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 - GRIDI have never been much of a computer gamer, but since getting a late model computer with a high end graphics card, I have tried several driving games and this is my favorite. Good blend of realism and arcade. Don't bother unless you have a good steering wheel with feedback. I spend more time than I should playing it. Rating: - Wow!Best eye candy of any racing game out there. If you have a fast PC and are fans of either racing games or racing sims, buy this immediately. Races are categorized as American Muscle, European and Japanese. The damage model looks good and works well. The demolition derby races are AWESOME. Rating:  - Excellent racing, nice mix of arcade and true racingExcellent gameplay, stunning graphics, runs even smoother than its predecessor DiRT. Do install the version 1.2 update, at least for me otherwise the force feedback of my Logitech Driving Force steering wheel did not work (didn't work in the downloadable demo either). Also tweak the sensibility settings of the steering wheel as otherwise the game is way too difficult. Once that's done it plays like no other, good balance between arcade and real racing. A true adrenaline booster! Rating: - A great racer, but maybe not for the beginner.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 Rating: - All about the driving!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
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