Reviewed: Grid 2.

The first iteration of GRID was – and still is – one of my favourite racing games. Launched in 2008, it put other games, such as Forza 2, of that era to shame thanks to its graphics and innovation – you know flashbacks? You played it on GRID first. So when Codemasters finally announced GRID 2 I got quite excited to see how the next version of one of my favourite games of all time would stand up against the likes of Forza 4 and what innovation it would bring to the party this time around. 

The short answer is yes, it does hold up against the likes of Forza 4. What it loses to Forza in terms of number of cars, it makes up in track combinations, superb graphics and snazzy new features, one of them being the ‘liveroutes’ feature. What it means is that the game can randomly change the circuit as you go along by moving barriers and the like to create an ever-evolving track as you go along. The advantage to using this is that thanks to the map being disabled, nobody knows where they’re going and you have to rely on pure instinct. It feels a bit like your mum directing you from the passenger seat as you drive along, with an upside down map: a bit weird at first as you take wrong turns but then learn to ignore her (or in the game’s case, the other cars) and use your instinct. 

The main storyline of the game is that you are a young driver who has decided to take part in the new ‘World Series Racing’ series, which is unknown around the world. Before you can take part in the prestigious World Series Races (or at least they become more prestigious as the game goes on), you must race – and beat – the established drivers to tempt them into your series and therefore gain fans in the process. With cameos from ex-BTCC commentator Toby Moody and a wide variety of racing it is a career made to rival the storyline of Forza Horizon. 

Some people have panned the handling model for not being realistic enough but in my opinion Codemasters have hit a good compromise. The handling model is more arcadey in the respect that you really hold the car by sliding around each corner at breakneck speed, but the thing is that it isn’t Need For Speed arcadey. Imagine it as a halfway house between Forza 4 and Need For Speed and you’ll be most of the way there; its good enough to attract the more serious players but also simple enough to attract those who want to pick up and play as there isn’t the option to modify camber or toe or anything nerdy like that. An interesting observation that I’ve found is that in the group of friends I play with, myself and someone else were always towards the back of the group in Forza 4, but in GRID 2 we’re right up there and those who were thrashing us in Forza 4 are towards the back of the pack online. 

I think the best way to sum up this game is that it has a handling system that is geared towards the casual gamer but with graphics that even PC gamers will lust after. Put it this way; during races you and see – and hear – helicopters buzzing about all over the place and on street circuits you can pick out individual faces. In fact, a couple of days ago when I had a big moment on the Hong Kong street circuit, I crashed into a bus stop full of people, looked to the left and saw them cheering me on. Now that is neat, as is the fireworks that go off in the background when you race on the Yas Marina circuit: the attention to detail is second-to-none and you notice that as you slide and slither around the track. Yes, the handling model is a bit weird to get used to – and as a consequence online lobbies are more like demolition derbies at times – but who cares when the game looks this good? 

 Ah, online. Another neat idea for GRID 2 game is a traffic-light system of how much you crash – from red / orange depending on who you speak to (bad), yellow (halfway house) to green (good) – and the game will pair you with people with the same colour so if you do like go Pastor Maldonado on people you can do so away from me and if you like clean, honest, rubbin’ is racing you can join me.  That’s the theory anyway, but in practice you can switch it off for a few races, get a green light, be seen as a perfect player and then ruin races. So it can produce some funny races; my favourite is when I change the circuit to a lesser-known version of Yas Marina that I know (thanks to going through each track) and watching everyone get lost. It’s hilarious. 

 Also, another thing about online is that you have to level up and earn money before you can drive some of the faster machinery. So if you want to drive the BAC Mono for instance you need to be a level 17 driver. I’ve been playing the game for about a week with a considerable amount of time online and I’m level 6. So it is quite a hard graft up to the top but because of that, I imagine that those in the higher tiers will be better quality players because they’ve played the game for a long time. That or they’ve paid 550 Microsoft point to unlock every car straight away. 

That’s my biggest bugbear about the game: the fact that the content they’ve been heavily promoting (such as the Indycars and the Indy oval, or the Brands Hatch GP circuit) isn’t included in the main game but is in fact Day One DLC. This is a bit like buying a Ferrari 458 Italia and being told that you can only use on Wednesdays and Sundays. I have all of the DLC aside from the stupid unlock all cars thing which shouldn’t be there and I can say that the Mercedes pack isn’t worth the money – you get 15% off upgrades which in the long run equates to didly-squit and a Mercedes-McLaren SLR racing car that you won’t be able to use online because none of your friends have it. (when you buy the DLC the car automatically gets added to your garage)

So what I’d do is I would buy the Amazon ‘Race day edition' which includes the Indycar pack and the GTR racing pack as standard and then spend the 550 Microsoft points on the McLaren pack to unlock the majestic Brands Hatch GP circuit and a racing version of the McLaren MP4-12C. I’ve been to Brands Hatch many, many times and I have to say, Codies have done a wonderful job modelling the circuit. Put it this way, as I drive over the crest of the hill at Paddock Hill Bend I pick out the eatery in the lower paddock!

All in all then, this game is tailored towards the casual gamer, but with simulation graphics and the like (the tyre squeal which you’ll get used to hearing is excellent) and with monthly DLC a la Forza 4 it should bridge the gap between the two in terms of sheer number of cars. What it lacks in variety of what you can drive, it more than makes up for with its stunning picture and replay model (you can upload straight to Youtube) and track variants. Now to try and find a lobby without people who will crash into me all the sodding time…

Thanks to LunchPR.