Race Driver: GRID

Race Driver: GRID
Developer	Codemasters
Publisher	Codemasters Feral Interactive (OS X)
Engine	EGO
Platform	Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows (Steam) Microsoft Windows (GOG) PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Mac OS X
Release date	EU: 30 May 2008 NA: 3 June 2008 AUS: 12 June 2008 Windows (Steam) WW: 4 Jun 2008 Windows (GOG) WW: 30 May 2013 OS X EU: 14 April 2013
Genre	Racing
Mode	Single-Player Multiplayer
Rating	PEGI 7 ESRB E
Related	Race Driver: GRID (DS) Race Driver: GRID (J2ME) GRID (Arcade)
https://www.gridgame.com/

Race Driver: GRID, also known as just GRID in North America, is a racing video game developed and published by Codemasters as the successor to TOCA Race Driver 3.

Announced in April 19 2007 under the working title Race Driver: One, the game was developed using Codemasters' own EGO engine, an evolved version of the Neon Engine engine already used in their previously released game, Colin McRae DIRT. The damage code has been completely rewritten to allow for persistent damage environments.

Race Driver: GRID was released on May 30 2008 in Europe, June 3 2008 in North America, and in Australia on June 12 2008, available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, as well as Windows using Securom for DRM. The Mac OS X version, published by Feral Interactive, would be released on March 28th 2013 including all of its downloadable content.

Originating from TOCA's Race Driver subseries, Race Driver: GRID would eventually give origin to its own series starting with GRID 2 in 2013.

Gameplay

Disciplines

• Grip Racing - Races involving a variety of classes including GT, Open Wheel, Pro Muscle, Pro Tuned, and Touring Cars.
• Drift - Points are awarded for getting the car sideways. Drift challenges include Drift GP, Drift Battle, Freestyle Drift, and Downhill Drift.
• Touge - Head-to-head racing on narrow Japanese mountain roads. Events include Pro Touge and Midnight Touge.
• Endurance - Longer races, including 24 Hours of Le Mans.
• Demolition Derby - The winner has to finish first by any means, including being the only remaining car.

Damage

If players severely damage parts of their car, the corresponding icon will light up in the HUD, indicating the severity from yellow to red:

• Gears - Damage prevents cars to reach top speed and reduces ability to change gear fluidly.
• Suspension - Damage affects road holding and cornering.
• Steering - Damage affects vehicle responsiveness, and severe damage causes it to pull to one side.
• Engine - Damage reduces performance, such as speed and acceleration.
• Wheels - Damage reduces stability and handling.

Difficulty Levels

Players can set the difficulty level for each event. It affects the ability of the opponents, number of flashbacks, and driving assistance is customisable as well.

Flashback

The game includes Flashback, an instant replay feature. From an in-race replay players can rewind to a desired previous moment and resume the race from there. Flashbacks are limited, becoming fewer the higher the difficulty level selected, and in Grid World there is a cash bonus for not using them.

Driving Views

The game includes five camera views, including a first-person camera "head cam" inside each car's cockpit.

Game Modes

GRID World

Main article: Race Driver: GRID/GRID World

Grid World is the player's racing Career in the game. The two main goals are becoming the world's top driver, and to own the world's most successful racing team.

The podium events, as well as cars, are divided into three world regions:

• Europe - Mostly traditional circuit racing in a variety of Touring, GT and Open Wheel championships. This region contains some of the world's most prestigious and challenging circuits.
• Japan - Street racing, drift championships and Pro-Tuned series. A plethora of street circuits are offset by some grueling Touge runs and freestyle drift environments.
• United States of America - A diverse mix of styles built around power and speed, from stock car to street GT.

Race Day

Players can set up a single race to their desired specifications.

Multiplayer

Players can take part in 12-players simultaneous online or LAN races. Selecting either Ranked or Player Match will give several options, including Quick Race, Custom Match, Create Session, and Private Session.

Cars

Main article: Race Driver: GRID/Vehicles

43 cars are available in Race Driver: GRID for use in all modes, with each car having unique characteristics and associated to specific racing disciplines.

Additional 18 vehicles would me made available in downloadable content packs, although they can only be used in online and in quick race modes.

Race Tracks

Main article: Race Driver: GRID/Courses

Downloadable Content

Main article: Race Driver: GRID/Downloadable Content

Codemasters released two downloadable content packs for Race Driver: GRID. A third pack was also announced, but never released.

• 8-Ball Pack - Released on 4 December 2008, on the Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Network, and later included on Mac in 14 April 2013. Contains eight new cars and two new multiplayer events.*
• Prestige Pack - Released on March 4, 2010, for the PlayStation 3, and later included on Mac in 14 April 2013. Contains ten new cars and the Mount Panorama Circuit.

Demo

Main article: Race Driver: GRID Demo Features

On May 8th, 2008, a demo was released on the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace, with a PC version coming on the following day. It has been downloaded by over one million people on the three platforms available.

The demo lets players try two game modes: racing and drifting. It also featured a challenge to win a BMW 3 series for European-based gamers and a chance to win a Ford Mustang for U.S. based players. The competitions for Europeans ended on May 31 at midnight, BST, and for U.S. gamers on May 25, 2008 midnight, ET.

The demo also has the two competition tracks available for an online racing experience, allowing up to 12 players to compete online.

Achievements

Main article: Race Driver: GRID/Achievements

Secret Codes

Main article: GRID Cheats and Unlockables

Adaptations

Nintendo DS

Main article: Race Driver: GRID (DS)

A Nintendo DS adaptation was made by Firebrand Games, the developers of Race Driver: Create and Race, and made available on August 05, 2008. The game runs on the Octane engine, incorporating its 3D racing graphics, user interface and track editor.

J2ME

Main article: Race Driver: GRID (J2ME)

a J2ME Java mobile adaptation was developed by Spiced Bits and published by Glu Mobile in 2008.

Arcade

Main article: GRID (Arcade)

An Arcade adaptation was published by Sega in 2010. Based on the main iteration of the game, it has two singleplayer modes, quick race and championship, and also offers multiplayer races if multiple cabinets are linked together.

Reception

The game has received mainly positive reviews.

Official Xbox Magazine awarded Race Driver: 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 caveat being its relatively meager online offering.

X-Play has given Grid a 5 out of 5, stating that the "Flashback feature is superb" and that the "Damage model is excellent".

Game Revolution gave Race Driver: Grid a B out of A+, citing "Fantastic damage modeling" and "Flashbacks are a lifesaver" ". . .or an annoying crutch".

IGN.com gave Race Driver: Grid an 8.7 out of 10. Playstation Official Magazine UK and VideoGamer.com both gave Grid a 9 out of 10, as did Edge and Eurogamer.

Pcformat gave Race Driver: Grid 90%.

The Game Informer official website gave Race Driver: Grid a 9.0 out of 10 for the main review and 9.25 as the second opinion.

North American publication Nintendo Power gave the Nintendo DS version a score of 8.5 out of 10. Praise was delivered to the game's robust car and course customization features, superb graphics by DS standards, and praised the multiplayer modes. Some mild criticism was delivered towards the game's single player mode for having flimsy car upgrading and lack of knowing what rewards you get before entering a race, but said that the good aspects far outweigh the bad.

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