Grid, my first impression...

warcrow

Lifer
Jan 12, 2004
11,078
11
81
DAY 1--------------------
I've put in a few hours with the X360 version so I figured I would chat a bit about my thoughts on the game.


  • - I have to say that the game plays a lot like Dirt but on the streets. If you've played the demo then you can probably gather whether or not this game is for you. I can see zero technical diferences between the demo and final version btw.

    - The handling in the game is tricky. If you're a fan of arcade racers (like me!) then you'll probably be able to find a feel thats comfortable for you between all the dirving assist options, because it just doesnt play like Forza, GT or PGR. Again, the demo is available and I highly recommend trying it out before you have to pay for it (demos on the PS2 :p). I tried several different configuations and finally settled with an automatic transmition and tracktion control on. There is more of a bonus (respect _ cash) if you use less driving assits. Plus it's a little more challenging with these options turned off and will play closer to the likes of Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport--but deffinitely not by much. When it comes to sims those games are in a seperate league for sure--especially GT.

    - One of the coolest features in the game is the Flashback ability. Flashback allows you to restart your game from a replay once you've taken a nasty spill. So, what this means is if you brake too late into a corner and smash into the wall, then game will offer you to rewind up to 30 seconds before and allow you to choose exactly where you want to continue--it's awesome. For someone like me who just wants to have fun with these type of games and takes stupid risks--it's a godsend. :)

    - Bad news that's almost a show stopper! During a few races I found that the game froze for a fraction of a second several times during races. Twice it resulted in frustrating crashes. On top of that, it makes Pro Mode even tougher (Pro = more respect points, money and no restarts or Flashbacks allowed).

    - This game has the most spectacular crashes I've ever seen. Bumpers ripping off, flakes of fiberglass twisting off in the 130MPH wind and shattering glass lies all over the road. The graphics are really impressive here, but again if you've played the demo you know what I'm tlaking about.

    - Load times have been improved from Dirt, but it's still a little lengthy between the races and the garage. :-/


Apparently a patch is coming to fix the X360 pauses.



DAY 2--------------------


I know this game isnt terribily popular in these forums but I figured one or two of the 60+ viewers of this thread will appreciate this info, So here is a posttive update.

Something happened when I played this game yesterday--something just clicked. At around 1.5 to 2 hours into the game you earn enough money to fund your own race team which includes a car and a garage. This is the point in the game that, for me, really began to stretch its legs out and show you what its got. The first few races are almost like a tutorial--but without any acknowledgement by the game of that fact.

Once you have your team you start out with just an old mustang that your team of mechanics has restored to near mint condition. You choose your team name, set up a color and design template (that's applied to all new cars). There is bad news for the grease monkiey gamers--those that love to customizing engines, tires, and gear ratio--is going to be disappointed to hear that the game doesnt offer the ability to any of that. For me that was a disappointment initially but as I move through the game it hasnt bothered me in the slightest.

Ebay Motors is integrated into the game but from what I've seen it's really nothing special. When you are offered the option to purchase a car you have the option to buy it new or go to Ebay Motors and look for an identical (used) car there. There are usually 3 cars to choose from with varying prices, depending on how many races they've been in, and what their win/lose ration is. The idea is to pick up the car that has the best used/win ratio as it's already been "proven" as a car. A new car might be new, but it's still considered a gamble in comparison. It's not really as effective of a system as it could be as there is no bidding back-and-forth between...well anyone at all. Isnt that the beauty of an auction? It just comes across as a promotional thing and isnt very interesting.

The main thing that really clicked for me though was the feel of driving in this game. Once I found the right adjustments for my dirving style and turned most of the "Driving Assists" off, it slowly began to make sense. I guess I had to sort of give in to what it was trying to do here, which is basically what happened with Dirt for me. After a year of playing Forza 2, PGR4 and GT5P--the "arcadeiness" of Grid really began to sink in and make sense. Again, I want to mention that this my prefered type of racing game. So it makes sense that I love that the game is more Arcade-like than simulation. I enjoy the exageration of smoke from my tires that never seem to melt as I peel aaround corners at breakneck speeds, the fantasic replay-friendly crashes, and the grisly robustness of the cars. Which reminds reminds me--last night I was racing one of those really high-speed Formula One type cars and as we reached the first turn everyone began to slow down properly but me (I just didnt see the corner--doh!). Because my car was shaped like a wedge traveling at 170MPH, I slide beneath 6 of the cars in front of me, pushing them up and over my car. I giggled as I quickly took 3rd place from such a dirty deed despite the fact that it cost me half of my car. I was so freak'n excited, cheering myself on, that I didnt notice the 2nd corner as I sorta wobbled into it and smashed right into the wall. BOOM! My crunched, buckled and spun into the middle of the lane backwards--uh-OH! Surprisingly the incident didnt compeltely destroy my car until all of the cars behind me caught up and smashed into me. Man it was SPECTACULAR! Tires screeched, chasises cracked, and pieces of fiberglass exploded into the air. One of the very last cars tried to slip by a slight opening near the right wall but just couldnt make the squeeze causing him to flip and land on this top side--something you would never see in some other games. A big deal? Nah--but it was so rewarding and enjoyable.

