Race Driver: GRID

I never really thought I was a particular fan of the racing genre. I never get overly excited about the next big release, although I do like to keep an eye on them from time to time. But then again, looking through my games collection it appears as though I enjoy them more than I think. MotoGP, Forza, DIRT, Project Gotham - all are present when many other games would have been traded away.

And when I sit down to play them, I have a great time. So why my ambivalence? Why aren't I foaming at the mouth with anticipation? I think it's because it's hard to imagine how each new one could be significantly different from the last. A racing game is a racing game.

This is important. It's why GRID scores so highly in my opinion. Here is a game with a good, solid racing sim at its heart - up there with the best of them - but it's the simulation of the atmosphere of racing that really sets it apart. I mean, how many of us watch motor sport on TV, but would never take part? Something draws you in that gaming would do well to imitate. It's got a feeling of danger - no re-starting the race here, or loading up a previous save. You can throw away a championship with a lapse of concentration. Then there is the rivalry between the teams, and the drivers. It all combines to create a think feeling of tension and excitement.

Starting off in GRID, you have to race for other teams until you've earned enough to fix up an old banger and start your own team. From that point on, everything matters. You hire your drivers - and rely on them to do just as well as you do. And if you choose to put 'Pro' mode on, then you cannot restart a race - and so all of a sudden, you're driving like a real driver, and not someone who will constantly ram into people to try and get ahead.

For the more inexperienced, though, it takes great care of you. The 'flashback' feature is excellent - on the lower difficulty levels, if you crash you can simply view the replay, and take over control at any point, thus turning back time. It's a great way of avoiding the repetitive nature of the dreaded restart.

The main flaw, however, is the way in which it forces you to split your focus between events. Some of them are excellent - the open wheel class is scary and exhilerating, for example - but some of them are a little less entertaining depending on your tastes. I'm not a big fan of the drifting events and I don't particularly appreciate being forced to do them.

Which is a shame. I would much prefer to be allowed to specialise, much as a real driver would. To become better known in your specific field, and then branch out as you desire. It seems a strange contradiction to generate such a realistic atmosphere in most areas, and then apply these almost random restrictions to how you want to progress that career.

GRID can grip you. It's got so many things right that other racing games seem to gloss over. It's fun to drive, and it puts that driving into a great career context that doesn't just revolve around buying new cars. It rewards you for driving well, rather than just fast. And I think in the long run, this may be the shape of things to come.