GRID | 
| From: Codemasters
List Price: $39.99
Buy New: $26.89
You Save: $13.10 (33%)
New (22) Used (4) from $24.95
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 1723
Format: Dvd-rom
Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows Xp
Genre: car_and_truck_racing_and_flying_games
ESRB: Everyone
Media: DVD-ROM
Batteries Included: No
Age: 5 - 20 years
Operating System: Windows Vista
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 1.1
MPN: SGRIDDSUS
Model: SGRIDCDUS00
UPC: 767649402083
EAN: 0767649402083
ASIN: B0016O5G62
Release Date: June 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand New Factory Sealed in Retail Box. Standard Shipping=First Class, Expedited=Priority.
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| Features:
| • | Contains 3 distinct regions featuring US, Japan and Europe | | • | 3 distinct racing styles that include Muscle cars, city racing, drift racing, traditional circuit racing | | • | Progress and create your own race team, hire co-drivers, and attract real-life big sponsors | | • | 20 car grids, bigger than any other racing game, fully licensed cars and tracks, all fully damageable | | • | Slicker, sexier, presentation similar to a Hollywood film |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
It's about international racing from Europe to Asia! GRID is an all-new race experience, taking players on a world tour of intricately designed racetracks and courses through Europe, the US and Japan. In addition to the exciting, ready-to-race gameplay that gamers have come to expect from Codemasters' racing titles, GRID incorporates only the most powerful racecars ever created - new and classic, circuit and drift. GRID features the most detailed and destructible range of courses ever included in a Codemasters title, challenging gamers with a wide variety of racing styles - from official circuit challenges and drifting events to road races and urban street competitions around the globe.
From the creators of one of 2007's best racing games, DiRT, comes GRID - a fast-paced, cinematic, all-encompassing racing game. GRID takes players on a world tour of beautifully designed race locations through Europe, the US, Japan and beyond. The game features the most extensive range of courses ever created by Codemasters, combining official racetrack/circuit challenges and drifting events, with road races and urban street competitions. GRID embraces all types of racing, including traditional circuit courses in exotics in Europe, muscle car street races in the US, and drifting import tuners in Japan. Jump behind the wheel of some of the fastest, most powerful race cars ever created and take on your friends in the best that racing has to offer. In any mode, on any surface, the car handling is sublime and the physics system is thrillingly accurate. A devastating new damage engine ensures players feel every bump in the road as they fight to keep control of their cars at breathtaking speeds. GRID delivers electrifying race action - squeezing all the juicy bits out of the world's best courses, cars and race styles to deliver one huge adrenaline rush. It's all about what happens between the GRID and the flag!
Amazon.com
GRID? Is all about the race- that period from lights to flag; full of tension, pressure, noise, and action.
GRID will take players to beautifully realised and dramatic race locations over three continents to compete in an unprecedented variety of racing events. Packed with the most powerful race cars – new and classic, circuit and drift – players will compete to conquer the most prestigious official race tracks and championships and then go beyond to compete in challenging city-based competitions, through to road events and urban street races.
In Europe, race gamers will compete on the greatest official tracks in prestige Marques including Aston Martin, Koenigsegg and Pagani. Iconic cities across the U.S. – including San Francisco, Washington DC and Detroit and each with their own atmosphere and events – play hosts to diverse street races. Here, high-performance V8 muscle cars set the pace in aggressive closely fought pack competitions.
In the Far East, Japanese racing culture sets the tone where night races, including Drift racing, take drivers through neon illuminated cities and to outlying mountain roads. There is also the opportunity to compete in races that operate on the fringes of legality in the back streets and industrial areas of Yokohama. | Key Features
- IT'S ALL ABOUT THE RACE: Codemasters Studios' history of creating stellar racing titles, combined with AI and the ability of the EGO engine allow them to deliver GRID - a pure and cinematic race experience
- A GREATER, MORE DIVERSE, WORLD OF RACING: New and classic, track and street – conquer the greatest racetracks and then go beyond with road races and urban street competitions
- JUMP BEHIND THE WHEEL OF SOME OF THE MOST EXCITING CARS: Exotics, imports and beefy muscle cars are all available to race in hugely varied events with grids of up to twenty cars aggressively competing for the lead
- THREE DISTINCT RACING REGIONS: Europe, US and Japan are all beautifully designed, each with their own individual takes on racing: U.S.A – In thunderous V8 muscle cars, race diverse courses on city streets in flat out, door banging racing action; Japan – Reject traditional Western racing and drift over to Japan for action the fringes of legality in industrial areas and back streets from dusk 'till dawn; Europe – Race the famous tracks dominated by Le Mans in some of the most technologically advanced cars ever created such as the Ferrari F430 GT, Lamborghini Murcielago GTR, Aston Martin DBR9, Koenigsegg CCXR and Porsche 911 GT3-RSR
- EVERYTHING THAT COULD HAPPEN IN A RACE PROBABLY WILL: A GRID race tests a driver's skills at every turn -- crammed with high-impact moments such as, engine fires, tire blow outs, bump and runs, wild crashes involving flipping, spinning, and collisions with other cars and trackside objects
- ENHANCED EGO ENGINE DRIVES ALL NEW HIGH IMPACT CRASH DAMAGE AND SEQUENCES: Physics models will ensure that collisions and crashes yield the kind of spectacle that a Hollywood movie director would ask for. Slow motion will be used extensively to give replays the blockbuster treatment
- ONLINE RACING: Race your cars online in high-adrenaline multiplayer, multiple car events
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Highly Detailed Vehicles
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Race Online with Your Friends
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| Customer Reviews:
 THE ABSOLUT ASPHALT DRIVING EXPERIENCE!! June 8, 2008
NeuroSplicer (Freeside, in Orbit)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
I have been playing PC games all my life and have tried most Racing/Driving games, from the legendary OUTRUN to the latest NFS installments. I have to admit, GRID is THE BEST - BY FAR!
