There’s something about pushing a car to the limits that I love. You’re on the ragged edge pushing for every inch of asphalt, reaching for every tenth of a second, and pushing to just beat the closest person around you, whether on the same lap or not. Pushing a machine to it its utmost limits is something thrilling for me. Granted I don’t get many chances to do this sadly due to laws and also driving a stock Ford Ranger. Enter in the newest addition to an old franchise is something that helps feel that need though. ‘GRID Legends’ thrusts into the drivers see from tour cars to formula vees, to big rigs? We got the chance to test drive the game a little early and let me tell you, this fills the need to drive.
‘Driven to Glory’ is the game’s story mode and it looks like a blast. In the event, the developers wanted to push for a story similar to the Netflix show ‘Drive to Survive’. The idea is that you are going back through the past season and hearing from other drivers in the series and their thoughts on what has happened. This is a story type that works well for motorsports. Going back to the basis of ‘Drive to Survive’ this work. This way of telling a narrative is incredible and I personally can’t wait to get my hands and wheel into this.
While we didn’t get to see/play too much of the actual narrative, we did get to hope behind the driver’s seat and take it for a spin. With Legends, you have over 130 vehicles at your disposal and a wide array of racing series. One of the biggest things I found chaotic and a blast is the multiclass racing series. This is pure insanity and a blast to take on. Imagine taking Big Rigs, go-karts, stock cars, and anything else and putting them on a course in your local store parking lot. It’s a knock-down-drag-out and a blast. Something that caught me totally by surprise was the small open-wheel series The Lightweights which is a similar build to real-life Formula Vees. Now I want to note that a very similar car to this is one iRacing and the fact that these cars handled almost identically blew me away. Lacking downforce and having the rear end kick out felt so dang cool.
Some other game mechanics include the new Nemesis where racing and wrecking can cause other drives to get pretty upset with you. This is similar to ‘NASCAR Thunder 2004’ in that the harder you race them, the longer they stay pissed off at you. The cleaner you drive around them, the less likely they are to just completely dump you running at high speeds. The AI and fellow competitors are pretty stout as well. They are gonna make you work for that spot on track or that line in the next corner. It’s so satisfying to have a good AI in any racing game because they can teach you. This AI is good with that. They also feature a new ‘conveyor’ system to replace the old style of rubber banding. Honestly, I didn’t really notice this or any ‘rubber banding’ too much but again, the AI is fun and really will push you and your racecraft.
Continuing the handling conversation, these curbs (or kerbs for the non-US folks) will get you. The overall physics and gameplay are fun. I will also note, this is a Codemasters game so there is wheel support. However, I chose to stick with the controller for this preview. Honestly, the playability for the controller also feels great if you are just a casual racer or can’t afford that wheel like some folks out there.
Overall, if you’re a diehard Codemasters fan or someone who is new to the devs and the GRID Franchise altogether. GRID Legends seems to be a really great step for the franchise and I can’t wait for the full game and see the final product and get behind the wheel.
GRID Legends is Out February 25th, 2022.
