Grid Autosport

Grid Autosport
Grid Autosport cover artwork
Developer(s)	Codemasters
Publisher(s)	Codemasters
Engine	EGO 3
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Grid Autosport (styled as GRID Autosport) is a racing video game released by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on June 24, 2014 in North America and June 27, 2014 in Europe. It is the sequel to 2008's Race Driver: Grid and 2013's Grid 2. The game aims to move the series back towards the "more authentic racing games" following the release of Grid 2, which Codemasters felt was not as well-received by the core fanbase as it was hoped for. The developers consequently introduced major modifications to the handling model and built a lean, race-first oriented design for this title.

Grid Autosport has been strongly likened to previous Codemasters titles from the popular TOCA Touring Car series, and is said to be one of the best racing video titles for PC in 2014.

Gameplay

In Grid Autosport, the player acts as a racing driver with opportunities to start and build their own racing career via the single-player Career mode, enter competitions with fellow players on the web via the multiplayer Online mode, greatly customise their racing experience (vehicle, circuit, race type, difficulty, etc.) via the single-player Custom Cup mode, and play on one screen via the multiplayer Splitscreen mode.

The Career mode is divided into seasons before which the player each time has to choose between offers from the game's racing teams. The teams, including the best-in-the-business Ravenwest, making a return from Race Driver: Grid, each have different season objectives and sponsor objectives, the achievement of which earns extra experience points (XP) for the player besides those received for his or her results. Online racing is conducted via RaceNet, Codemasters' own community hub, on which players can form racing clubs, earn XP and cash as they race and fulfill sponsor objectives, then use their earnings to purchase and upgrade vehicles. They are also often presented with sets of specific challenges, announced by Codemasters.

Grid Autosport introduces the concept of racing disciplines, Touring, Endurance, Open Wheel, Tuner and Street, and during Career mode, the player can start seasons in any of them while also being able to switch between them at will between seasons. Each discipline features markedly different cars and race types. The latter include Endurance races with tyre wear enabled, Time Attack events, Drift events, and - as downloadable content (DLC) - Time Trials, Drag and point-to-point Sprint races besides the standard Races. These are accessible in Custom Cup mode as well, in which the player can also choose to participate in less serious events, such as Checkpoint, Eliminator and Demolition Derby.

The cars in the disciplines of Grid Autosport are further divided into tiers and classes of various strength. Some of the highlights of the vehicles on offer are the contemporary WTCC, BTCC and V8 Supercars of the Touring discipline (e. g. Chevrolet Cruze, Honda Civic, Holden VF Commodore), the present-day and classic GT cars of the Endurance discipline, like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 and the Ford GT40 Mk I, the Dallara DW12 chassis of the IndyCar series from the Open Wheel discipline, American muscle cars (e. g. the Ford Mustang Boss 302), among others, representing the Tuner discipline and the likes of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport and the Koenigsegg Agera R hypercars representing the Street discipline. In total, including DLCs, the game features 103 cars.

In the case of the tracks, the main emphasis is on real-world circuits which make up the majority of the courses in the game. These range from classics, such as Spa, Brands Hatch, Mount Panorama and Indianapolis, to modern facilities, like the Circuit of the Americas, Sepang and the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. City locations with fictionally lined, mostly real-world streets of San Francisco, Paris, Dubai etc., and - as DLCs - point-to-point tracks completes the picture. In all, players are able to race on 15 real-world circuits, 2 fictional circuits, 7 city courses, and 4 point-to-point tracks, including additional content, for a total of 28 locations with over 130 configurations.

Codemasters retained the popular flashback feature from previous Grid installments, with which the player can rewind his or her race a few seconds and resume it earlier, if needed. Other features include the adjustable driving approach of a teammate (which can be 'push', 'balanced' or 'defend') and a partially reworked team radio system.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	78/100

Review scores

Publication	Score
Edge	9/10
Electronic Gaming Monthly	7/10
Eurogamer	70%
Game Informer	78%
GamesTM	70%
GameTrailers	7.9/10
IGN	8.3/10
Play	67%

The game received generally positive reviews.

IGN noted its handling model improved from Grid 2, saying "it still straddles the line between simulation and arcade, but it does ask us to take things a little more seriously than Grid 2 ever did." GameTrailers said that it "definitely leans a little further on the side of realism."

On the other hand, GamesTM magazine complained about the length of the game. EGM said that "it’s a just shame that the promising on-track action is hampered by less-than-capable AI." IGN criticised the graphics, and said that the lack of pit stops was "a bizarre omission". Game Informer said of the career mode: "the all-encompassing structure of sponsorships gives the player no control over choosing cars and prevents the creation of liveries. These kinds of restrictions give the game a closed-off feel."

It made number 7 in the UK sales charts, and had fallen out of the top ten by the following week.

External links

• Official Grid Autosport website