Part arcade, part sim, GRID gives PC gamers a visceral and fun racing experience not unlike Gran Turismo or Forza MS.
Likewise, I've always purchased games after they've been on the market for about six months or so. There are several advantages gained by doing this: the game has been patched a few times, you'll be able to judge a game's staying power if people still buy it/play it, and the price is often substantially reduced (for example, Hellgate: London can now be had for $19.99).
Then I heard about GRID, and I followed it's development online as I heard more and more good things about it. As someone who became hooked on racing games on the PSOne with titles like Ridge Racer and Gran Turismo, the videos I kept seeing for GRID upped my anticipation level for the game's release (five days ago as I write this).
So GRID marks the first time I've paid full retail for a game since--well, I can't remember how long it's been. And I'm happy to say that it's worth every penny.
One thing that some critics have dinged the game for is the relatively small number of cars available (45) when compared to games like Gran Turismo or Forza MotorSport. But really, as someone who unlocked all but 3 or 4 cars in Gran Turismo 3, I ask: how often do you ever drive even half of those cars? Even a quarter of them? Sure, they look nice as trophies sitting in your garage, but as GRID's tagline says, "It's all about the racing."
And it's the racing where the fun is to be found. One of my only two gripes about the game is that it doesn't have any car tuning options. You're allowed to turn such things as braking/steering assist on or off, but for the most part GRID is more of an arcade racer in that respect. On the other hand, unlike the Gran Turismo series, GRID allows for vehicle damage modeling, which can affect your car's performance and handling during a race (although this option can be turned off). The replays are also exciting to watch, and with the level of graphic detail that this game churns out, a passerby might think you were watching a real race on live television. Unfortunately, this leads to my other gripe: the replays can't be saved to hard disk (perhaps a future patch will address this?)
There's a good variety of racing tracks and racing styles, whether it's drift-racing on wet pavement in Japan at night, or professional Gran Prix racing with open-wheel vehicles. GRID covers most of the bases, and although there are no tutorials to help first-time drivers, the video introductions for each type of race/event will give you a clue as to what you can expect in each type of race.
The AI for the game is also quite good. The computer drivers don't just pick on you, the human--they also race against each other, and they're very aggressive and not above trading a little paint with you and each other. I'll be trying out the online play here by the end of the week when I get a faster 'Net connection, but I'd think that even without the multiplayer component, GRID would be more than enough to keep a racing fan happy.
Unless you're a hardcore simulation player (in which case I'd recommend GTR 2, which I also have), GRID is a must-own title for even casual racing-game fans.