Race Driver: GRID
Encyclopedia
Race Driver: Grid is the most recent addition to the TOCA Touring Car series
, which is published and developed by Codemasters
. The game is available for Microsoft Windows
, PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
, and was released in Europe on May 30, 2008, in North America on June 3, 2008 and in Australia on June 12, 2008.
Race Driver: GRID was developed and published by Codemasters, the creators of the TOCA/Race Driver series
. It is a game in which the player runs their own race team, acting as the primary driver. As players progress they gain sponsors and can hire a teammate to drive alongside them in certain events.
The game begins with the player accepting jobs to drive for other teams to earn money, and once the player gains enough capital they can purchase their own vehicles and drive independently, as well as continuing to drive for other teams should they choose to. GRID features a unique gameplay mechanic known as Flashback which allows the player to rewind gameplay by up to ten seconds and resume from their chosen point. This is a limited-use feature, determined by the difficulty setting.
Race Driver: GRID features several modes of competition using various cars. Three main regions are found in the game, United States
, Europe
, and Japan
, each with their own championship. Each of the game's 43 cars are tied to one of these three regions. GRID also features several types of events to compete in, including GT championships
, drifting
, touge, open wheel
racing, and demolition derby
, as well as variants on several of these motorsport
s. Players can also participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
at the end of each racing season.
Courses in the game are a mixture of real world and fictional circuits and point-to-point tracks. Real road courses such as Le Mans
and Spa Francorchamps are included, while some defunct street circuits such as the Detroit street circuit
in Michigan
and the Washington D.C. street circuit
are also included. There are also several fictional tracks inspired by real-world locations and circuits, such as street courses in San Francisco, California
and Milan, Italy as well as Mount Haruna
.
engine already being used in their previous release Colin McRae: DiRT. The damage code has been completely rewritten to allow for environments with the potential for persistent damage. Ambisonics
was used in the audio engine of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.
On May 8, 2008, a demo was released on the PlayStation Store
and Xbox Live Marketplace
. The following day, a PC version was released. The demo allows players to try two game modes: racing and drifting. The demo also features a competition challenge, with a BMW 3 series
, as a prize, for European-based gamers, and a Ford Mustang
for U.S.-based players. The American competition ended at midnight on May 25, 2008, whereas the European competition ended on May 31, 2008, also at midnight. The demo also has two competition tracks available online, and allows up to 12 players to compete online. The demo has been downloaded by over one million people over three platforms.
In 2010, an arcade version of the game was published by Sega
.
and the PlayStation Network. The pack contains eight new cars, these include the McLaren F1 GTR, TVR Cerbera Speed 12, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Honda S2000, Nissan GT-R (S-G2008), VW Nardo, Pontiac Firebird and the Volvo C30. The 8-Ball Pack also comes complete with two new multiplayer events set on existing circuits from across GRIDs three continents. On March 4, 2010 the second DLC pack dubbed the Prestige Pack was released (for the PS3 only). The pack adds Mount Panorama Circuit
and ten cars, including the Ferrari F430 GTC, Bugatti Veyron and Ferrari F575 GTC. The third and final DLC pack, still yet to be released, is reported to include Ford and Holden V8 supercars. Some reports show that the third DLC may become part of Grid 2.
which many users are migrating to. The multiplayer servers on the Xbox 360 are still running.
lists an average of score of 87 across all three platforms.
Official Xbox Magazine
awarded Race Driver: GRID a 9.0 out of 10, proclaiming, "This game isn’t about simulating racing; it’s about creating fun out of it. And it succeeds beautifully, one thrilling white knuckle at a time," with the only negative point in the review regarding its relatively meager online offering. X-Play
has given GRID a 5 out of 5, stating, "the Flashback feature is superb" and claiming "the damage is excellent". Game Revolution
gave Race Driver: GRID a B, calling the damage "fantastic" and calling the Flashback feature "a lifesaver". IGN
.com gave the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 versions of the game 8.7/10. Official UK PlayStation Magazine, VideoGamer.com, Edge
and Eurogamer
all gave GRID a score of 9/10. PC Format
gave Race Driver: GRID a score of 90%.
