GRIP: Combat Racing is an impressive arcade racer, one that harkens back to the glory days of racers such as WipEout, while adding its own innovations.
Grip: Combat Racing not only brings back the exciting racing gameplay of the highly underrated Rollcage series, it manages to make it even more enjoyable. Factor in online play and you're left with one of the best arcade-style racing games ever made.
Minor issues aside, Grip: Combat Racing is a great experience for both veterans of arcade combat racers as well as those who are willing to learn the genre. The initial learning pains and massive difficulty spikes toward the end of the game may turn away newcomers, and the catch-up mechanics and sometimes questionable physics may dissuade veteran players. For all others, though, Grip is a wild ride that offers fantastic tracks that are exhilarating to race on at lightning-fast speeds.
Time with Grip follows a predictable slope. It’s amazing that a team dedicated years of their lives to recreating Rollcage in 2018. It’s surprising how good it looks and how effectively it replicates Rollcage’s take on arcade racing. It’s exciting that it contains a massive campaign with a bunch of different race styles. At the end, it’s distressing that Grip can’t maintain an engaging tone across its time with the player. Without addressing twenty year-old problems, it’s difficult to make a modern commitment.
GRIP comes together nicely. There's a bounty of content on hand which, providing you can deal with the frustrations of competition, prove fruitful and rewarding. The core racing keeps me going through a campaign that can border on exhausting. There's a lot of trial and error involved but it's compelling enough with a solid presentation to keep my foot in the door.
GRIP has great racing mechanics, but they’re marred by inconsistent implementation. As a spiritual successor to a turn of the century combat racing IP that only a select few would recognise – Rollcage – it’s best enjoyed in short bursts. Its familiar simplicity is inherently appealing, and its well-polished mechanics make racing fun for an hour or two. As you get your fill of the main mode and begin to delve deeper beneath the surface, however, it becomes apparent that there isn’t much to keep you coming back for more. GRIP has an incredibly solid framework, but it still feels like it’s missing something.
GRIP: Combat Racing is a solid enough throwback to warrant a play from Rollcage fans but for those racing game players looking for something new, the game doesn’t deliver. It isn’t bad by any measure, but it doesn’t do enough to set pulses racing.
SummaryGRIP is a futuristic combat racer inspired by the Rollcage games from 1999/2000. Combine furious speed with intense action to create memorable racing moments.