REVIEW: Race Driver GRiD DS

12 Aug 2008 at 10:39:22 by
Systems used to review this title: (DS)

After the somewhat lumpy experience of DiRT (the menus seemingly the most impressive aspect) I was excited to discover that GRiD was a much more thoroughbred racing game. Not only did it have a believable driving mechanic but it also looked the business. Both on and off track the level of polish and attention to detail was impressive.

Today I have in hand my review copy of the DS version, and plenty of questions spring to mind. Not least of which is how Codemasters will manage to squeeze a corollary GRiD experience out of Nintendo's diminutive handheld when they flat out surrendered from producing a Wii version.

First impressions however are good. The pre-game videos and menus are as impressive and clear as the console version. A few less options here, but happily both local and WFC multiplayer provided for, as well as an intriguing car customisation option that we will dig into a bit later.

On the track things are as solid as you could hope them to be. This is quite obviously PS1 territory, but on the DS's small (upper) screen this still looks quite impressive. The car handles as you would expect and most would admit that it is one of the best driving experiences available on the DS. The fact that there aren't a huge number of games against which to compare GRiD maybe more telling of the platform's demographic than the ability of the hardware.

Sound is pretty impressive too as we find some of the best engines noises to grace the DS. Add a decent pair of headphones into the gaming setup and you will find there is actually a lot more audio fidelity here than the DS's speakers can deliver. The headphones really give a whole extra dimension to play, enabling you to hear chasing cars approach from behind.

One compromise to the hardware is the omission of the ingenious rewind feature that made the console version of the game so forgiving. It enabled you to undo the damage of a crash or a badly taken corner by simply turning the clock back and having another go. But if we had to loose something it would make sense for this to go. Whilst I am happy they prioritised framerate and graphics over these sorts of features it does make the game somewhat derivative.

The DS is better utilised when it comes down to car customisation. Here you can draw decals with the stylus, choosing the design colouring and application. It's a feature that seems a little bolted on at first. But take your decorated car to the track there is no denying that it adds a degree of connection to those bodywork splintering collisions.

Also fun is the track builder - a feature that was absent in the console versions - that is competent if a little limited. This is real Scalextrix territory as you clunk and click chicanes and straights together to your heart's delight. Once build you can pick a setting and weather conditions before taking your car out for a spin.

These features are a novel distraction for a while but you are all the time aware that this is a game trying to recreate the console version in miniature style. This is GRiD’s biggest misstep on the DS. If it were not so tethered to a like for like recreation of its big brother some of these extra features could have been developed further, and a better game resulted.

Whilst GRiD delivers a solid racing experience that will undoubtedly score (and sell) well, Codemasters have missed out on creating an experience that would genuinely fit the DS and its audience.

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