Race Driver: GRID review (PlayStation 3)

We don’t get many opportunities to write second opinions or cover both versions of a game. Most publishers have to be harassed to send out one review copy, let alone three. But Codemasters did us proud and sent us out both console versions and the PC version to review (which Harry will also be covering), giving us a chance to not only provide you with two opinions, but also cover any differences there may be between the different versions.

I enjoy writing second opinions more than I do a standard review. It gives me a chance to concentrate on the emotions experienced and my feelings towards the game, rather than having to concentrate on the details as someone has already done that hard work for me (thanks Harry!). And the word emotion is very pertinent to Race Driver: Grid as it relies heavily on wow moments, delivered mainly by the excellent Flashback function and spectacular crashes, to deliver its gaming experience, rather than solid handling like other racing games.

Flashback’s aplenty were used in my opening race, and I barely made it over the finishing line intact. Admittedly I was ignoring the requirement of just finishing the race and instead was determined to win it (I didn’t, I limped over in 5th) but I really struggled to get to grips with the handling and I was surprised at just how intelligent the AI was. 15 hours later and both of those statements are still very much valid. The handling is, without a doubt, the worst I have encountered in any track-based racing game to date. It’s as though the tyres are provided by Johnson and Johnson who have come up with a new bio-degradable tyre made out of baby oil and lotion.

Slip and Slide

Every reviewer has their fortes; for me they are sports games and both arcade and simulation racing games. I race in real life (Go-Karts and some track racing), but that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy arcade handling. Plonk me down with a copy of Project Gotham Racing (any of them) and I’ll be happy for hours. For me that was the perfect blend of arcade racing and sensible handling (agreed, Codemasters should have played more PGR - Ed.). It wasn’t actually realistic, only one or two games have ever come close to achieving that accolade, but it ‘felt’ right, which is all that is important. Grid never comes close to achieving that.

I have improved over my initial accident-ridden attempts, I have gained my Pro Licenses and I have even won a large number of the races I have participated in online, but I have never once felt as though I was in total control of the car. In Project Gotham Racing (or any of Grid’s other competitors) I knew by just looking at a corner roughly what speed I needed to slow down to, to take it. I wasn’t able to do that in Grid. Seemingly tight corners can often be taken at breakneck speeds, whereas open, gentle corners often require heavy breaking. Accelerating out of a corner can also be tricky, as the analogue acceleration is far too sudden and results in your car suddenly wanting to go from understeering to oversteering. Spectating races online highlights this issue further and can be amusing, as you witness numerous people twitching their car around the corners and snaking the first 20-30 metres up a straight until they’ve got their car under any sort of control.

Contrast

I did notice a slight improvement with the handling when playing the 360 version, which shows that the development was lead on the 360. Whereas anything more than 50% movement of the R2 button on the PS3 controller results in full acceleration, the 360 controller allows for much more gradual acceleration. The analogue steering is similarly effected between the two versions. It’s not significantly different (the 360 version still suffers from erratic handling), but it’s certainly enough to warrant a mark being deducted.

Online is also another area where the 360 version is superior, albeit mainly due to reasons outside of the control of the developer. I’ve never once managed to participate in a race with more than seven people in, and I’ve never once managed to finish a race with more than three people still racing at the end. It’s also populated with the usual idiots who seem to get a real rise out of destroying everyone else’s fun. The 360 version still has its share of idiots, but there are definitely more people playing and inviting friends is obviously a lot easier (the PS3 version should really have adopted the system that ‘Everybody’s Golf’ used).

Elsewhere the PS3 version is also slightly inferior in the graphical department. I wasn’t so blown away with the visuals as Harry was. Initially I thought they were amazing, but then the excessive motion-blur started to irritate and I noticed that the car models weren’t anywhere near as impressive as those found in Gran Turismo. It’s still one of the better looking games available and runs at a fairly solid 30fps, but there are undoubtedly a few corners that have been cut along the way. I was also less than impressed with the views on offer, with none of them given me enough warning of an upcoming corner.

Not so Artificial AI

But at the beginning of this article I did mention that both statements were still relevant after 15 hours, and the AI is one of the reasons why Race Driver: Grid is still an enjoyable title, even after all of those flaws. For a simulation the AI would be impressive. For an arcade title it’s very impressive. All of the AI competitors are capable of unforced errors, blocking the racing line (and even straying from the racing line!!), tyre blowouts and race-ending crashes. They are so believable that a friend who came to visit remarked ‘do you know these people, as whenever I go online on Gran Turismo all I get are people trying to take me out’. He had no idea I was playing against the AI. They’re not perfect, autonomous drones; they’re believable opponents who make mistakes just like you or I.

The other reason that I enjoyed Grid so much was the use of Flashback. Much more than a gimmick, Flashback really adds a lot to the experience and is the best addition to the racing genre in years. From alleviating some of the frustrations that the handling model causes to providing more of a risk/reward driving style, Flashback adds so much to Grid. If you’re in second place at the final corner and have the leader in sight, do you try to outbreak him to take the lead or do you play it safe and just bank the points? In Grid, providing you still have a Flashback in the tank, you can try the first one and if you crash or make matters worse, you can rewind the action and play it safe.

Be warned though, Flashback not only provides you with a second chance, but also gives one to your AI rivals as well! On more than one occasion I ploughed into a stationary car only to rewind the action and take the corner much more slowly, only to find no stationary car there and have some of my rivals overtake me. Flashback is so important to Grid that without it, and taking into consideration the twitchy handling and underdeveloped features (eBay Motors I’m looking at you), I could see it languishing in 6/10 territory.

Different Strokes

I can’t say that I found Grid as enjoyable as Harry did and that isn’t purely down to the differences with the two versions (as they are subtle). We may only be one point apart in our evaluation of the game and a difference of one point may not seem all that much. But, whereas with Harry, Grid was knocking on a 10/10 and he gave it 9/10 in the end, it’s getting a 8/10 from me.

Grid won’t be for everyone, the handling is to blame for that, but Grid is far from stale and is exceptionally good at delivering wow moments, something that many other games in the genre fail to do. The future is certainly looking bright for this racer and as long as Codemasters ditch the handling model and develop a new one from scratch, I can see this having all of the potential to go for a ten next year.