I bought this game on sale a long time ago, and didn't get to play it much because of some severe issues with the control configuration, swerving back and forth horribly. Well, I readjusted some settings, I forget which, and then I got to play it. And damn, was it worth it. It's an absolutely gorgeous game with an interesting mix between arcade and simulation style racing, getting just as in-depth as you want it to be.

The GRID World mode is essentially your average career mode, but it allows you a lot of choice in regards to what events you participate in. A wide list of event options is open to you, some events being a new style of racing to get accustomed to and some (like Demolition Derby) being one-offs. You'll earn respect in each jurisdiction for impressive finishes, and you'll earn more of it for self-imposed challenges like turning up the difficulty, turning off assists, and most boldly, entirely disabling the option to restart a race from the pause menu. Like I said, it's as in-depth as you want it, so if you want to go hardcore, the game will respect that and reward you accordingly. Even on a low difficulty, though, I still managed to accrue some high levels of respect for consistent victories. Also, I noticed that just when I felt like I was running out of events to play, a new tier of them unlocked, leaving more and more to play even when I started seeing the same locations repeatedly.

The Flashback feature is a godsend. Screwed up somewhere? Go to the instant replay, rewind, and hit the button (WARNING: F12 is one of the buttons) to continue the race right from there. You only have a limited supply of them, though, and if you went for Pro Mode to disable restarting from the pause menu, you get no Flashbacks either.

Some event types will get on your nerves, no doubt about it, and teammates will often be a pain. But more often than not, GRID is a quite thrilling experience that really gives you the feeling of managing your own team, from choosing your sponsors (which offer different challenges to earn your payout, such as finishing in a certain place) to choosing your teammate. Once you get up into those higher ranks on the driver leaderboards, you'll look back and think, "I earned this".

I bought this game on sale a long time ago, and didn't get to play it much because of some severe issues with the control configuration, swerving back and forth horribly. Well, I readjusted some settings, I forget which, and then I got to play it. And damn, was it worth it. It's an absolutely gorgeous game with an interesting mix between arcade and simulation style racing, getting just as in-depth as you want it to be. The GRID World mode is essentially your average career mode, but it allows you a lot of choice in regards to what events you participate in. A wide list of event options is open to you, some events being a new style of racing to get accustomed to and some (like Demolition Derby) being one-offs. You'll earn respect in each jurisdiction for impressive finishes, and you'll earn more of it for self-imposed challenges like turning up the difficulty, turning off assists, and most boldly, entirely disabling the option to restart a race from the pause menu. Like I said, it's as in-depth as you want it, so if you want to go hardcore, the game will respect that and reward you accordingly. Even on a low difficulty, though, I still managed to accrue some high levels of respect for consistent victories. Also, I noticed that just when I felt like I was running out of events to play, a new tier of them unlocked, leaving more and more to play even when I started seeing the same locations repeatedly. The Flashback feature is a godsend. Screwed up somewhere? Go to the instant replay, rewind, and hit the button (WARNING: F12 is one of the buttons) to continue the race right from there. You only have a limited supply of them, though, and if you went for Pro Mode to disable restarting from the pause menu, you get no Flashbacks either. Some event types will get on your nerves, no doubt about it, and teammates will often be a pain. But more often than not, GRID is a quite thrilling experience that really gives you the feeling of managing your own team, from choosing your sponsors (which offer different challenges to earn your payout, such as finishing in a certain place) to choosing your teammate. Once you get up into those higher ranks on the driver leaderboards, you'll look back and think, "I earned this".