Let’s get physical
GRID is by no means a simulator, which is a good thing, because that territory is already well staked out. Anyway, physics are a stylistic choice and cloning reality isn’t always going to be a straightforward formula for fun. Developers that know what they want from a game will manipulate their physics accordingly and will reflect their intentions within them. GRID does this exceptionally. Though the cars don’t accelerate like they’re coming out the end of a cannon and you can’t corner whilst pushing mach three, the physics are by no means restrained and with practice you can swing around corners at some pretty impressive speeds and let go in the way that you would hope.
The experience is mature but still invigorating, races don’t feel like dry affairs where you steadily creep up positions but have an immediacy that makes you feel like you’re either chasing or being chased.
Damage is present in GRID but it is by no means fetishised in the way that it is Burnout. It’s not imposed, though if you have masochistic tendencies you can gorge on it in the replay mode. It will, however, weigh on your mind as each knick in your chassis will affect your vehicles performance. The negative effects on performance are pretty limited and most of the time you’ll just notice your car drifting from either side and loosing speed, not insurmountable but annoying all the same. I also noticed some graphical glitches when crashing. Bits of debris will sometimes, instead of rolling and bouncing away, hover precariously in mid-air; furthermore during big slams cars will sometimes jerk about in an almost insignificant but still noticeable way.
My major beef with the driving is that the steering is far too sensitive for my tastes. Maybe it’s because I’m too accustomed with the easy handling of GT but I found myself constantly over-steering with the analog sticks, even with all the driving aides switched on. I was almost totally unable to make slight adjustments to my direction without swinging off wildly to the side.
Honestly
GRID is exactly what racing needs right now: A solid game that is fun whilst avoiding being jacked on 10cc of bull testosterone and a burnt out ego. It’s not a game for anyone that wants nothing more than to crash a tonne of steel at 200mph, nor is it a game for those after a more sober experience. It does, however, show that it is possible to have the best of both worlds. While it doesn’t really push the envelope anywhere new, it does introduce a nice new feature in the shape of flashbacks.
