grid-2-walkthrough

Taking GRID 2 Out for a Spin

Racing games have never really been my thing. I mean, I always played racing games, whether it was growing up in arcades with Pole Position and Out Run, or marveling at the night driving in Rad Racer on NES. I like racing games–they’ve just never been a genre I was really into.

The racing game I probably spent the most time with in the past twenty years has been Burnout Paradise, as it was the perfect blend of arcade-style fun and simulation for my driving game tastes. It was basically The Dukes of Hazzard: The Game.

So when I saw GRID 2 was free on PlayStation Plus this month, I decided to check it out, as I hadn’t spent any time with a racing game in while.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well GRID 2 drew me in with its story, which sort of pits you as a YouTube sensation who gets recruited to help organize a world series of racing by attracting the top drivers from around the world. To do this, you need to race them and show them you’re worth teaming up with. It’s a simple premise, but the presentation is slick, and it’s enough of a story that it added an interesting layer to the game.

The learning curve of the actual driving was more fun than frustrating. Granted, it took me about ten tries to place in the top three on the first track–a winding road through the California mountains–but I made progress each time. And the ability to rewind the last few seconds of a race lets you correct big mistakes (although I used it less than I thought I would). I am a terrible driver, and it will take a long time for me to master drifting and cornering, but I never finished a race without knowing exactly what I could have done to place better, which made me want to jump right back in and try again.

The bottom line is that GRID 2 makes a really good first impression, and I’m inclined to spend some more time with it. If you’re a PS Plus subscriber, it’s definitely worth a download.