Review – GRID

Back in 2008 when there wernt as many racing games on the market GRID first arrived onto the market, no nonsense street and circuit racing. Reminded me so much of what TOCA achieved back in the late 1990s and I was really hooked on mastering the game and to complete it 100%. Since then we have had 2 sequels with their own merits but we haven’t seen anything from the series in 7 years. So when I found out we would be getting a new re incarnation of GRID I was excited as Codemasters nail all aspects of racing and with two fantastic games already by them in F1 2019 and DiRT Rally 2.0 this year I knew I had to cover this.

In early promotion of GRID Fernando Alonso had some input in consulting the developers on the way they approached all aspects of handling of the cars. From the moment you load this game up you are thrust into 3 races to show you what it has to offer with all of the drama and gltiz of the World Series of Racing. Fundamentally for those that have played the previous games will be straight at home, being introduced to street circuit racing with tight ass corners and little opportunity to overtake unless you brake that late you risk smashing into the barrier and make a nemesis of another driver (more on that later.) Once you have got past the initial introductuary races you end up at your career screen and this is what is completely different to previous games, no nonsense, no set path, just a list of events in categories. There are several disciplines to choose from with 104 events. Each of them events can have one or more races in spanning across 12 locations and dozens of routes too.

5 classes to salivate over, GT, Tuner, Stock, invitational and Open Wheel. Each have their own personality which is great to know, you start off with soem basic cars and the rest are unlocked via buying them with cash earned in race events from you and your AI team mate. A few of the cars cost an absolute fortune and you will not be able to complete some of the events until you own it. If you have the Ultimate Edition some cars are unlocked already. I started off with the Fernando Alonso set of races of which at the end you face him on track in his Renault F1 winning car and that is an absolute thriller and very satisfying around the Malaysian Sepang F1 track. Much like how DiRT Rally 2 operates with a season pass GRID does the same and in the future we will get even more content and cars to use.

The invitational events are quite good fun and I found racing in the mini Cooper to be a huge challenge especially as they are comber some to use and trying to draft another car can be more than frustrating. Each of the events you are in most cases starting at the back of the grid, fighting through the pack can be hard at times as most of the events are 3 laps. I felt frustrated at times where the leading cars would just sail into the distance and with little or no chance of getting close to them. In each event if you get too aggressive and hit a driver a few times they become a rival and they will then take an even more aggressive approach to you for the rest of the race. Do this to your team mate and they won’t play the team game and support a request to push or defend. For those that enjoyed earning points by passing or by hitting all the driving line from the previous games will be pleased to know that this is back. These will count towards your driving level and each increase will unlock more profile banners and pictures alongside new team mates and livery options. Be aware though as the further forward you are at the start the less chance of earning points by overtaking. This is predominant when you do a qualifying lap instead of racing from a default position. Picking a team mate is key, you start with a basic one of which you can select one that specialises in a class and they will either be loyal and greatly skilled but cost more to keep or you can have an Jack of all trades and settle for a lower fee.

The AI drivers can be hit and miss from all the time I have been playing. Some races the AI can be tough as nails and really hard to go up against but then they can be 3 seconds a lap slower. I hope there is a patch coming to address this as its quite honestly one of the only issues of GRID. Away from racing the player profile page is straight forward, you get to pick your team name, payer card and banner icon and select which milestones you want on them. You also get to track your milestones and accomplishments too although it is a shame that it puts all milestones earned and not earned on and can be comber some to split the two. Visually the game runs exceptionally well on the Xbox One X and HDR works an absolute treat, only one small issue is the lighting when in cockpit view when the sun is glaring and sometimes is really hard to see where to turn into the corner. Nice touches of when you are about to finish the race ribbons float across the screen and fireworks from the finish line shoot into the sky. Much like how Forza 7 does.

Multiplayer is fun, although i haven’t seen much action on here with not enough gamers to race against. Overall GRID is another great racer to add to this year’s collection of games. If you like hard hitting no frills racing with plenty to do then you cannot beat this game.

4/5

Review – The Surge 2

The Surge was a sleeper hit for me, in fact I didn’t even play the game when it first came out until it hit the sale. All I could think about after spending over 20 hours in its immersive world was why the hell did I leave it all this time? Well I have had the pleasure of coveting The Surge 2 and I felt immediately at home playing it. If you have not played either game then I suggest you do. For me both games remind me of Dark Souls but a Sci-fi setting. The Surge 2 is more refined but still kicks your arse. Patience is key and mastering abilities and timing attacks.

Set a few months after the conclusion from the first game you are thrust into Jericho trying to get to grips with the powerful entities at play. This time you don’t play as Warren but your own customised character giving you a fresh perspective of events. Most notable is the choice of character background. Much like Mass Effect they play a part in the overall narrative. You could choose a mining wars veteran who has seen a lot of action but subject to a lot of harmful substances and struggles with PTSD. Maybe a search and rescue officer who will have more experience in loot and health. Ultimately the choice is yours and on my second playthrough I noticed small but notable story changes.

As in the first game you have a RIG that serves as the main focal point for upgrading your abilities and helping you tear through Jericho. Your inventory needs to be well balanced baed on your style of play, if you want to be speedy then the operator is for you but if you really want to be hard as nails and powerful then Goliath class armour is exactly what you need. Combat is just as unforgiving as before and can often make you want to tear your hair out over and over again. Towards the end of the storyline I got to a boss where I spent 2 days unable to progress and pondered before I went to sleep on the way I have to approach it. Not many games make me do that and that speaks pure volumes at the great work the developers have done on The Surge 2. One gripe with the first game was the affinity mechanic that gave you more effects based on your class with specific weapons. Weapons feel more in tune with movement and gives a level of restriction if you use heavy weapons with armour. Rather than some games you can still run around like Rey Mysterio.

The first game felt like walking around in tight environments and it wasn’t a bad thing mostly. Plenty of close quarter action and loot to get. In The Surge 2 I felt the game was more open and less industrial. Definately more city scape, I loved the sometimes dingy areas and the sheer scope of the daytime admiring some of the distance views. I spent a long time on the game and really enjoyed the scope and difficulty, I wasn’t much for Dark Souls but I am drawn into the story and the risk and reward style. I recommend you play the first game to get a feel of the back story but prepare for 30 hours of The Surge 2 and multiple playtgroughs to see all the small changes to character back stories.

4.5/5