I will start this review by saying that GRID Autosport is the first game from the franchise that I have owned, so I can’t compare it to its predecessors.
However, what I can do is give you my honest thoughts on how good I think the game is, what I like about it and things that I would personally improve. Have you played it? Let me know your thoughts on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.
It is fair to say that GRID 2 was not received well by fans, but Codemasters has listened to the feedback and tried to rectify the mistakes made.
I’ll start off with the opening menu screens, which are simple and easy to navigate. A lot of games are choosing this kind of style and whilst it is practical, I would like something a bit more interesting or detailed.
I may sound like a broken record here if you have read some of my other Codemasters game reviews, I loved the menu screen for F1 2011. If you don’t remember, it had you positioned in the team motor home, in your own room, where you could navigate around.
It followed on from F1 2010’s paddock area menu screen, which I also liked and thought worked well. I don’t know how much work it would take to develop a similar style for GRID but I personally prefer the menu screen to be more attention-grabbing and link to the game itself.
Diving in to the gameplay, the graphics are stunning and live up to the impressive trailer that plays before the main menu. The attention to detail is fantastic for a game that has not been released on next-generation consoles and this is one of the strongest aspects of GRID Autosport.
Moving on to the career mode, I have to say I really like it. There are five different types of disciplines that you can switch to after each season. So far I have tried Open-Wheel, Touring and Endurance racing, while also sampling the Tuner and Street disciplines in custom race mode.
I find the former the most enjoyable and this segment has been my main focus. I have loved climbing up the motorsport ladder, as young drivers do in real life, through Formula C (Formula 3) and Formula B (AutoGP/A1GP), before reaching the top single-seater series – Formula A (IndyCar).
You race against fictional drivers, with some of them progressing with you to higher series, as well as made up teams (with some fantastic liveries). As you become successful, you receive more and better contract offers with challenging achievements.
Now, on to the subject of handling. I think GRID Autosport has found the right balance between arcade and simulation, with the cars being fun and challenging to drive – it all depends on the driving settings you choose though, of course. The difficulty levels and settings are very flexible and cater for a wide audience, enabling both motorsport rookies and experienced racing gamers to find the right level to compete at.
GRID 2’s handling model seemed to be the biggest flaw, so I feel the latest game from the franchise has got it right. The faster cars with more downforce (like the Formula A cars) really stick to the floor, while some of the slower machines (like in the Touring discipline) are a bit more tail-happy – but crucially not too much..
In the game there’s so much choice, from tracks to cars, modes and game settings. I think this will be good for players in the long run, as there is plenty to try and sample. I also love some of the smaller details in GRID Autosport, like the race engineer using your name or the radio messages you can request.
Also, the ability to ask your team-mate to either attack or defend is a smart feature that has worked for me several times. Whilst it is a little useless if you are much faster than the other driver, it can be quite a good feature when racing closely.
Moving on to the circuits, I personally have loved the original Autosport Speedway and there are lots of different configurations for the 22 tracks in the game, including competing in a backwards layout. Eau Rouge at Spa-Francorchamps is particularly tricky and enjoyable.
There are plenty of positives, but now I will move on to the few negatives that I have found while playing GRID Autosport. Firstly, there may be two cockpit views (compared to none in GRID 2) but they are underwhelming and disappointing.
They both feel like rushed additions, with the cockpit and dashboard being blurred. However, there are lots of other camera angles to choose from. The AI make mistakes and can be quite aggressive – particularly in the Touring discipline – but I find that the drivers often back off when they are in my slipstream and don’t move to the inside or outside to try to overtake.
I have also found that when I collide with an AI driver, I end up spinning while they carry on as normal like nothing has happened, which can be very frustrating. As you may have guessed, I use the flashback feature quite a bit. I also feel it would be nice for tyre wear to feature in more disciplines, as well as being able to pit for repairs (the pit lanes are all blocked, as I found in my first race playing the game).