GameSpot
gave the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game 8/10/ Game Informer
gave Race Driver: GRID a score of 9/10, with a second opinion score of 9.25/10. PC Gamer
UK gave Race Driver: GRID a score of 88%, saying that the racer was made of style and substance.
's Editors' Choice Award 2008 as well as their Best Racing Game of 2008 award. It also received a BAFTA award in the Sports category at the British Academy Video Games Awards
revealed that a sequel to GRID is in development. It will be likely utilise the EGO 2.0 engine. No other news on the date or new features have been released yet.
TOCA Touring Car series
TOCA is a racing video game series developed and published by Codemasters, initially focusing specifically on Touring car racing but more recently expanding to cover a wide variety of motorsport...
, which is published and developed by Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
. The game is available for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, and was released in Europe on May 30, 2008, in North America on June 3, 2008 and in Australia on June 12, 2008.
Gameplay
TOCA Touring Car series
TOCA is a racing video game series developed and published by Codemasters, initially focusing specifically on Touring car racing but more recently expanding to cover a wide variety of motorsport...
. It is a game in which the player runs their own race team, acting as the primary driver. As players progress they gain sponsors and can hire a teammate to drive alongside them in certain events.
The game begins with the player accepting jobs to drive for other teams to earn money, and once the player gains enough capital they can purchase their own vehicles and drive independently, as well as continuing to drive for other teams should they choose to. GRID features a unique gameplay mechanic known as Flashback which allows the player to rewind gameplay by up to ten seconds and resume from their chosen point. This is a limited-use feature, determined by the difficulty setting.
Race Driver: GRID features several modes of competition using various cars. Three main regions are found in the game, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, each with their own championship. Each of the game's 43 cars are tied to one of these three regions. GRID also features several types of events to compete in, including GT championships
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
, drifting
Drifting (motorsport)
Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed...
, touge, open wheel
Open wheel car
Open-wheel car, formula car, or often single-seater car in British English, describes cars with the wheels outside the car's main body and, in most cases, one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or fenders...
racing, and demolition derby
Demolition derby
Demolition derby is a motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehicles into one another...
, as well as variants on several of these motorsport
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
s. Players can also participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
at the end of each racing season.
Courses in the game are a mixture of real world and fictional circuits and point-to-point tracks. Real road courses such as Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
and Spa Francorchamps are included, while some defunct street circuits such as the Detroit street circuit
Detroit street circuit
The streets of Detroit, Michigan hosted Formula One racing, and later CART racing, between the 1982 and 1991 seasons. The course was set up near the Renaissance Center and the Cobo Arena, also including a small part of the M-1 highway, also known as Woodward Avenue.Created largely in an effort to...
in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and the Washington D.C. street circuit
2002 Grand Prix of Washington D.C.
The 2002 Cadillac Grand Prix of Washington D.C. was the fifth round of the 2002 American Le Mans Series season. It took place in a temporary street circuit set around the streets and parking lot adjacent to Robert F...
are also included. There are also several fictional tracks inspired by real-world locations and circuits, such as street courses in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and Milan, Italy as well as Mount Haruna
Mount Haruna
is a dormant stratovolcano in Gunma, eastern Honshū, Japan.- Outline :Mount Haruna has many peaks and the tallest one, Mount Kamonga is 1,449 m high. It appeared about 300,000 years ago and the last known eruption was c. 550. The volcano has a summit caldera containing the symmetrical cone of...
.
Development and marketing
Race Driver: GRID uses Codemasters' own Ego engine, an updated version of the NeonNeon Engine
Ego Game Technology Engine is a video game engine developed by Codemasters....
engine already being used in their previous release Colin McRae: DiRT. The damage code has been completely rewritten to allow for environments with the potential for persistent damage. Ambisonics
Ambisonics
Ambisonics is a series of recording and replay techniques using multichannel mixing technology that can be used live or in the studio. By encoding and decoding sound information on a number of channels, a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional sound field can be presented...
was used in the audio engine of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.
