GRID 2 impressions

[JMD]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

GRID 2 is the racing game I've been waiting for. This thing is a balls to the wall, get in and go racing game. The tracks are some of the best in any game I've played. Out of the 25 cars I've unlocked so far in my career mode only one, the Honda NSX handles like crap, the rest are fantastic.

I don't want to tune, tweak, upgrade, I want to get in a great handling car and race against some tough exciting competition, this game gives me that. So far the career mode has been excellent. With the A.I. set on Medium I'm having some tough battles and fighting every lap to get wins.

Online of course is a joke unless you're playing with friends who know how to drive. I only have one friend that has the game so I've played a few races against random morons. I find it very easy to win as I just wait for them to destroy each other in the first turn , then I go sailing by and never see them again. So many just horrible drivers playing this game.

At times this game really reminds me of Project Gotham 2 , one of my all time favorite racing games, especially the Chicago and Paris tracks.

All in all I give it a 9.5 out of 10.

[ps3veron]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

I sure am glad we're all on the same page on the NSX.

I thought I was terrible but it really does handle like a paper plane!

And where's the rear view mirror? I get the no cockpit decision but rear view mirrors are pivotal.
Its a racing game, we need to see who's behind us!

[sars973]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

Would you guys say that Grid 2 is similar to Need for Speed: Shift/Shift 2 Unleashed?

I played both of those and liked both, but I felt like a mix of the two games would have been perfect, since each had its issues/positives.

If so I may have to get this. Love that it has split-screen multiplayer.

[Duece]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

I've had some hell with the DFGT on Grid 1
How are the steering wheels working out for Grid 2?

[goh]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

Would you guys say that Grid 2 is similar to Need for Speed: Shift/Shift 2 Unleashed?

I played both of those and liked both, but I felt like a mix of the two games would have been perfect, since each had its issues/positives.

If so I may have to get this. Love that it has split-screen multiplayer.

Nope. Doesn't remind me of that at all. Makes me think of a better Auto Modellista but my memory of that game may not be 100% correct. I also believe there was some significant difference between the PS2 and Xbox version.

[Duece]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

The lack of a demo is causing me to lean towards not purchasing.

[TCrouch]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

I've had some hell with the DFGT on Grid 1
How are the steering wheels working out for Grid 2?

I have used 2 (Thrustmaster T500RS and a Fanatec CSR Elite). The T500RS lets me set all the wheel parameters in the advanced settings for saturation, dead zone, linearity, etc), while my Fanatec still doesn't. I have a Logitech G25 sitting around that I can try to plug in as that's similar to a DFGT.

With both the T500 and Fanatec, however, it is very raceable with a wheel. I spent my entire session Tuesday night racing online with a wheel, and had zero issues with control. The Fanatec took me longer to dial in than the T500RS since I had to use the wheel's face to adjust everything.

A DFGT or G25 or something older should definitely be supported, and have very few issues.

To the guy asking if this was like Shift 2--hell no. Not even close. It's more like Burnout without the crash focus, or Midnight Club or something like that than NFS Shift/Shift2.

[LingeringRegime]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

Global Challenge is a nice alternative to the regular online modes. One on one against a similar skilled driver over a variety of events.

Clarification: One on one meaning trying to best the other drivers time, etc.

[Steve_OS]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

I had a bunch of fun with it, and I gotta say that on my triple screen it's ridiculous. Three 40" monitors with the Ultra setting on 5760x1080 and all of the global illumination and HD lightning--ridiculously good-looking.

Why does this NOT surprise me... We need images of this setup.

[bigdoc85]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

Only a handful of reviews on Amazon. I'm guessing this will be marked down to $39.99 by the end of June. I'll probably just wait until Codemasters (hopefully) does a GRID 2 Complete (with all DLC) or creates an enhanced version for the next generation consoles. From the initial reviews, it doesn't seem to be a must have purchase.

[SilentYetViolent]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

Makes me think of a better Auto Modellista

There's a game I haven't heard in years. I'm really enjoying Grid 2 more so than the first, although I could do without the first turn wreckers on XBL

[OnlookerDelay]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

I've got a rental copy of GRID 2 from Gamefly. It's a bit more on the arcade side than I'd expected. I really miss the cockpit view, but with this game's arcade nature, I'm not sure it would be enough to make it a long term play. It's been worth a rental, but I'll be ready to send it back by next weekend. I got more of the online racing than I wanted in my 48 hour VIP trial... every online race I entered was a bloodbath. Oh what I wouldn't give for a current gen TOCA-4... (sigh)

[LingeringRegime]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

This game is fun at times, but it is equally frustrating too. I was getting so pissed tonight at the wreckers. I had a white exclamation mark for the last several days, but alas it is yellow now.

I wish they would patch a hardcore mode or something were mechanical damage would make your car inoperable.

Maybe that would cut down on the lunacy.

[lnin0]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

Finally got my pre-order from Best Buy. Had to call them because my Indy DLC code never came - the reason I pre-ordered in the first place. However, ten minutes in I knew this was a fruitless choice. Although GRID2 features a few circuits, this game was not made for anything resembling a professional race series, let alone an oval. I would have been far better served by any of the other pre-order options or none at all.

I hated the feel of GRID and can at least say 2 is an improvement. While the original GRID struggled to find an identity someplace between its TOCA roots and its desire to usurp NFS from its arcade throne, GRID2 has no such issue. GRID2 has abandon all ties with its prestigest past and aimed ever so squarely at the saturated arcade racer market.

So what makes GRID2 stand apart in this crowded genre? Frankly nothing. It's pretty graphics are pasey this late in the console generation and the writing for its story driven career mode, the majority of the single player game, would be hard pressed to keep a 12 year old engaged. The handling is more on par with Ridge Racer, with a strong emphasis on drifting. In fact, the slightest tap of brakes will whip your car abruptly sideways leaving the idea of "brake zones" behind for GRID2s more sim oriented siblings.

Unlike Ridge Racer, contact is much more punishing. Not a huge drawback in single player but a travesty in multiplayer. MP is not about racing, its about surviving. Another drawback of the otherwise entertaining, be it generic, online experience is that Codemasters locked all the cars away - separate from whatever you have done in single player. That said, the emphasis on car collecting is downplayed on and offline. Well, maybe not downplayed as much as it just poorly executed. Long load times, bad cameras and ill conceived design choices make the "garage" experience almost as cumbersome as the ridiculous story that drives the single player.

Overall, GRID2 isn't a bad game, its just not a great game. Its a very average arcade racer that is still struggling to find a way to get noticed in a crowded genre. GRID2 is a by-the-numbers game designed by market studies rather than any single passionate developer. All of the tricks Codemasters has embraced to set GRID2 apart have only done so in a negative way.

[OnlookerDelay]

Re: GRID 2 impressions

Great assessment of GRID 2 Inin0... you've nailed it! A "by-the-numbers" game is a great way to put it. I feel like I've completed skill challenges, not races, to advance in many cases. I had some fun with it for 5 days, but I've had my fill of it. I wasn't a big fan of GRID either, but it felt slightly more like a racing game than this one.

I had hoped the Indy Car DLC would bring a new wrinkle to it, but with the overt, arcade design basis, I can see why it wouldn't be all that different.