The collection of cars is not vast but rather exotic and exclusive. The graphics are unbelievable, gorgeous and detailed. And the sounds (although will not accurately follow the engine revs) they greatly add to the total immersion. This is such a beautiful game that I have to tear myself from my screen not to keep playing.
There are three views (hood, cockpit and behind the car), all working as they should but what I really appreciated was the collection of available racing types: from closed circuits to demolition derbies, rest assured, you too will find your favorite.
This is not an easy game: deactivate the driver assists and you will find yourself fishtailing all over the place! And keep in mind that dragging is frowned upon in...LeMans-24. Not to mention riding a rattler! That's wright: GRID features TOTALLY REALISTIC DAMAGES! Hit another car or the guard-rails and your fine tuned drive will get crashed and bumpers will fall off - and its handling WILL be affected accordingly!
Choose your name from the setup list and pit-bosses will call you by name (sadly, no...NeuroSplicer option though). Another nice touch is the random events that can occur in a race: from engines failing or bursting into flames to tires going flat or bouncing off, there is not a dull moment and the game keeps you constantly on the edge.
Now, CODEMASTERS seems to be able to learn from its mistakes. First of all, unlike DIRT, GRID does not require an...ubercomputer to run. The requirements are not "all invited" but not "next generation" either. I managed to run it fine on the 4 years old lab computer (a P4 3.2GHz with 2GB of RAM and a 7600GT nVidia).
Moreover, unlike DIRT which was damaged by StarFORCE, GRID harbors a... milder garden variety of SecuROM (without limited installations RootKits). There is clearly room for further listening to customers' dislike of DRM schemes (hence the star withheld), yet, in all fairness, this is an improvement.
So, if you are boycotting SecuROM you have been warned. Otherwise,
RECOMMENDED!!!
Great Game, Awesome Graphics, Actually works June 11, 2008
AeroEngineer (Los Angeles, CA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I like this game because it's possible to play it either arcade style or sim style with great graphics and is actually playable unlike Dirt. I tend to like the arcade style handling assists in the interest of being fun and accessible for me. I've played sims and like some of them like Richard Burns Rally but dislike others like Gran Turismo. This game also has optional settings to make it more of a simulation like most racing games, but that tends to make it more frustrating because of the lack acceleration feedback you get in real life driving.
The graphics are wonderful and truly up to date with flying debris and great damage modeling that is both external and internal so if you drive crazy you won't be able to steer correctly or if you blow your engine, etc. The cars are all real world models including Corvette, Zonda, TVR, BMW, Panoz, Mustang, Lamborghinis, Saleen, Porsche, etc. Also are open wheel and LM cars. The tracks are a mix of real world and fantasy ones set in real world locations like Washington and Milan. It has some F1 tracks but not all, there may be more deeper in the game though. I'm not thinking the sound is accurate but it is fun and works.
A big thing is that my system can run this on 1680x1050 with no framerate issues, unlike with Dirt which I couldn't even to get run on 800x640 without being a slideshow. Dirt is the only game I've ever had that problem running and I can run Crysis on high settings to give you an idea of how bad it was for me. All in all it's a great all around racing game.
amd 64 x2 3800+
WinXP
GeForce 8800GT 512mb
3GB RAm
 All about the driving! June 24, 2008
El Sparquito (VA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Grid is the first PC racing game that I've played and by far the most realistic. It doesn't have as many cars as GT5 (about 43?), but the superb graphics and intensely realistic driving experience more than makes up for it. I've only had the game for a few days and I am smitten.
I have my PC connected to my 56" 1080P TV via DVI-SVGA running at 1024X768 and it looks fantastic! I'm looking to bump up the settings to 1280X800 once I get my settings optimized & the cable swapped out w/ a DVI-HDMI. The lettering (mostly menus) can get a little jaggy, but the gameplay is smooth and the backgrounds flow seamlessly around you. The added details such as damage to your car affecting the handling, realistic smoke effects (you really have to wait until the smoke clears before you can see anything) and the superb replay options add in to the fun. The cockpit view is great, too - although there is a slight delay between your shifts and the on screen driver shifts, but I'm being nitpicky. I do wish the cars were customizable, but I'm still getting used to the game, so it's no biggie for now.
