Race Driver: Grid (PC)

Grid Preview

Ryan Geddes
Codies brushes off the DiRT and hits the road.
Mar 3rd, 2008 - Continuing a trend that started with its 2007 release of DiRT, Codemasters'next racing effort shies away from both strict simulation and broad customization, a direction that places the emphasis on what the company feels the genre has been lacking of late: having fun with race cars.We recently sat down with Codies to view a demo of Grid, the latest project in the works by the same team that developed DiRT. Although they don't name names, part of the Codies'marketing pitch for Grid includes a shot across the grill of the developers of Forza Motorsport 2 and Grand Turismo 5. The former, which owned the hardcore racing space in 2007, is a car collection fest with a deep livery creation system. The latter, due in 2008, is being touted as the king of all racing sims, appealing to die-hard digital gearheads.Grid is being positioned on a different band of the racing spectrum. It's hardcore, but it's not an uptight sim. It has personalization, but not so much that it detracts from the core racing elements. There are cars galore, but you're not trying to catch'em all. It's an attempt to both differentiate the brand as authentic and broaden its appeal to multiple markets.
Watch the paint, mate.
Codemasters describes Grid as a racing game in which you build a career in what's supposed to feel like a persistent worldwide racing realm. You start off as a rookie drive for hire in America, Europe or Japan. As you win races, you'll be able to hire a teammate, create your own unique team identity and build up a small but focused stable of cars. Along the way, you'll attract sponsors and get to know the names of some of the more than 600 AI racers in the game, all of whom you'll have the ability to hire, fire and race against.According to the Codemasters team, building your career in Grid is a non-linear experience. You can start in any region you want and build your reputation and bank account as you progress. At the beginning, you'll work out of a dingy garage. But by the time you've hired a teammate (you can only have one) and racked up sponsorships, your digs will improve to match your status in the industry.But you won't be using your garage for much more than storage. If you're the type who loves to constantly spend your winnings on car upgrades a la Forza and Midnight Club, you'll be disappointed with Grid. The cars you buy are meant to be tuned and groomed to be the best-performing race cars at their level the minute they're delivered. You're a driver, not a mechanic. Aside from changing the paint job, what you see is what you get in Grid's stable of 50 cars.
But that doesn't mean you'll be stuck with stock cars. This ain't NASCAR, after all. We're talking the Aston Martin DBR9, Dodge Viper SRT-10, Mazda 787B and Audi R10 TDI -- the first diesel car ever to win the 24-hour Le Mans. You'll have the opportunity to attempt an Audi repeat, as Grid features a Le Mans race in which a minute represents an hour, resulting in a 24-minute-long race. Next >>


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