There are leaderboards throughout the game, though they’re accessible via a tedious menu that resets the selection every single time you view a board. That said, cars would seemingly ignore the pre-race countdown at random: we were part of it once too, though we have no idea how or why it happens. Netcode seemed quite stable during our tests. The payouts seem quite low, however: it’s hard to tell, since the UI doesn’t actually show them, just costs from damage. It could be any sort of race, which does make it an excellent taster’s tour of what the game has on offer. The game will automatically drop you in a competitive car if you join a little later, but seemingly ignores ones you already have in your garage. Our experience with these was mixed: if it lined up with the start of a series of events, it went smoothly. There’s also quick matches, which drop you right into the action. You’ll be able to set up an event across up to five races, with AI on or off, but the in-depth custom championship feature of Codies’ own F1 2019 is absent here. These can be limited to friends or invites only - no public listings. Players can set up custom matches, giving them full control of the event setup. An opportunity missed, then.Īdd it all up and it quickly feels like you’ve seen everything GRID has to offer. It’d be great to form a career-spanning rivalry - that’s what the best stories in motorsport boil down to, really - but it’s just not an option here.Īlso, the idea of unlocking livery styles feels decidedly old-school in an age where most other games allow users to completely craft their own designs. It’s those last four words that are the drawback: there’s no real consequence for getting on the AI’s bad side outside of the one race. In the heat of the moment it’s fantastic: collide with a driver too many times and they’ll target you for the rest of the race. Unfortunately the Nemesis system is similarly half-baked. In the grand scheme of things, they provide additional credits and little else. ![]() On the track they’ll occasionally listen to your requests to push or defend, but races are so short in career it feels tacked-on. Team management is completely bare-bones: second drivers unlock as you progress through the game, but you can sign them at any point, and none improve over time, so there’s a very clear “best”. The touted team aspect of the game leaves a lot to be desired. Thankfully the AI is genuinely challenging, though we found it slightly more by-the-books than the raucous preview build we tried last month. That’s because the races are all so short that the only way most players could win is to start up front. Qualifying is a welcome addition in an arcade title, but it’s also necessary in the harder difficulties. Thankfully, Codemasters has said new locations are incoming as part of the DLC plan, and they’ll arrive free of charge. Different times of day and the inclusion of rain might alleviate this slightly - and running tracks like Brands Hatch and Silverstone in reverse is fun - but GRID desperately needs more variety in the track list. Nonetheless, the paucity of locations means you’ll feel that sense of “been here, done that” quite early on. Don’t let its age fool you: Zhejiang feels old in the right way, a far cry from modern Tiilke-dromes in its winding, undulating layout. It also introduces Zhejiang, which only opened a few years ago. On the real-world side, GRID serves as a reminder that Sydney Motorsport Park is criminally underrepresented in the racing genre. ![]() The design of the fantasy tracks is solid too, with franchise debuts Havana and Shanghai providing challenging layouts and eye-catching backdrops. The mix is good, with an even split between real and fantasy (the latter gets Okutama in track form plus a touge-like point-to-point). It’s the game’s dozen-plus-one tracks that let the side down.
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