GRID Autosport Review - Start Your Engines…

Racing fans have been anticipating this one for a while, and GRID Autosport is finally upon us. Codemasters’ latest entry in the GRID franchise gives players a huge variety of vehicles to drive, events to participate in and tracks to zoom along. The main question is, is it well made? In short, yes.

GRID Autosport is a more focused racing experience than its predecessors, featuring Touring, Endurance, Open-Wheel, Tuner and Street disciplines. Each discipline has cars unique to it and of course each car has a unique set of statistics changing up how your vehicle handles. All this is of course basic for a racing game, but what’s incredible in GRID Autosport is the sheer variety and details.

Starting a new season in your chosen discipline begins with selecting your sponsor, all of the sponsors being real companies that you may recognise, such as Razer or Monster Energy. You will be set challenges to overcome by the sponsor, and succeeding will result in more cash and XP from your winnings. More cash and XP means more cars to drive in, more cars to drive in means more races… See where this is going?

 

There’s plenty to do in GRID Autosport in terms of content, and the game looks gorgeous, at least on PC (which is the version I’ve played). The reflections of the course are visible in your car’s bonnet and other shiny body pieces, which always looks lovely. Cars are very detailed and the PC version comes with plenty of detailed graphics settings so that players can customise which graphical flairs to play with; there’s even a free HD Texture Pack to download separately, provided that you have a powerful enough configuration.

 

This time, handling errs more on the side of realism, but racing newbies will still be able to find everything welcoming and engaging. Difficulty can be customised, with options like Traction Control and automatic braking available for use and easily turned off for racing veterans who prefer to play without such trifles. This gives two bonuses – first is that new players will easily be able to get into the game without the obstacle of an overwhelming learning curve, and second is that experienced racers will earn more XP for having settings meant to assist you deactivated. Real professionals who play without any assistance whatsoever will quickly be levelling up and rising through the ranks.

The variety of disciplines is really fantastic, as when the handling and gameplay of discipline becomes mundane or tiresome a new discipline instantly gives the game a shot of vitality. Several times I became bored of Endurance racing, and a fresh Drift event would instantly manage to grip my attention again. It’s also fun to race with new cars, making Tuner and Open-Wheel events worth playing time and time again.

Small personalisation touches make the game really feel custom for the player. A variety of names are open for selection which your pit crew will call you by whilst racing around the track. Hearing “Dave, try and take a few more places in this lap” is far more motivating than it would be without my name and really immersed me in the driving experience.

Sure, GRID Autosport isn’t perfect, but it’s one of the most comprehensive and detailed racing experiences I’ve ever played. It has more cars than I can count, a great selection of tracks, several disciplines each with a further variety of sponsor offers, seasons, vehicles… Honestly, the level of variety and detail is something I did not expect.