Last night I reached the "24 Hours of Le Mans" race which isnt really a 24 hour racer (I hear the option is there to run the race in real time if you wish, but I cannot confirm this just yet), but a 24 minute race--and during the race the game goes through a full day and night cycle. Its really a beautiful sight seeing sunset while traveling at 190MPH in this game. Once nightime hits, the headlights come on and all of a sudden the race is a bit different now, that is until dawn.

Also, last night I hit my first Destruction Derby race. You're armed with a tough, re-enforced, suped-up Cadillac and was racing (not in an arena) in a fairly short track that was in the shape of a figure-8, with a jump in the middle. The jump was nothing more than..well a jump until the last 2 laps when the cars were more spead out. Now, cars using the jump at the same time were smashing into each other in mid air. This happened right above me as I decided to slowly drive of the hump to retain my first place position. The guy in 2nd place took it at full speed and seconds later half his car was showing down on me--it was freak'n awesome. :)

This game is just a lot of fun. Sorry this turned out to be a longer post that I anticipated.

:beer:
 

warcrow

Lifer
Jan 12, 2004
11,078
11
81
Day 2 :p

I know this game isnt terribily popular in these forums but I figured one or two of the 60+ viewers of this thread will appreciate this info, So here is a posttive update.

Something happened when I played this game yesterday--something just clicked. At around 1.5 to 2 hours into the game you earn enough money to fund your own race team which includes a car and a garage. This is the point in the game that, for me, really began to stretch its legs out and show you what its got. The first few races are almost like a tutorial--but without any acknowledgement by the game of that fact.

Once you have your team you start out with just an old mustang that your team of mechanics has restored to near mint condition. You choose your team name, set up a color and design template (that's applied to all new cars). There is bad news for the grease monkiey gamers--those that love to customizing engines, tires, and gear ratio--is going to be disappointed to hear that the game doesnt offer the ability to any of that. For me that was a disappointment initially but as I move through the game it hasnt bothered me in the slightest.

Ebay Motors is integrated into the game but from what I've seen it's really nothing special. When you are offered the option to purchase a car you have the option to buy it new or go to Ebay Motors and look for an identical (used) car there. There are usually 3 cars to choose from with varying prices, depending on how many races they've been in, and what their win/lose ration is. The idea is to pick up the car that has the best used/win ratio as it's already been "proven" as a car. A new car might be new, but it's still considered a gamble in comparison. It's not really as effective of a system as it could be as there is no bidding back-and-forth between...well anyone at all. Isnt that the beauty of an auction? It just comes across as a promotional thing and isnt very interesting.

The main thing that really clicked for me though was the feel of driving in this game. Once I found the right adjustments for my dirving style and turned most of the "Driving Assists" off, it slowly began to make sense. I guess I had to sort of give in to what it was trying to do here, which is basically what happened with Dirt for me. After a year of playing Forza 2, PGR4 and GT5P--the "arcadeiness" of Grid really began to sink in and make sense. Again, I want to mention that this my prefered type of racing game. So it makes sense that I love that the game is more Arcade-like than simulation. I enjoy the exageration of smoke from my tires that never seem to melt as I peel aaround corners at breakneck speeds, the fantasic replay-friendly crashes, and the grisly robustness of the cars. Which reminds reminds me--last night I was racing one of those really high-speed Formula One type cars and as we reached the first turn everyone began to slow down properly but me (I just didnt see the corner--doh!). Because my car was shaped like a wedge traveling at 170MPH, I slide beneath 6 of the cars in front of me, pushing them up and over my car. I giggled as I quickly took 3rd place from such a dirty deed despite the fact that it cost me half of my car. I was so freak'n excited, cheering myself on, that I didnt notice the 2nd corner as I sorta wobbled into it and smashed right into the wall. BOOM! My crunched, buckled and spun into the middle of the lane backwards--uh-OH! Surprisingly the incident didnt compeltely destroy my car until all of the cars behind me caught up and smashed into me. Man it was SPECTACULAR! Tires screeched, chasises cracked, and pieces of fiberglass exploded into the air. One of the very last cars tried to slip by a slight opening near the right wall but just couldnt make the squeeze causing him to flip and land on this top side--something you would never see in some other games. A big deal? Nah--but it was so rewarding and enjoyable.

Last night I reached the "24 Hours of Le Mans" race which isnt really a 24 hour racer (I hear the option is there to run the race in real time if you wish, but I cannot confirm this just yet), but a 24 minute race--and during the race the game goes through a full day and night cycle. Its really a beautiful sight seeing sunset while traveling at 190MPH in this game. Once nightime hits, the headlights come on and all of a sudden the race is a bit different now, that is until dawn.

