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GRID

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7.5 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 25 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 118 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Codemasters

Developer: Codemasters

Genre(s): Racing, Driving

Players: 12

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: June 3, 2008

Summary

(Also known as "Race Dirver: GRID") GRID takes players to dramatic and beautifully realized race locations over three continents to compete in a variety of racing events. Packed with the most powerful race cars - new and classic, circuit and drift - players compete to conquer the most prestigious official race tracks and championships then beyond to compete in challenging city-based competitions, and then on through to road events and urban street races. The drama, the rivalries, the aggression and the crashes; this is not a game about collecting cars or spending all of your time in the front-end tuning suspension settings or designing liveries. Codemasters wants to make racing exciting again. Gamers compete on Europe's greatest official race tracks in prestige Marques including Aston Martin, Koenigsegg and Pagani. Iconic cities across the U.S, including San Francisco, Washington DC and Detroit - each with their own atmosphere and events - play host to diverse street races, where high-performance V8 muscle cars set the pace in aggressive, closely fought pack competitions. And in the Far East, Japanese racing culture sets the tone where night races, including Drift racing, takes drivers through neon illuminated cities and to outlying mountain roads. There's also the opportunity to compete in races that operate on the fringes of legality in the back streets and industrial areas of Yokohama. [Codemasters]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

G4 TV

Many will balk at the game because it doesn’t offer a million different models of car. Those who do are missing the point. Grid is all about the fun and excitement of the race. It’s racing with a capital ‘R’ minus the frustration. You won’t find a more fun racing game this year.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

If Colin McRae: DIRT was a sign of Codemasters regaining a foothold in the racing market, the latest Race Driver is evidence of the publisher taking full control. GRID makes the high points of its rivals feel like false dawns, and if what’s on offer here is a sign of things to come, we’re all in for a remarkable ride.

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Cheat Code Central

Is GRID the next big thing in the automotive game genre? I think so. The game has incredible arcade form, and I think the Flashback feature is one of the best new ideas we've seen come from this genre in a long time.

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Gamers.at

There can only be one recommendation for PC-Gamers who love racing games this year: Get Race Driver GRID! Great graphics and the fantastic driving experience that will satisfy fans of simulation as well as arcade racers will convince any car freak. Go already and get it! [Issue#14]

GameStar

No pit stops, no car tuning. Race Driver: Grid is all about driving, having fun and running a racing team. The game drops you right into the race without training laps or qualifying. AI opponents with almost humanlike behaviour, physically correct damage modelling, up to 40,000 spectators in 3D, bloom effects, smoke and force feedback create an amazingly intense feeling of being right smack in the middle. Need for Speed feels like bobbycar racing in comparison.

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Boomtown

The game looks and sounds as good - and with moderately decent hardware looks even better.

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GamerNode

GRID has something for everyone, and is enjoyable by all racing fans. The visuals are great, the gameplay is frantic and the atmosphere oozes perfection.

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PC Format

Like going to dinner with a supermodel only to discover she's also as witty as a stand-up comic; GRID is gorgeous and emormously good fun. [July 2008, p.104]

VideoGamer

Race Driver: GRID is tearing up the tarmac this summer without a challenger in site.

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GameTap

While the game's focus is clearly on driving, managing sponsors right will double or triple the income of winning an event and is a fun minigame on its own; making lots of money is crucial to entering higher-level, ultra-costly racing series.

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Gameplanet

The complete racing package, Race Driver GRID is perfectly tuned to produce a fine balance between fun and realism. A large range of classes means the comparatively small number of cars does nothing to detract from the sense of scale.

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BigPond GameArena

The PC is an excellent offering, but if you’re without a wheel and you’ve got the choice – grab it on console.

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Cynamite

Codemasters celebrates the racing circus with such enthusiasm that the gamer can’t resist. This game is surprisingly well done.

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MEGamers

A racing experience that both simulation and fast thrills lovers will enjoy.

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PC Zone UK

Codemasters' racing studio know what they're doing and have again got the key elements right.

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PC Gamer UK

A racer made of style and substance. [July 2008, p.84]

IGN

There are plenty of other racing games on the market, but Grid captures the soul of the track like none other. The crashes are insane, the races are intense, the cars are coated with style and the overall presentation is just plain sexy.

