Race Driver: Grid

Race Driver: Grid is a racing video game developed and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, arcade and OS X. It is the seventh game in the TOCA series.[9][10]

Race Driver: Grid
Developer(s)Codemasters[1]
Firebrand Games (DS)
Publisher(s)Codemasters
Sega (ARC)
Feral Interactive (OS X)[2]
Composer(s)Ian Livingstone, Aaron Sapp, Thomas J. Bergersen, Allister Brimble (NDS), Anthony N. Putson (NDS)
SeriesGrid
EngineEGO 1.0
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Arcade, OS X
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows,[3] PlayStation 3[4] & Xbox 360[5]
  • EU: 30 May 2008
  • NA: 3 June 2008
  • AU: 12 June 2008
Nintendo DS[6]
  • NA: 5 August 2008
  • EU: 8 August 2008
  • AU: 15 August 2008
Arcade[7]
  • EU: 10 November 2010
OS X[8]
  • EU: 14 April 2013
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade systemSega Europa-R

Gameplay
Grid features several different types of motorsports spanning three major regions.

Grid was developed and published by Codemasters, the creators of the TOCA 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.

The Nintendo DS version is a racing simulator consisting of 20 available circuits across Europe, Japan and the US, along with 25 cars to choose from. The game also includes an updated version of the track designer from Race Driver: Create and Race, which allows players to create their own custom circuits and roadside billboards.[11] The game also features vehicle customization and online multiplayer.[12]

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.[13] Ambisonics was used in the audio engine of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.[14]

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.[15] 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,[16] and a Ford Mustang for U.S.-based players.[17] 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.[18][19]

In 2010, an arcade version of the game was published by Sega. Grid has had its official servers for the PC and PS3 shut down as of 19 June 2011.[20] The servers for the 360 version are still running as of July 2014.

Downloadable content

On 19 September 2008 Codemasters announced that they would be releasing three downloadable content (DLC) 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.

Reception
Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
DSPCPS3Xbox 360
1Up.comC−[21]N/AN/AN/A
EdgeN/AN/A9/10[22]N/A
Eurogamer8/10[23]N/AN/A9/10[24]
Game InformerN/AN/A9/10[25]9/10[25]
GameProN/AN/AN/A[26]
GameRevolutionN/AN/AN/AB[27]
GameSpot8.5/10[28]N/A8/10[29]8/10[29]
GameSpyN/AN/A[30][31]
GameTrailersN/AN/A9/10[32]9/10[32]
GameZone7.8/10[33]N/A9/10[34]N/A
IGN8.3/10[35]8.7/10[36]8.7/10[37](US) 8.7/10[37]
(AU) 7.9/10[38]
Nintendo Power8.5/10[12]N/AN/AN/A
ONM89%[39]N/AN/AN/A
OXM (US)N/AN/AN/A9/10[40]
PC Gamer (US)N/A86%[41]N/AN/A
PSMN/AN/A[42]N/A
VideoGamer.com8/10[43]N/AN/AN/A
411ManiaN/A9.5/10[44]N/AN/A
Digital SpyN/AN/AN/A[45]
Aggregate score
Metacritic79/100[46]87/100[47]87/100[48]87/100[49]

GRID received "generally favorable" reviews on all platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[46][47][48][49]

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."[50]

North American publication Nintendo Power gave the game a score of 8.5 out of 10. The review heaped praise on the game's robust car and course customization features, superb graphics, and multiplayer modes.[12] N-Europe gave the game an 8 out of 10.[51] IGN awarded GRID with its DS: Best Racing Game 2008 award.[52]

Awards

Grid won several awards, including IGN's Editors' Choice Award 2008 as well as their Best Racing Game of 2008 award. It also received a BAFTA award in the Sports category at the British Academy Video Games Awards.[53]

Sequels
Main article: Grid 2

In July 2010, Codemasters revealed that a sequel to Grid was in development, and was built using the improved EGO engine.[54] On 8 August 2012, a trailer revealed that the game would be released in 2013. In 2014, a sequel to both GRID 2 and Race Driver: GRID was announced, apparently with "more authentic handling" and cockpit view. This sequel is called GRID Autosport, and it was released on 24 June 2014.[55][56] A fourth instalment, simply known as Grid, was released on 13 September 2019 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.[57]

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References
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  2. "Feral Interactive: GRID minisite".
  3. "GRID Release Information for PC". GameFAQs. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  4. "GRID Release Information for PlayStation 3". GameFAQs. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  5. "GRID Release Information for Xbox 360". GameFAQs. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  6. "GRID Release Information for DS". GameFAQs. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  7. "GRID Release Information for Arcade Games". GameFAQs. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  8. "GRID Release Information for Macintosh". GameFAQs. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  9. "Motorsport gaming evolves as Codemasters announces Race Driver One™". Codemasters. Archived from the original on 29 April 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2007.
  10. "Race Driver One on the GRID". GameSpot. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
  11. "Firebrand Games. Specialist Driving Games Development". Firebrand Games. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  12. "GRID". Nintendo Power. 230: 88. July 2008.
  13. Geddes, Ryan (3 March 2008). "Grid Preview". IGN. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  14. Deleflie, Etienne (24 June 2008). "Codemasters ups Ambisonics again on Race Driver GRID". Ambisonia. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  15. Goldstein, Maarten (9 May 2008). "Race Driver: GRID PC Demo Released". Shacknews. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  16. Archived 12 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  17. "Results of Mustang competition in US". Archived from the original on 26 September 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  18. Archived 15 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
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