I did have inital problems w/getting my new Logitech Driving Force GT wheel (the newest one w/o the clutch) to play nice with Grid, but it was resolved once I loaded in the newest drivers from wingmanteam - not the game's fault. Grid's wheel/pedal settings from the driver options menu allowed for more fine tuning (force feedback strength, pedal bias, wheel deadspotting, etc.)
Bottom line - great game for those seeking a solid racing sim & a bad game for those who like arcade racers like Burnout.
System setup:
Intel Pentium D (2.8GHz)
2GB DDR2
XFX 8800GT 256MB
Samsung 56" 1080P DLP
Onkyo receiver/JBL surrounds
Custom built racing seat w/Corbeau Forza
Logitech Driving Force GT wheel/pedals
Awesome racing game! June 8, 2008
Craig (NY)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
For anyone that has any interest in racing games, this is a must have. The graphics are exceptional, great sound effects, nice progression system. The game starts with a race in a Dodge Viper to get qualified as rookie status. After that it's on to various races in different locations and cars. The game lets you pick from a selection of races. Each race has a goal and some have bonuses as well. You need to reach certain financial levels in order to progress and get better cars, etc. Following the races, the game automatically goes into instant replay mode (which can be bypassed, but the replays are cool to watch). The xbox360 controller for windows works great with this game, it was automatically recognized and I didn't have to reassign any controls. The handling is tricky at first, I was crashing left and right in the beginning, but after several races you get used to the handling and how to take the turns without spinning out. The graphics are so good that you don't mind crashing sometimes, as the damage is modeled in great detail and the car even starts making creaking sounds if damaged in certain areas. The announcer advises you throughout the race the status of your car and if it's getting damaged too heavily. (Another nice touch is the announcer speaks your name as well, assuming your name is common enough). It also offers multiplayer mode which I haven't raced in yet but looking forward to it.
A great racer, but maybe not for the beginner. July 14, 2008
J. Howard (San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA)
Codemasters loves to make racers that are in between a simulator and a arcade sim. Grid is no different, and uses a graphics engine that is an evolution of the one used in Dirt, but I feel that it leans a bit more toward sim. It starts oddly, as it drops you right into a rather challenging race, and you have to complete a few more simi-advanced races before you start racing in entry level events. The graphics are STUNNING if your computer has the horse power to run it. If not, and you have an XBOX or PS3, I would suggest that. But what really matters is the driving. I personally LOVE the hardcore feel of this game. When I get first place in a race I feel like I have really accomplished something. The AI is also some of the best I have ever seen. I think what I like most about it is that it actually messes up. Some would say that this is annoying, and a bad call by the developer. But when I do a flawless race, and I see the AI spin out or cut a corner too aggressively and smash into the center barrier, I can't help but think, "Sigh.. Rookies.". It ads to the immersion of the game and no race is ever the same thanks to this. The damage model is top notch and the game also features something I have never seen in a racing game, an instant replay that you can resume from. Imagine you are on a 10 lap race and the AI is breathing down your neck the whole time. Your race is flawless, but one little mistake and you will never get 1st place. Well what do you know you push a little too hard around that last corner, sliding into a wall, and get dropped down to 8th in a flash. It would be a waste of a race and your time. But with the instant replay you can quickly go back about 8 second and try the corner again, instead of starting totally over.
As far as hardware. I have an AMD 6000+ 2.4Ghz 4GB Ram and 2 crossfire ATI 3850's. I have all settings on max but anti-aliasing turned off. I run it at 1680x1050 and ir is butter smooth. My laptop is a 2.0Ghz Core 2 Duo, 4Gb RAM and a nVidia 8600M GT, both computers are running 64bit Vista Ultimate. I run many of the settings on medium and AA off at 1024x768 and it runs smooth. The game has some odd resolutions but it will squished the picture so that if you are running on a 16x9 screen the aspect ratio is correct even though you have a 4x3 ratio resolution.
Oh and lastly. I play this game on my PC with a wired USB XBOX360 controller and it plays great. I have a Driving Force Pro, but have not bothered to try it, as this game seems like it would actually play better on a game pad.
One big fault about this game is the frame limiter. Like many racing games, this tries to lock your frame rate at a constant. I think this game is locked at 30. It may be 60fps, but I am not sure. If your frame rate drops too low, the game becomes unplayable. The controls get sluggish and you end up weaving back and forth because the game takes too long to respond to your controls. There is a PC version of the demo, play it and make sure your computer has the mustard to hamdle it. It scales very well however, and even at low settings, it still looks darn good.
Hope all this is helpful. -KD
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