The game is very addictive and a lot of fun, I would definitely recommend it. I think Codemasters has found the right handling balance and it is great that they have listened to the feedback from gamers. The visuals are fantastic, there’s plenty of choice and I feel both hardcore and casual motorsport fans will enjoy playing GRID Autosport.
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| © Codemasters |
It is fair to say that GRID 2 was not received well by fans, but Codemasters has listened to the feedback and tried to rectify the mistakes made.
I’ll start off with the opening menu screens, which are simple and easy to navigate. A lot of games are choosing this kind of style and whilst it is practical, I would like something a bit more interesting or detailed.
I may sound like a broken record here if you have read some of my other Codemasters game reviews, I loved the menu screen for F1 2011. If you don’t remember, it had you positioned in the team motor home, in your own room, where you could navigate around.
 |
| © Codemasters |
It followed on from F1 2010’s paddock area menu screen, which I also liked and thought worked well. I don’t know how much work it would take to develop a similar style for GRID but I personally prefer the menu screen to be more attention-grabbing and link to the game itself.
Diving in to the gameplay, the graphics are stunning and live up to the impressive trailer that plays before the main menu. The attention to detail is fantastic for a game that has not been released on next-generation consoles and this is one of the strongest aspects of GRID Autosport.
Moving on to the career mode, I have to say I really like it. There are five different types of disciplines that you can switch to after each season. So far I have tried Open-Wheel, Touring and Endurance racing, while also sampling the Tuner and Street disciplines in custom race mode.
I find the former the most enjoyable and this segment has been my main focus. I have loved climbing up the motorsport ladder, as young drivers do in real life, through Formula C (Formula 3) and Formula B (AutoGP/A1GP), before reaching the top single-seater series – Formula A (IndyCar).
 |
| © Codemasters |
You race against fictional drivers, with some of them progressing with you to higher series, as well as made up teams (with some fantastic liveries). As you become successful, you receive more and better contract offers with challenging achievements.
Now, on to the subject of handling. I think GRID Autosport has found the right balance between arcade and simulation, with the cars being fun and challenging to drive – it all depends on the driving settings you choose though, of course. The difficulty levels and settings are very flexible and cater for a wide audience, enabling both motorsport rookies and experienced racing gamers to find the right level to compete at.
GRID 2’s handling model seemed to be the biggest flaw, so I feel the latest game from the franchise has got it right. The faster cars with more downforce (like the Formula A cars) really stick to the floor, while some of the slower machines (like in the Touring discipline) are a bit more tail-happy – but crucially not too much..
In the game there’s so much choice, from tracks to cars, modes and game settings. I think this will be good for players in the long run, as there is plenty to try and sample. I also love some of the smaller details in GRID Autosport, like the race engineer using your name or the radio messages you can request.
 |
| © Codemasters |
Also, the ability to ask your team-mate to either attack or defend is a smart feature that has worked for me several times. Whilst it is a little useless if you are much faster than the other driver, it can be quite a good feature when racing closely.
Moving on to the circuits, I personally have loved the original Autosport Speedway and there are lots of different configurations for the 22 tracks in the game, including competing in a backwards layout. Eau Rouge at Spa-Francorchamps is particularly tricky and enjoyable.
There are plenty of positives, but now I will move on to the few negatives that I have found while playing GRID Autosport. Firstly, there may be two cockpit views (compared to none in GRID 2) but they are underwhelming and disappointing.
They both feel like rushed additions, with the cockpit and dashboard being blurred. However, there are lots of other camera angles to choose from. The AI make mistakes and can be quite aggressive – particularly in the Touring discipline – but I find that the drivers often back off when they are in my slipstream and don’t move to the inside or outside to try to overtake.
I have also found that when I collide with an AI driver, I end up spinning while they carry on as normal like nothing has happened, which can be very frustrating. As you may have guessed, I use the flashback feature quite a bit. I also feel it would be nice for tyre wear to feature in more disciplines, as well as being able to pit for repairs (the pit lanes are all blocked, as I found in my first race playing the game).
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