Race Driver: Grid

Race Driver: Grid
European box art
Developer(s)	Codemasters,[1] Feral Interactive (Mac)
Publisher(s)	Codemasters, Sega (Arcade), Feral Interactive (Mac)[2]
Engine	EGO 1.0
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows Mac OS X PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Arcade
Release date(s)	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 EU 30 May 2008[3] NA 3 June 2008[3] AUS 12 June 2008[3] Arcade 2010 Mac OS X WW 28 March 2013
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Distribution	Optical disc, download
Arcade system	Sega Europa-R

Race Driver: Grid, released in North America as simply Grid, is an addition to the TOCA Touring Car series, which is published and developed by Codemasters. The game is available for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and was released in Europe on 30 May 2008, in North America on 3 June 2008 and in Australia on 12 June 2008. on March 28, 2013, Feral Interactive published for The Mac OS X version of the game was also released.^[4]

Gameplay

GRID features several different types of motorsports spanning three major regions.

Grid was developed and published by Codemasters, the creators of the TOCA/Race Driver series. It is a game in which the player runs their own race team, acting as the primary driver. As players progress they gain sponsors and can hire a teammate to drive alongside them in certain events.

The game begins with the player accepting jobs to drive for other teams to earn money, and once the player gains enough capital they can purchase their own vehicles and drive independently, as well as continuing to drive for other teams should they choose to. Grid features a gameplay mechanic known as Flashback which allows the player to rewind gameplay by up to ten seconds and resume from their chosen point. This is a limited-use feature, determined by the difficulty setting.

Grid features several modes of competition using various cars. Three main regions are found in the game, United States, Europe, and Japan, each with their own championship. Each of the game's 43 cars are tied to one of these three regions. Grid also features several types of events to compete in, including GT championships, drifting, touge, open wheel racing, and demolition derby, as well as variants on several of these motorsports. Players can also participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the end of each racing season.

Courses in the game are a mixture of real world and fictional circuits and point-to-point tracks. Real road courses such as Le Mans and Spa Francorchamps are included, while some defunct street circuits such as the Detroit street circuit in Michigan and the Washington D.C. street circuit are also included. There are also several fictional tracks inspired by real-world locations and circuits, such as street courses in San Francisco, California and Milan, Italy as well as Mount Haruna.

Development and marketing

Grid uses Codemasters' own Ego engine, an updated version of the Neon engine already being used in their previous release Colin McRae: Dirt. The damage code has been completely rewritten to allow for environments with the potential for persistent damage.^[5] Ambisonics was used in the audio engine of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.^[6]

On 8 May 2008, a demo was released on the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace. The following day, a PC version of the demo was released.^[7] The demo allows players to try two game modes: racing and drifting. The demo also features a competition challenge, with a BMW 3 series, as a prize, for European-based gamers,^[8] and a Ford Mustang for U.S.-based players.^[9] The American competition ended at midnight on 25 May 2008, whereas the European competition ended on 31 May 2008, also at midnight. The demo also has two competition tracks available online, and allows up to 12 players to compete online. The demo has been downloaded by over one million people over three platforms.^[10][11]

In 2010, an arcade version of the game was published by Sega.

Downloadable content

On 19 September 2008 Codemasters announced that they would be releasing three DLC (Downloadable Content) packs, the first of the three was released on 4 December 2008, the 8-Ball Pack was released on the Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Network. The pack contains eight new cars, these include the McLaren F1 GTR, TVR Cerbera Speed 12, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Honda S2000, Nissan GT-R (S-G2008), VW Nardo, Pontiac Firebird and the Volvo C30. The 8-Ball Pack also comes complete with two new multiplayer events set on existing circuits from across Grid's three continents. On 4 March 2010 the second DLC pack dubbed the Prestige Pack was released (for the PS3 only). The pack adds Mount Panorama Circuit and ten cars, including the Ferrari F430 GTC, Bugatti Veyron and Ferrari F575 GTC. The third and final DLC pack, still yet to be released, is reported to include Ford and Holden V8 Supercars touring cars.^[12]

Servers discontinued

Grid has had its official servers for the PC and PS3 shut down as of 19 June 2011.^[13] The servers for the 360 version are still running.

Reception

Grid received high praise from critics. Aggregate site Metacritic lists an average of score of 87 across all three platforms.^[14][15][16]

Official Xbox Magazine awarded Grid a 9.0 out of 10, proclaiming, "This game isn’t about simulating racing; it’s about creating fun out of it. And it succeeds beautifully, one thrilling white knuckle at a time," with the only negative point in the review regarding its relatively meager online offering.^[24] X-Play has given Grid a 5 out of 5, stating, "the Flashback feature is superb" and claiming "the damage is excellent".^[25] Game Revolution gave Race Driver: Grid a B, calling the damage "fantastic" and calling the Flashback feature "a lifesaver".^[26] IGN.com gave the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 versions of the game an 8.7/10, writing "Grid captures the soul of the track like none other".^[23][27][28] Official UK PlayStation Magazine, VideoGamer.com, Edge and Eurogamer all gave Grid a score of 9/10.^{[18][29][30][31]} PC Format gave Grid a score of 90%.^[32]

GameSpot gave the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game 8/10/^[20][21] Game Informer gave Grid a score of 9/10, with a second opinion score of 9.25, calling it "the best racing title out there".^[33] PC Gamer UK gave Race Driver: Grid a score of 88%, saying that the racer was made of style and substance.^[34]

Edge ranked the game #41 on its list of "The 100 Best Games To Play Today", stating "It blows cobwebs from the genre, with handling a great balance of sim twitchiness and arcade abandon, breathtaking speed, and a sense of being there like no other racer."^[35]

Awards

Grid won several awards, including IGN's Editors' Choice Award 2008 as well as their Best Racing Game of 2008 award.^{[citation needed]} It also received a BAFTA award in the Sports category at the British Academy Video Games Awards ^[36]

Sequel

In July 2010, Codemasters revealed that a sequel to Grid was in development, and was built using the improved EGO engine.^[37] On 8 August 2012, a trailer revealed that the game will be released in 2013.^[38][39]

References

External links

• Grid at Feral Interactive