Also, last night I hit my first Destruction Derby race. You're armed with a tough, re-enforced, suped-up Cadillac and was racing (not in an arena) in a fairly short track that was in the shape of a figure-8, with a jump in the middle. The jump was nothing more than..well a jump until the last 2 laps when the cars were more spead out. Now, cars using the jump at the same time were smashing into each other in mid air. This happened right above me as I decided to slowly drive of the hump to retain my first place position. The guy in 2nd place took it at full speed and seconds later half his car was showing down on me--it was freak'n awesome. :)

This game is just a lot of fun. Sorry this turned out to be a longer post that I anticipated.

:beer:
 

EvilComputer92

Golden Member
Aug 25, 2004
1,316
0
0
I'm going to buy it today for the PC along with a wireless adapter for my controller. It seems like a lot of fun.
 

AstroManLuca

Lifer
Jun 24, 2004
15,628
5
81
Well, your description has made me want to at least give this game another shot. I'm going to try the demo once more. It's just that I really hated the handling before, but maybe I was taking the wrong approach. I'm also going to try running with all assists on and with all off, to see which I like better.

It does sound pretty cool? outside of the handling, which I didn't like. The graphics were excellent.

But I still consider the Project Gotham Racing series to be the pinnacle of arcade racing. Love the physics in it. Grid seems primitive (physics-wise) by comparison, which is too bad because the graphics are so much better.
 

warcrow

Lifer
Jan 12, 2004
11,078
11
81
Originally posted by: JoPh
what score would u give it?

Hrm,I guess at this point into the game (roughly 4-5 hours in) an 8.5 or 9? I went into the game expecting an arcade racer--it's not a sim and doesnt handle (in many ways) like one.
 

warcrow

Lifer
Jan 12, 2004
11,078
11
81
Originally posted by: EvilComputer92
I'm going to buy it today for the PC along with a wireless adapter for my controller. It seems like a lot of fun.

Which adapter are you going to get?
 

warcrow

Lifer
Jan 12, 2004
11,078
11
81
Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
Well, your description has made me want to at least give this game another shot. I'm going to try the demo once more. It's just that I really hated the handling before, but maybe I was taking the wrong approach. I'm also going to try running with all assists on and with all off, to see which I like better.

It does sound pretty cool? outside of the handling, which I didn't like. The graphics were excellent.

But I still consider the Project Gotham Racing series to be the pinnacle of arcade racing. Love the physics in it. Grid seems primitive (physics-wise) by comparison, which is too bad because the graphics are so much better.


For me, PGR was one part arcade and one part sim racer. Man, I really liked PGR4. I might have to revisit that game again some time soon.

As far as the assists go, you also might want to leave "Stability Control" on as the tires seem to be a little too slippery on the muscle cars. But you'll find something that work for you.
 

JDub02

Diamond Member
Sep 27, 2002
6,209
1
0
I'm going to have to look into this. I definitely prefer arcade racers to sims. Never got into making all the little adjustments. I just want to race. Hopefully the wife will give me some TV time this evening so I can d/l the demo.
 

JoPh

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2002
7,312
1
76
how is the multiplayer aspect? i have a free game waiting for me on the 360.. this seems like something that will hold me over for a bit. i also perfer arcade to sim. but the handling in the demo kept screwing with me. im guessing time put in will hold me over..... ill have to think on this one for a bit....since i just rented army of two...
 

randay

Lifer
May 30, 2006
11,018
216
106
whatever happened with your g25 wheel thing? have you tried this game with a wheel?
 

warcrow

Lifer
Jan 12, 2004
11,078
11
81
Originally posted by: JoPh
how is the multiplayer aspect? i have a free game waiting for me on the 360.. this seems like something that will hold me over for a bit. i also perfer arcade to sim. but the handling in the demo kept screwing with me. im guessing time put in will hold me over..... ill have to think on this one for a bit....since i just rented army of two...

Check the rest of the thread and my Day 2 stuff because I talk about the handling and such. I'm too lazy to quite. :p

I've not clocked in a single second into the MP yet because I've been so engaged with the SP. Maybe tonight I'll give it a spin but it might be tough for me to get some game time in with the game. We're recording a new episode tonight and we're interviewing Al Reed from Demiurge Studio (Mass Effect on PC), so unfortunately I have a little more prep to do.

 

warcrow

Lifer
Jan 12, 2004
11,078
11
81
Originally posted by: randay
whatever happened with your g25 wheel thing? have you tried this game with a wheel?

GTAIV happened. :p

I still plan on trying the G25 wheel with the game.
 

NFS4

No Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
72,636
46
91
Just played the Demo on PS3. I love it. Gonna go out and buy it tomorrow.
 

Auryg

Platinum Member
Dec 28, 2003
2,377
0
71
The review is in my blog (see sig). Best racing game I've played in years, IMO.
 

TheUnk

Golden Member
Jun 24, 2005
1,810
0
71
The 24 Hour thing isn't even 24 minutes. It's probably 12. Just watch how fast the seconds go down.
 

warcrow

Lifer
Jan 12, 2004
11,078
11
81
Originally posted by: TheUnk
The 24 Hour thing isn't even 24 minutes. It's probably 12. Just watch how fast the seconds go down.

Yup--you're right on this. This is my least favorite activity in the game and I'm now skipping them.