GRID 2

GRID 2 is a racing game and the direct sequel to GRID, where you play as the next star of the emerging World Series Racing (WSR) league. Your goal is to travel the globe—competing in locations like Dubai, Hong Kong, and Paris—to promote the new league and recruit other racing stars. The game features a wide variety of cars and race types, including track, street, and countryside events, with modes like Career, Exhibition, and Multiplayer, as well as the dynamic LiveTrack system where the race course changes in real-time.

GRID 2: Review

Five years after the BAFTA-award winning Race Driver: GRID redefined the racing genre with its intoxicating blend of sim and arcade sensibilities, Codemasters finally returned to the grid. GRID 2 arrived in 2013 not as a simple iteration, but as a confident, polished, and contentious sequel that boldly shifted its philosophy. It is a game of exhilarating highs and disappointing compromises—a spectacular, if flawed, love letter to the spectacle of motorsport that simultaneously alienated a portion of its most dedicated fanbase.

Introduction: The Long-Awaited Green Flag

The original GRID was a landmark. It perfected the “race as a character” concept, where every event was a dramatic narrative of rivalries, spectacular crashes, and last-corner heroics. To follow it was a Herculean task. GRID 2 does not seek to replicate its predecessor’s groundbreaking impact. Instead, it refines the formula for a broader audience, sanding down some of the hardcore edges in pursuit of a more accessible, consistently thrilling experience. The thesis of GRID 2 is clear: it is a blockbuster racing spectacle, a celebration of speed and fame built for the YouTube generation, even if that means sacrificing some of the soul that made the original so revered.

Development History & Context

GRID 2 was developed by Codemasters, a studio with an unparalleled pedigree in racing games, spanning the TOCA, DiRT, and F1 series. After a five-year hiatus, the sequel was officially announced in August 2012, with Executive Producer Clive Moody stating the core design philosophy remained treating “the race as a character, not a consequence of simply putting cars on tracks.”

The game was built on the third-generation EGO Game Technology Platform, which promised significant advancements in graphics, AI, and physics. However, development was constrained by the aging hardware of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, which were at the end of their lifecycle. This technological limitation led to one of the most controversial decisions in the game’s development: the complete removal of the first-person cockpit view.

Codemasters defended this choice with telemetry data claiming that “only 5% of Codemasters Racing game players ever used the in-car view.” By excising this feature, the team argued they could reallocate precious memory to higher-resolution car models, more detailed environments, more advanced physics, and a greater number of cars on track. As Moody explained, “If we just had to do this game for PC we obviously would have a cockpit cam, but we only have so much power to play with [referring to consoles].” This decision, while logical from a resource-management perspective, was a bitter pill for simulation purists to swallow and signaled a clear shift towards a more arcade-focused presentation.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

GRID 2 introduces a new narrative framework centered on the fictional World Series Racing (WSR). The player is cast as a nameless, up-and-coming driver recruited by billionaire entrepreneur Patrick Callahan. Your mission is to travel the globe—from the sun-drenched coasts of California to the neon-drenched streets of Tokyo—winning over fans and convincing rival drivers from established clubs in North America, Europe, and Asia to join the WSR cause.

The narrative is delivered through slick, ESPN-style broadcast packages and in-game commentary that tracks the league’s meteoric rise to prominence. The use of real-world branding, including YouTube integration that highlights the sport “going viral,” grounds the experience in a contemporary, media-saturated reality. The theme is unequivocally “Be fast, be first, and be famous.” This is a story about building a brand and becoming a global motorsport icon.

However, the narrative’s execution is often described as “sterile” and “lifeless” compared to the original. The player is a silent protagonist, and the relationships with rival drivers lack the personal vendetta and team-management depth of the first GRID. The focus is purely on the spectacle of the sport’s growth rather than personal drama. While the presentation is polished, it ultimately functions more as a contextual wrapper for the career mode than a compelling story in its own right. It provides motivation but fails to create memorable characters or emotional stakes beyond the pursuit of fame.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

The core of GRID 2 is its gameplay, a area where it both excels and courts controversy.

• The TrueFeel Handling Model: This is the game’s crown jewel. Codemasters sought to find a “sweet spot” between simulation and arcade, and largely succeeded. The handling is weighty and responsive, with each of the 70+ cars—spanning classes from tuners and muscle cars to hypercars like the Bugatti Veyron and Koenigsegg Agera—possessing a distinct personality. The physics provide enough realism to satisfy those who enjoy a challenge, while remaining forgiving and intuitive enough for casual players. The sensation of speed is exceptional, and drifting, while simplified from hardcore sims, is an accessible and visceral joy.

• Career Mode & Progression: The career mode is a globetrotting tour divided into three seasons, each focusing on a different continent. Progression is tied to earning fans, which unlocks new events and eventual invitations for rival drivers to join WSR. The structure is more linear than the original’s team-based ladder, focusing on a curated sequence of event types in each tier. Car unlocks are handled through “Vehicle Challenges,” where players must achieve a target time in a loaner car to win it permanently, replacing the first game’s used-car purchase system. This removes the strategic element of managing finances but streamlines progression.