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Pelit (Finland)

Race Driver: Grid looks excellent and presents many interesting car classes. Still, bad A.I. and unbalanced physics engine that works for some cars and feels absolutely awful for some other of them, ruins the good potential. Grid is great entertainment at the beginning to show the potential of recently bought new generation console, but that's basicly everything it offers. No multiplayer game tested. [Aug 2008]

PC Gamer

The game entices you with its beauty before hooking you with its effects and finally landing you with its enormous gameplay depth. [Sept 2008, p.66]

PTGamers

GRID is a driving game that won’t disappoint speed fans, especially those who follow Codemasters games.

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Computer Games Online RO

So, there, you go. Race Driver Grid is a great game. Unfortunately, it's part of a series, and as such, the only thing it excels at is the graphics.

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GameShark

Both “x-treme” racing fans and racing aficionados alike will find something to enjoy, making it the possible Great Uniter of racing videogames.

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GameDaily

Although the game is challenging, it's not so tough that winning seems completely out of reach for novice drivers, which makes this racing game worth having.

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Play (Poland)

This is the most arcadey racer made by Codemasters recently and it looks like they did not forget how it's done. Textures, models and special effects are polished to perfection, it takes only a small while to fall in love with this game. [July 2008]

PC PowerPlay

Overall, Grid is an impressive racer, slick enough to forgive its obvious console origins and deep enough to forgive the frustrating AI. [Aug 2008, p.59]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 118 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Michael Z gave it a10:
This game,is the first game that really truly amazed me.After all the years i have played the Need For Speed titles,this game dosen't compare to the NFS titles..It's psyhics are simply far more evolved than in the NFS series,and most of the racing games i have played.(arcade style games,and or simulation.) If you play the game on full-assists then it has an arcade-like feeling,but without them,it is almoust as good as a rock solid racing simulator.And besides the circuit racing,the developers included touge,mindight touge and drift races.Those are my favourite races,because no game ever before (from what i played,and know.) made,had those races dedicated,or in other words:official support for that race type.And it has very little derby action,but even that little race type has it's own fun.This game truly deserves a 10.

Tom gave it a5:
Physics? Car feeling? This game is absolutely horrible in terms of steering, ESPECIALLY when using a wheel. Even with the wheel weight set to maximum you can drive 200km/h you can spin the steering wheel like a Fiat Punto with car park assist or something. Driving in GRID feels more like a boat race to me. The only good thing about this game is the car damage and graphics.

Stas S gave it a1:
I love racing games that's the only reason I give it 1 instead of 0. The game is simply impossible even if you have a racing wheel. Even on the basic difficulty. Don't buy it. That's my advice.

Ervin gave it a2:
The graphics are pretty nice if you're into eyecandy visuals rather than realism, and it doesn't bother me personally. It has some nice and original features, but for the most part the game is unplayable. The controls are simply brain damaged. One tap on the turn and the car veers off to the side, so there's basically no control what so ever. Most of the time I just watched my car jump from side to side on the track, and fly into the opposite wall at every other turn. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a crappy player. I've played numerous racing games before this, and they were all at least playable unlike Grid. It wont allow me increase the resolution to a proper amount for some ridiculous reason. The graphics settings are simplified to appeal to the mentally ill player population. All these problems I have found less than half an hour, and I quite honestly don't want to play any more than that.

Dylz . gave it a10:
Best Driving game thus far, tops all NFS and similar. coming from a drift/track background the best physics engine out there. And for those that doubt the physics, spend a day on the track and you'll think twice. Only downfall kamikaze AI's. Awesome graphics.

Tarun B. gave it a1:
Amazing graphics and Original flashback concept. But i gave this a bad rating because, it is almost impossible to play... very tough to master the controls.. I guess it is easier to go and drive on the race track than this game. Second, this game is incompatible with almost all gamepads out there except the xbox360 controller.

Felipe A. gave it a10:
Fun, Fast, Realistic! Everything you could expect from a Driving Simulation game. The multiplayer is awsome (gameplay). The only down point is the menus (single and online) you use the controler on menus and the search engine and features from the online mode is poor (but again, gameplay is 10).

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