On May 8, 2008, a demo was released on the PlayStation Store
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games,...
and Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
. The following day, a PC version was released. The demo allows players to try two game modes: racing and drifting. The demo also features a competition challenge, with a BMW 3 series
BMW 3 Series
The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. Successor to the BMW New Class, it has been produced in five different generations and in no less than five different body styles. It is BMW's best-selling model, accounting for around 30% of the...
, as a prize, for European-based gamers, and a Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
for U.S.-based players. The American competition ended at midnight on May 25, 2008, whereas the European competition ended on May 31, 2008, also at midnight. The demo also has two competition tracks available online, and allows up to 12 players to compete online. The demo has been downloaded by over one million people over three platforms.
In 2010, an arcade version of the game was published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
.
Downloadable content
On September 19, 2008 Codemasters announced that they would be releasing three DLC (Downloadable Content) packs, the first of the three was released on December 4, 2008, the 8-Ball Pack was released on the Xbox Live MarketplaceXbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
and the PlayStation Network. The pack contains eight new cars, these include the McLaren F1 GTR, TVR Cerbera Speed 12, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Honda S2000, Nissan GT-R (S-G2008), VW Nardo, Pontiac Firebird and the Volvo C30. The 8-Ball Pack also comes complete with two new multiplayer events set on existing circuits from across GRIDs three continents. On March 4, 2010 the second DLC pack dubbed the Prestige Pack was released (for the PS3 only). The pack adds Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit is a motor racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home of the Bathurst 12 Hour motor race, held each February, and the Bathurst 1000 motor race, held each October...
and ten cars, including the Ferrari F430 GTC, Bugatti Veyron and Ferrari F575 GTC. The third and final DLC pack, still yet to be released, is reported to include Ford and Holden V8 supercars. Some reports show that the third DLC may become part of Grid 2.
Servers discontinued
Race Driver: GRID has had its servers shut down for the PC and PS3 as of June 19, 2011. However, the PC version can still be played online by using the free software Tunngle or GameRangerGameRanger
GameRanger is an Internet gaming service for the Macintosh and Windows computing platforms. The service includes custom software and unlike other gaming services is not strictly web-based. GameRanger was created by Scott Kevill and was first released in July 1999 for Macintosh with support for 11...
which many users are migrating to. The multiplayer servers on the Xbox 360 are still running.
Reception
Race Driver: GRID received high praise from critics. Aggregate site MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
lists an average of score of 87 across all three platforms.
Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine is a monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released for E3 2001, with another preview issue for November 2001. The magazine is bundled with a disc that includes game demos, preview videos and...
awarded Race Driver: GRID a 9.0 out of 10, proclaiming, "This game isn’t about simulating racing; it’s about creating fun out of it. And it succeeds beautifully, one thrilling white knuckle at a time," with the only negative point in the review regarding its relatively meager online offering. X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
has given GRID a 5 out of 5, stating, "the Flashback feature is superb" and claiming "the damage is excellent". Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
gave Race Driver: GRID a B, calling the damage "fantastic" and calling the Flashback feature "a lifesaver". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
.com gave the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 versions of the game 8.7/10. Official UK PlayStation Magazine, VideoGamer.com, Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
and Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
all gave GRID a score of 9/10. PC Format
PC Format
PC Format is a computer magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and licensed to other publishers in countries around the world. In publication since 1991, it is part of Future Publishing's Format series of magazines that include articles about games, entertainment and how to...
gave Race Driver: GRID a score of 90%.
GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game 8/10/ Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
gave Race Driver: GRID a score of 9/10, with a second opinion score of 9.25/10. PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
UK gave Race Driver: GRID a score of 88%, saying that the racer was made of style and substance.
Awards
Race Driver: GRID won several awards, including IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Editors' Choice Award 2008 as well as their Best Racing Game of 2008 award. It also received a BAFTA award in the Sports category at the British Academy Video Games Awards
5th British Academy Video Games Awards
The 5th British Academy Video Game Awards awarded by British Academy of Film and Television Arts , was an award ceremony honouring achievement in the field of video games in 2008. Candidate games must have been released in the United Kingdom between 2007 and 2008...
Sequel
CodemastersCodemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
revealed that a sequel to GRID is in development. It will be likely utilise the EGO 2.0 engine. No other news on the date or new features have been released yet.