I have to admit I have not played many other racing games that have been as good as the gold nuggets in Need for Speed. Then along came GRID, which would is the blonde bikini model of the racing game genre.
It looks fantastic! I couldn’t believe how pretty all the cars looked, the car physics are the best I have experienced. Being able to do burnouts in the middle of the track left you in a fantastic smoke cloud. Now I have played burnout, and have always thought they have done the best visual crash damage in a game. GRID rips the badge off burnout for this as the crashes are more realistic, probably because you are not going down the street at mac10. The damage system in GRID also deserves a mention, as you gain damage as you smash into things. This means most NFS fans will not be able to drive in at full speed into rival racers as you will inevitably crash and fail.
This brings me to my next point. This game gives you flashbacks. I don’t know how many times I have been in a race and coming to corner or obstacle and crashing, just to end up loosing the race because of a simple mistake, leading to doing the race all over again. GRID gives you a certain amount of flashbacks depending on the difficulty to rewind time and correct mistakes. It something I was happy to have as I went into this game NFS style. There is also a optional Pro Mode which allows the racer to compete more realistically by disabling the restart race button. This not only gives you more racing rep points, but also adds a more realistic touch to the game.
Now, a lot of racing games miss is a variety in race types, and GRID provides a wide variety of car racing ranging from crash car derby to formula 3, Japanese Drifting to the 24 hour Le Mans. This means enthusiasts can enjoy doing what they love. This is also good as not all events are compulsory, giving a mixed experience for all.
And as with all games there are bugs… yes not even this gem is free from faults. One thing I found particularly annoying was accelerating in first gear, both while turning and going straight. The default settings are what caused your front wheels to skid, and this became really annoying while trying to turn around, only to end up spinning or fishtailing. My other bug, yet rare and not major, and is rather amusing, is where I was reversing along a wall and was thrown into the air. You know what, just watch it.
So is GRID worth getting? HECK YES! If you love, or even like racing games, GRID is really for you. For those who don’t, I reckon that GRID is worth trying as I had so much fun with it, and there is definitely enough stuff in the game. One of my favorites was the derby, especially when I turn stability control off!
No comments:
Post a Comment