Nintendo DS games have a few requirements to meet that games for major platforms don't need to worry about. For example: if I'm taking the bus to work in the morning, the game needs to be playable during the severe bouts of the obligatory bus jiggle. If it's too bright through the windows of the bus, the game must be adaptable to frequent afternoon pausing or a brief period where I can't see the screen. With a racing game, blind spot periods aren't going to bode well.
Then there's the other factors with the Nintendo DS. What is the other screen doing while I'm looking at this one? Is it unnecessary? Would it be better if I was playing this game on a one-screen system (i.e. the PSP or a system that utilizes an
actual television)?
I suppose it's unfair to judge a game on its bus compatibility.
GRID should be judged by a few key factors: does it utilize the DS's stylus well and, if not, would it have been fun for the old Game Boy systems? And, since it got such rave reviews for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, does the handheld version hold up?
For one, I can't compare the handheld
GRID to the big kids'
GRID. I never played the old one. I can, however, tell you how this game stands on its own two feet.
Obviously, the graphics are Nintendo 64 quality, but that doesn't bug me. It's a game for the Nintendo DS, so I'm not looking for a crisp picture. The main thing I'm concerned with is how fast I can drive a car into a wall and how much the game will let me get away with it.
The answer:
GRID doesn't like it when you crash a car into a wall at 170 MPH. It doesn't like it one bit. That's why the game enables the proper punishments. Your car will go slower, your car will start fishtailing, the hood will emit a heavy black smoke (thus impairing your field of vision) and you'll be able to steer your car as well as you can steer a horse on a merry-go-round. In other words, you get consequences close to what you would experience in real life (short of death and severe injuries, you know, unless you play
GRID while you're driving an actual car).
That's what I like about
GRID. It doesn't pull any "fantasy driving" punches. If you're going to take a sharp turn, you better slam the brakes and be prepared to take a sharp turn. You won't be able to magically turn while going at top speed without running into a wall.
During races and time trials and the like, however, the bottom screen doesn't really do anything. You'll use the A and B buttons and the D-pad to accelerate, brake, reverse and steer. The bottom screen will show you a generic map in front of a grid (lowercase), which will help you not-at-all.
Another frustrating thing is that the game doesn't really show you what your goal is for the race. You race, and if you win, you find out what your reward is. It's not a huge deal, but I'd like some incentive for failing over and over again in order to get it
just right.
GRID gets frustrating, true. It isn't easy to win most of the time. You really need to get the feel for each track that you're racing on. Traditionally, you'll need to play the harder courses at least six times in order to really get cracking.
So is it a bus game? Not at all. It's a game to play while you're sitting in bed or on the couch. If you're sitting on the bus, you'll never be able to successfully customize your track. What's that? A whole different aspect of the game? Why didn't you ask?
Yes, you get to build your own course. But do you have free reign over what you want to do with the course? Not at all! You have to adhere to a strict set of instructions. "The course must be 6500 kilometers long with 6 sharp turns and 4 medium curves and, oh yeah, we've placed these trees here so you'll have to work around those too." But
GRID, I want to make it simple and fun. "What part of 6 sharp turns did you not understand?"
There are a few frustrating things, but ultimately, I'm glad that the game isn't easy. Taking the challenge out of the game would make it a quick fix. I do have fun playing over-the-top racing games (see
Burnout), but
GRID sticks to somewhat more realistic means. Rent it? I say yes.
Grade: BLabels: ds, review
