Finally. A driving game that contains all the elements.
A large portion of insanity that keeps you hooked on the game for hours at a time.
A big chunk of realism.
And a massive bit of speed on the side.
Garnish with a large piece of fun.
Serve with balanced AI difficulty.
Now, alot of driving games fulfill one or two of these criteria, but Grid is probably the first one that fulfills them all. I am an avid driving game fan, and have played alot of the ones available for the Xbox 360.
Test Drive Unlimited was incredibly realistic, and something about it kept you hooked for hours on end, but was lacking in the fun department.
NFS: Most Wanted had the insanity, the fun, and the speed, yet lacked in realism, and the AI just didn't cut it.
NFS: Prostreet had speed and realism, but wasn't as insane or fun as its older brother.
Forza 2 had a fair dose of realism, but was incredibly dull and monotonous.
So really, Grids biggest rival is the ageing Most Wanted. But Grid, has a bit extra in every single aspect of its gameplay, that makes it ever so much more fun.
Grid throws you into the action with a simple "Get-to-the-Finish" race as the very first level. The thing is, is that it's not that simple. It's on one of the hardest maps on the game, in a less than well-handling car. But all the way through the race, there are a number of crashes, cars practically breaking apart mid-race, and long straights going by in about 5.8 seconds. It's like Grid is saying, "Look how fun and insane I am. But sometimes I feel like driving you completely mad with anger".
Which it can do. Very well. For example, The wonderful, innovative Le Mans 24 hour race. 24 minutes of solid racing, with a wonderful Day-Night-Day transition, which adds a whole new difficulty to the races. Hurtling down straights at 251mph, unaware of the approaching corner, which you inevitably hit, at speed, can be incredibly frustrating after 12 minutes of driving. Fortunately, the brilliant new "Flashback" system Codemasters has implemented into the game. This is basically where they've decided to add Prince of Persia to the racing genre. With the use of instant replays, it is possible to skip back to a point just before the crash you have just been involved in. Naturally, it only gives you a certain amount of Flashbacks per race, so even then they have to be used strategically, as the other AI drivers are more than willing to take you out of the race with a quick sideswipe, sending you crashing into a wall at top speed.
So in basic terms, what Grid has done, is take a good dose of all the needed criteria for a driving game, and added a new feature or two into the mix. This, is the template all driving games from now-on should use.