Race Driver: Grid

**Remahlól** · 10-03-2008

Race Driver: Grid

Game review based on author's experience.

Racing games, don't we all love them? For one I do, and I really feel sorry for the population whose main gaming platform is their own PC.
We can't really say that we're having a wide choice when we're down to racing games. Everybody knows about Need For Speed, the whole series,
but it appears that Electronic Arts isn't really making up his name with all the Need for Speed games which have came out since the big „explosion“,
which was caused by Need for Speed: Undeground. I must admit, it was a cool feeling to see your car go faster and fast after every new upgrade
which you've unlocked, but having it basically same (besides the change of the linear gameplay) all to ProStreet, over Underground 2, Most Wanted,
Carbon really bores the player.
So here are the „Codemasters“ with their newest popular creation, Race Driver: Grid (Or later in the text, Grid), the shiny and fancy looking racing
game for all possible platforms.

Since the moment I saw the cover of the game I was exited about it, even more when I bought *cough* the game and have finished installing it. Upon
entering it, I had to create a userprofile and even choose a name which the friendly Menu voice and the male racing operator voice used over and over
again. (I still hear the „Hello Benjamin“..)
*Spoiler alert*
The first race, the first impression. That's what many gamers perhaps think, you're wrong. The first race was a pretty slow one compared to the later
parts of the game. Once you reach some B licences and get to drive some
more exotic cars, you really feel the unrealistic speed of your machine!
But if you reach a B license, chances are that you maybe already will be bored by the game. It is interesting to have show your muscle car in the
USA league, or score some awesome drifts in the Japan league, but due the slow loading times and same concepts it can really make somebody go
insane. (I'm a person of patience.)

Minimum Specifications

Windows XP/Vista. (If running Windows Vista, SP1 is recommended)
DirectX 9.0c
Pentium 4 @ 3.0GHz or Athlon 64 3000+
1GB RAM.
Graphics Card: GeForce 6800 / Radeon X1300 or above
DirectX Compatible Sound Card
Dual Layer Compatible DVD-ROM Drive
12.5 GB Hard Drive Space

Recommended Specifications

Windows XP/Vista. (If running Windows Vista, SP1 is recommended)
DirectX 9.0c
Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.66Ghz or Athlon X2 3800+
2GB RAM.
Graphics Card: GeForce 8800 or Radeon X1950
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Sound Card.
Dual Layer Compatible DVD-ROM Drive
12.5 GB Hard Drive Space

Supported Graphics Cards
ATI Radeon X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950, HD2600, HD2900,
HD3870, NVIDIA Geforce 6800, 7100, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950, 8600,
8800, 9800.

PC, PS3, Xbox360, PSP.

Grid indeed has a really nice visual realisation. I've played it on my PC which
specs I will reveal at the end of the article. 1680x1050 Resolution, with all details on high gave me a fluid gaming experience. Too bad the game hasn't
any blur effects, since it would be some nice eye candy when driving at 410Km/h @ 24Hours of Le Mans.

Grid's graphical realization. A truly good piece of work!

The music in Grid is pretty poor. I usually had all sound options put down to 0%, while playing my favourite songs on Winamp, but I have to mention
that the engine sounds really make you think that you have a tiget beneath your hood. Burning tires, steering your wheels and accelerating make the
aucustic realisation of Grid a true experience for your ears. I've enjoyed it, but only 7 out of possible 10 due the lack of a quality soundtrack. (Like in
Need for Speed)

So here we stand the most important part of any game – the game play. The part which mainly decides if the game will just end up like one of those
unreal tournament copies on the storage with nobody buying them, or will it be a best seller like EA's The Sims! This game's game play is devided among
several classes, starting from the main difference between the location where you're actually driving (Europe, USA, Japan) up to the different races
like USA's Muscle machines, dirtcar, European touring cars, exotic leagues, F1, long lasting circuit races or the classical Japanese drift and downhill
a.k.a race for your life drift.

After quite some time, you earn yourself your first team mate, which in the beginning won't be very useful, due the lack of money you have at that
point, but later in the game when you English or Japanese pro drivers, they will graduately become not only your best friend, but your best rival. Every
racing season (Which lasts 3-4 races or events) you will be given the chance to present a team or enter with your own cars (which cost not
really below $15 Million if you want to win it) and get a big bonus of 100,00 reputation. Due all the various game types and, relative to them, the
various cars you'll surely want to try out, I must say that the game play of Race Driver: Grid is very promising!

The Flashback option. A new feature which will often earn you much money by erasing damage and so getting sponsorship money.

Exploitable game content: You cannot really manipulate the game in a big way, though you still can search the web for the secret codes which can
be put in, in the options menu to unlock some cars for free which would usually cost you a lot of valueable game money (Like for the DBR9). Once
you win the head-to-head races against Ravenwest (which you unlock by collecting 1,000,000 reputation points) you set the cheat menu free, giving
you speed boosts, no car damage and some other, really, really neat and useful options. But since at that point you've basically already passed the
game, they aren't really any big help besides for your fun and entertainment.

It's a real genre lovers game. Not really addictive, but fun to play around with. But for those who seek a real challange stick to Underground 1 or Test Drive's series.

My game rating: 92%, HOT!