• Race Variety & LiveRoutes: The game features a wide array of event types:

  • Standard Races: Circuit, street, and point-to-point races.
  • Checkpoint: Races against the clock, adding time by hitting gates.
  • Eliminator: The last-place driver is eliminated at set intervals.
  • Drift & Touge: Niche disciplines that, while fun, were criticized by some for having “schwammig” (spongy) handling.
  • LiveRoutes: The flagship new feature, where the track layout dynamically changes each lap. This prevents track memorization and forces players to rely on reflexes and audio cues from their co-driver. It’s a brilliant innovation that keeps players on their toes, though some found it disorienting.

• AI & The Flashback System: The AI is aggressive and tenacious, creating thrilling, bumper-to-bumper battles. However, this aggression sometimes veers into “rubbin’ is racin'” territory, with opponents frequently making contact. This can feel unfair, leading to heavy reliance on the returning “Flashback” rewind feature to undo costly mistakes—a system some purists deride as a crutch.

• Multiplayer & RaceNet: The multiplayer component is robust but segregated from the single-player career. It features its own level-based progression and car unlocks. The integration with Codemasters’ RaceNet service is a highlight, offering global time trials, weekly challenges, and a “Rivals” system that automatically matches players against others of similar skill for asynchronous competition. This added a significant layer of long-term engagement, ensuring the online community remained active.

• Notable Omissions & Flaws: The lack of a cockpit view remains the most significant point of contention. Furthermore, the absence of mechanical tuning and a limited livery editor (offering preset designs with customizable colors but no true creator suite) disappointed those who enjoy deep customization. Critics also noted a “gummiband” effect for AI and occasional frame-rate hiccups, even in single-player.

World-Building, Art & Sound

GRID 2 is an audiovisual showcase for the EGO 3.0 engine, pushing the last-generation consoles to their absolute limits.

• Visuals & Atmosphere: The game is stunning. Car models are meticulously detailed, with reflections and liveries that look spectacular. The global locations are bursting with life and personality: the fireworks over the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, the misty forests of Okutama, the bustling streets of Paris, and the art deco scenery of Miami are rendered with incredible detail and atmospheric lighting. The dynamic time-of-day and weather (though no rain) create a palpable sense of place. The damage model is also superb, with cars realistically deforming and shedding parts that remain as physical objects on the track.

• Sound Design: This is arguably the game’s masterstroke. Codemasters has always excelled at audio, and GRID 2 is no exception. The engine notes are raw, powerful, and distinct for each vehicle. The sound of tires screeching across different surfaces, the crunch of metal-on-metal collisions, and the roar of the crowd all contribute to an immensely immersive soundscape. As IGN noted, “Codemasters has done an exceptional job with the audio. There’s a pleasing rawness to the engines, and the sound of the tyres thumping across different surfaces doesn’t go unnoticed.” The soundtrack is largely relegated to menus, putting the focus squarely on the symphony of the race itself.

Reception & Legacy

Upon its release in May 2013, GRID 2 was met with generally positive reviews, earning a Metacritic score of 80/100 on PC, 82/100 on PlayStation 3, and 78/100 on Xbox 360. The aggregate score on MobyGames stands at 79% based on 54 critic ratings.

Critical reception praised its visuals, sound design, and the refined, accessible handling. Publications like PlayStation Trophies (90%) called it “an incredibly strong sequel” with “gorgeous” visuals. GameSpot (85%) hailed its “fantastic blend of arcade and simulation racing.” However, many reviews expressed a sense of disappointment in its conservative evolution. Game Informer (83%) noted it “isn’t the revelation that I was hoping for,” while German outlet GameStar (80%) led its review with the shocked headline, “Oh my god, they killed GRID!” capturing the feeling of many fans of the original.

The player reception was more divided. While many enjoyed the polished arcade action, the dedicated sim-leaning community felt betrayed by the removal of the cockpit view and the further shift away from the original’s simulation roots.

GRID 2‘s legacy is complex. Commercially successful, it proved the franchise’s viability and led directly to the release of GRID Autosport just a year later—a game that deliberately course-corrected by reintroducing a cockpit view and a more simulation-oriented handling model to win back the disenfranchised fans. GRID 2 stands as Codemasters’ last major arcade-focused hurrah on the seventh-generation consoles—a beautifully crafted, immensely fun, but ultimately safe entry that prioritized spectacle and accessibility over innovation and hardcore appeal. It demonstrated the studio’s mastery of the racing genre’s presentation, even as it made compromises that continue to define its reputation as a high-quality, yet contentious, chapter in the series.

Conclusion

GRID 2 is a game of dualities. It is a visually spectacular and sonically immersive racing title with a handling model that is both accessible and deeply satisfying. Its career mode, backed by the innovative LiveRoutes and robust RaceNet online features, offers dozens of hours of high-octane entertainment. Yet, it is also a sequel that lost a piece of its predecessor’s soul in the pursuit of mainstream appeal. The removal of the cockpit view, the more sterile career narrative, and the lack of deep customization are tangible steps back that prevent it from surpassing the classic status of the original GRID.

For racing fans seeking a pure, polished, and thrilling arcade experience with a sim-lite feel, GRID 2 remains an easy recommendation and one of the most enjoyable racers of its generation. For those who cherished the gritty, team-oriented, and more simulation-inclined spirit of the first game, it is a beautiful, well-crafted, but ultimately bittersweet successor. GRID 2 doesn’t claim the checkered flag for innovation, but it confidently secures a place on the podium for sheer, unadulterated racing fun.