Just got my hands on this Racing game by Codemasters, the creators of the TOCA/Race Driver series. GRID is a more of a simulator as compared to the Need For Speed series. Finally, something in the league of Forza motorsports and Gran Tourismo for the PC.

The game features an instant replay and a flashback feature which allows the player to rewind time by up to 10 seconds and jump into that instance to restart the race from there. While the instant replay can be used as many times as the player wants, the flashback feature can only be used a limited number of times, determined by the difficulty setting. This flashback feature makes life easier in this very difficult game. This is not an easy game to play. The learning curve is very steep, make mistakes and you would have to restart or use the flashback feature.

The graphics are extremely good if you have the proper hardware, shadows form when trees and the crowd stands are in the way, the sun reflects the back of the car, reflections of the surroundings on the car, lots of crowd, the cars looks really amazing. the tracks are nice and fully damagable. You can drive along the barriers and see the paint being scrapped of your car and the barriers. The sense of speed is there too, which adds up to the gripping experience.

The sound effects are good too, the bass on the engine sounds are nice, music is mix of techno and rock. No InitialD though. You would be given a chance to select one of the common English names and the voice will address you according to the name throughout the game.

Now, for the gameplay, PHENOMENAL! Gone are the days where you hit something hard and still continue the race. Once you crash hard, you are totalled. Even light knocks accumulates and can affect performance. This game is a lot less forgiving then Forza Motorsports. The physics are awesome tyres fly, bumpers hang and scrape the floor before falling off. AI drivers will make some human errors like spinning or crashing out.

Their are only 40-50 cars in the game which seems low especially for car collectors but the cars are impressive even though maybe more would be nice.Their are 2 main options the GRID WORLD mode and the RACE DAY mode. The RACE DAY is full of cars and tracks you unlock through the GRID WORLD. In GRID WORLD, you will go through a series of races with 3 options per race which are held in USA, Europe or Japan with several races to pass. There is no need to be first place to progress, even if you finish below the podium, you can still get points. There is also a bonus objective in every race where if you meet the criteria like finishing in the top 5 postions or finish higher then a certain team, extra cash would be awarded.

Overall this game is brilliant I have never played anything on the PC that is so gripping and engaging and fun all in one package. Only thing, there are no race queens. If you are into racing, likes fast cars have a good PC, XBOX360 or PS3, GET IT NOW!!!

Screenshots resized from 1920×1200. Everything high.

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