Grid 2 Review

But the most fun can be found in an event type called live routes. Normally urban locales like Miami and Dubai are divided into six or so predefined tracks, each taking you on a tour through different areas of the city. What live routes do is generate a dynamic layout that stitches together sections from every single one of those six tracks. It's an event where you never know what's around the next bend, which keeps you on your toes as you maintain an exacting focus on each randomly selected turn.

The focus of Grid 2's career mode is very much about getting you on the road and having you experience one crazy race after the other. This is not a game that wants you to spend too much time in the garage. Instead of buying cars and upgrading engine parts, you're simply awarded a choice of vehicles after milestone events. As your garage expands, you develop a collection of grippy all-wheel drives like the Audi RS5, demanding track cars like the KTM X-Bow R, and all manner of other makes and models. With such a varied selection of cars and event types, there's a deeply satisfying sense of challenge in learning the nuances of each vehicle and deciding which one is best suited for a particular event. Rarely does the most powerful car win by default; Grid 2 demands a familiarity with your garage and is all the more rewarding for it.

Even with its forgiving handling, Grid 2 can get quite challenging--especially toward the latter stages of the career mode. There's no driving line to guide you through each corner, and full vehicle damage is enabled by default, meaning your car starts to pull and sputter if it has taken too many hits. As the game ramps up in difficulty, you may find yourself wishing for optional driving assists, which are sadly lacking here--your only option is to raise or lower the difficulty level. Fortunately, Grid 2's fleet of vehicles are such a blast to maneuver that you'll be more than up to the task. Add in the ability to rewind time after a nasty accident, and what you get is a game that challenges you but rarely leaves you frustrated.

As engrossing as Grid 2's career mode is, it's just as easy to get sucked into the multiplayer side of things. Besides giving you the opportunity to race all those same tracks and event types in a competitive online environment, Grid 2's multiplayer serves as a nice counterpart to the career mode by allowing you to get a little more hands-on with your collection of cars. Racing online earns you cash to buy new vehicles, which you can tune by upgrading the engine, drivetrain, and handling. And while you're keeping tabs on your garage, the game is keeping tabs on you by tracking your driving style and ensuring that you're matched up with drivers who race just as clean or dirty as you. The multiplayer is a terrific addition to an already excellent game, and the ability to play local split-screen is just icing on the cake.

Grid 2 doesn't look quite as good on PS3 as it does on Xbox 360, but it's a subtle disparity.

Whether you're competing online or off, Grid 2 offers a fantastic blend of arcade and simulation racing. This is a game that wants you to experience the thrill of breakneck street racing, and gives you all the tools necessary to do just that. With terrific handling, gorgeous environments, and a broad selection of event types, Grid 2 slams on the gas and rarely slows down.