GRID 2 is the long awaited sequal to Race Driver:GRID (released in 2008) which I'd say was probably one of the best driving games on the Xbox 360. So for this game, I must admit I was pretty excited about getting my hands on a copy, and so far, im impressed. Although I originally played this game almost a year ago at EurogamerExpo and was very happy about it then, I had my niggles about it. At the time, it didnt seem to be what you'd expect from a newer game. Thankfully, those worries have been completely sped past.
GRID 2 plays very similar to the first game, and if you didn't play the original, then I will fill you in. You start the game as a rookie driver, given a chance by someone leading a new racing league. You prove your skills in the first race, and then get invitations to challenges and races by other championship leagues and racers. As you progress in your dominance over the racing leagues, you earn new cars, have sponsership deals to earn you more points (provided you meet the objectives), and make a name for yourself among the racing world.
The racing game modes in GRID2 are fairly straightforward. Theres the standard x number of laps around a circuit, there are one on one races, and overtaking challenges where you must overtake cars as quickly as possible without touching anything- the better and faster you do, the more points you earn. Other race modes are Promotion, Time Attack, Drift, Eliminator, Checkpoint, Touge, and specific Vehicle Challenges..
However, one new niggle I have about this game is the way is plays, and feels. To be honest, Race Driver GRID was a fantastic game, and i think very difficult to improve upon. Codemasters Racing, who made GRID 2 have had thier work cut out for them and had very big shoes to fill and I feel have struggled this time. In the first game, everything you did and achieved, you really had to push yourself. The races were close, some challenges were extremely hard, and there were many times where I've failed races and/or challenges. So far in GRID2 i've done really well. I've been beating my opponents, drifting really well, and im meeting sponser requirements. Normally I'd say this is a good thing, but that being said, its because the game itself is relatively easy which is not a good thing. Sponser challenges used to be things I earnt the chance to go for, but now it just seems they are all there on the table to just do.
A couple of things made me smile whilst playing however. Firstly, the personalisation of your cars. Whilst not as in depth as Forza4 for example, you can change the look of your cars with the paintwork and sponsers. I always tend to spend alot of time in these parts of games as I want my cars to look the way I want them to look, from paintwork to wheels, from wheel designs to tinted windows. GRID2 has a very good range of looks for thier cars, and I'd really like to browse the community to see what other people have made. The second thing that made me smile is probably the simplest, but also the most important- the way the game LOOKS. It is BEAUTIFUL! Codemasters Racing have really taken great care into how the enviroment and cars look, and there are some points where it really drags you into it when your doing 100+mph over the crest of a hill and get sunlight shining against the tarmac. The cars look fantastic, and the crowd surrounding the track really make you feel like you are being watched as you try and drift round the bends. Although I must say I did crash against one of the barriers and noticed the two people in front of me didnt have faces...
This isnt to say GRID2 isnt worth playing, but I would recommend it to racers who could do with a pick-up-and-play game, and not those who are in it for a long challenging experiance such as Forza4 or Formula1 2012. Watch the trailer- if anything, it will show you how pretty the game is. And for your sake, please play it. Rent it or borrow it from a friend if you have to. It may not be the racing game of the year, but its still a damn good racing game.
GRID 2 plays very similar to the first game, and if you didn't play the original, then I will fill you in. You start the game as a rookie driver, given a chance by someone leading a new racing league. You prove your skills in the first race, and then get invitations to challenges and races by other championship leagues and racers. As you progress in your dominance over the racing leagues, you earn new cars, have sponsership deals to earn you more points (provided you meet the objectives), and make a name for yourself among the racing world.
The racing game modes in GRID2 are fairly straightforward. Theres the standard x number of laps around a circuit, there are one on one races, and overtaking challenges where you must overtake cars as quickly as possible without touching anything- the better and faster you do, the more points you earn. Other race modes are Promotion, Time Attack, Drift, Eliminator, Checkpoint, Touge, and specific Vehicle Challenges..
However, one new niggle I have about this game is the way is plays, and feels. To be honest, Race Driver GRID was a fantastic game, and i think very difficult to improve upon. Codemasters Racing, who made GRID 2 have had thier work cut out for them and had very big shoes to fill and I feel have struggled this time. In the first game, everything you did and achieved, you really had to push yourself. The races were close, some challenges were extremely hard, and there were many times where I've failed races and/or challenges. So far in GRID2 i've done really well. I've been beating my opponents, drifting really well, and im meeting sponser requirements. Normally I'd say this is a good thing, but that being said, its because the game itself is relatively easy which is not a good thing. Sponser challenges used to be things I earnt the chance to go for, but now it just seems they are all there on the table to just do.
A couple of things made me smile whilst playing however. Firstly, the personalisation of your cars. Whilst not as in depth as Forza4 for example, you can change the look of your cars with the paintwork and sponsers. I always tend to spend alot of time in these parts of games as I want my cars to look the way I want them to look, from paintwork to wheels, from wheel designs to tinted windows. GRID2 has a very good range of looks for thier cars, and I'd really like to browse the community to see what other people have made. The second thing that made me smile is probably the simplest, but also the most important- the way the game LOOKS. It is BEAUTIFUL! Codemasters Racing have really taken great care into how the enviroment and cars look, and there are some points where it really drags you into it when your doing 100+mph over the crest of a hill and get sunlight shining against the tarmac. The cars look fantastic, and the crowd surrounding the track really make you feel like you are being watched as you try and drift round the bends. Although I must say I did crash against one of the barriers and noticed the two people in front of me didnt have faces...
This isnt to say GRID2 isnt worth playing, but I would recommend it to racers who could do with a pick-up-and-play game, and not those who are in it for a long challenging experiance such as Forza4 or Formula1 2012. Watch the trailer- if anything, it will show you how pretty the game is. And for your sake, please play it. Rent it or borrow it from a friend if you have to. It may not be the racing game of the year, but its still a damn good racing game.