GRID is a racing game made by Codemasters, it's main intention is to be a mix between arcade and simulation, providing players a more fun and intuitive handling model that is more action packed and intense, after all, a lot of players avoid racing simulators because they think it's "boring", so GRID is the answer to that, this game also has a real sense of progression, it allows you to create your very own Team, choosing it's paint job, and everytime you win a championship, you gain money and sponsors, and with time you can level up and improve your team, allowing you to even hire teammates.
Gameplay: This game is rather unique on it's own, it has real life licensed racing spec cars and tracks, there are still some racing techniques that can be used to take a better position and laptimes, so it's not throwing everything real life racing logic has out of the water, it has a cinematic action packed style, I don't mean it by explosions and slow motions, but the sense of speed is incredible, and it's so satisfying to take the car at high speeds and pass through your opponents without messing up, there is an actual sense of high speeds, adrenaline and danger on this game that alot of other racing games lack of, it's also a very challenging game, it can get difficult and it requires skill from the player, which is a good thing! A lot of games got very easy nowadays.
This game uses the same engine of the first DiRT Game, so it comes with an incredible damage system for it's time, the way the car crashes and how it's exterior can deform is realistic, and the fun part is that all the parts that comes out of your car stays on the track until it's over, so you better watch out for any car parts lying around, they can actually affect your car and make you lose control depending on how big it is, and which car you're using (It's more frequent on open wheel Formula cars)
It also comes with a varied selection of racing modes, Normal Race, Time Attack, Touge Attack, Demolition Derby, 24 Hours LeMans (Which is actually 24 Minutes of gameplay) and Drift Challenges
Graphics: GRID is from the era of the 7th generation of consoles, at the time, most game companies tried to compensate a few lack of details with color filters and special effects, this game has a rather yellowish tone to it, I'm personally not a fan, it makes the game look like it's always in a polluted environment (but it's possible to change that to a more natural look by using a graphics mod in the PC Version, I use it and it looks a lot better) but the motion blur and the bloom effect works well, the car models are fine for it's time, not comparable to today's standards but it looks just right compared to the real cars.
Sounds: This is a very strong element on this game, every single car has it's own sounds, none of the cars in the game recycles engine sounds from the other, it sounds just right compared to the real life racing cars, the environment has plenty of sounds too which makes the game more alive, you can hear the sound of the wind, the ambient, the crowd, they even cheer or get surprised depending on what you do, if you crash, you can hear them screaming, it's a small detail but I personally find those small implementations key to make a game stand out.
Overall: GRID will turn 10 years old this year, and even though it had two sequels, I still consider the first GRID to be the best, it has the best sense of speed, amazing damage system, a nice selection of cars, great cinematic soundtrack, fun and challenging handling model, and a varied selection of tracks, I totally recommend picking this game up if you're interested, it's fairly cheap nowadays on Steam.
Gameplay Video 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GavIFXWabW8Gameplay Video 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLY7to6Ql1o
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