Xbox360

Rating: 8.4  |  0 User Reviews  |  Send to Friend

By Scott Hesel

Combining gorgeous visuals with sleek and simple arcade-style controls, Grid is a racing game that doesn’t take long to throw you in the action. In fact, it takes mere minutes: the moment after you enter your name, you’re in a race that begins the career mode. In terms of starting out, though, Grid can be a little frustrating. You will smash into other cars, skid guard rails, over-compensate turns, and crash early and often. Prepare to either restart a lot of races or lose early on, but if you happen to crash mid-race, Grid’s innovative flashback feature allows you the chance to re-enter the race at the point before the crash a limited number of times via instant replay. Once you master the controls, however, Grid is one of the best white knuckle racing experiences on the market. First of all, it looks and sounds excellent, from the modeling, to the backdrops, to the sounds of accelerating muscle cars and the chatter of your spotter over the radio (although his spotting is inconsistent at best). Most important, however, are that the controls are intuitive and the action is really felt in every collision and hairpin turn. Also, the variety of racing styles to master prevents the relative simplicity of the control interface from getting repetitive. In terms of career mode, the process is simple: You race for other teams until you build enough money to start your own, and you can compete in the various formats in the USA, Europe, and Japan. Yes, there aren’t many cars to choose from, and customization is kept to a minimum, but Grid’s emphasis is purely on the race, and there are few better options on the market right now.

GAME PLAY: 8.8
Grid is frustrating at first when adjusting to the handling, but once you master it, it’s a tight and tense experience.

GRAPHICS: 9.5
Some of the best graphics for any 360 title. The models and backdrops are great, and the collision animations provide some excellent visceral thrills.

SOUND: 9.0
The engine and crowd noise are top-notch. The voice chatter can get repetitive.

VALUE: 8.0
There are many types of races to choose from, but Grid lacks cars and customization options compared to the sim titles on the market.

OVERAL: 8.4
A must by for any racing fan, and even worth a cursory look for any non-fan.

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