Grid is a racing game in which you build a career in what's supposed to feel like a persistent worldwide racing realm. You start off as a rookie drive for hire in America, Europe or Japan. As you win races, you'll be able to hire a teammate, create your own unique team identity and build up a small but focused stable of cars. Along the way, you'll attract sponsors and get to know the names of some of the more than 600 AI racers in the game, all of whom you'll have the ability to hire, fire and race against.
But you won't be using your garage for much more than storage. If you're the type who loves to constantly spend your winnings on car upgrades a la Forza and Midnight Club, you'll be disappointed with Grid. The cars you buy are meant to be tuned and groomed to be the best-performing race cars at their level the minute they're delivered. You're a driver, not a mechanic. Aside from changing the paint job, what you see is what you get in Grid's stable of
50 cars
Each of Grid's three regions features different racing specialties. In Europe, you'll compete in events such as Le Mans and GT on both fictional and licensed tracks. In the US, you'll visit cities like Detroit and Long Beach for street races. In Japan, you'll get behind the wheel of iconic Japanese sports cars for drift racing.
As you race against AI opponents in all three regions, you'll start seeing familiar names. The idea, Codies says, is to take note of who's out-racing you and whose style complements your own. Then hire them on to gain an edge in a certain racing style.
If drift isn't your best category, sign on a drift master to race with you, increasing your odds of winning. There's a "perpetual calendar" of races, too. So if you're having trouble in GT in France, head over to the US and run your Dodge for a bit.
But Codies seems to be hitting the sweet spot that lurks somewhere between Forza 2's bland environments and collection-based mechanic; Burnout Paradise's over-the-top antics; PGR4's drift-centrism; and the looming shadow of GT5's photorealism fest.
Grid is scheduled for a simultaneous June release on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC and Nintendo DS.
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