Grid

Grid is way too lean on tracks but delivers its hyperbolic brand of Hollywood-style racing with style and confidence.

In the end I’m not sure GRID does enough to escape the middle of the pack. It’s a great arcade racer, but I don’t think that’s enough anymore. You didn’t change, GRID, we did... and I think we left you behind.

This reboot from Codemasters lacks the ambition that a good racer needs to get to the front.

GRID is an enjoyable racing game for those who want to enjoy some close racing without worrying about camber angles. The market needs games like this to provide light and shade. I was hoping this new GRID would be a fresh start, but it's last night's takeaway re-heated. I enjoy leftovers – cold pizza is one of life's great pleasures – but that doesn’t make the perfect racing game when the rest of the world has moved on.

There might be something absurd about seeing a field of GT3 cars smashing their way through narrow Chinese streets, until you remember that real racing is often even sillier still, and Grid excels at getting to the very essence of motorsport with economy, style and open arms to players of all abilities. So what exactly is this Grid? It's a refined arcade racer, and it's Codemasters doing what it does best - and doing it that little bit better, too.

GRID manages to give players an exciting selection of different racing options. It stands as a departure from Codemasters’ most recent successes in the simulation space, and perhaps doesn't quite reach the same heights that its deeper games reach. Nonetheless, those who want plug-in-and-play action with the ability to amp up the difficulty at a moment's notice will find a lot to enjoy.

Some of the finest simulated driving you can find on PC and console, but with a single-player career mode that’s not as fully fleshed out as you’d expect for the money.

GRID is, by and far, one of the best times I've had with a racing game. Thanks to a great mixture of arcade and simulation, with a wide variety of options to let you cater the game to you, it's suitable for everybody. Not only that, thanks to the nemesis system and AI race-master, as well as the 400 unique AI personalities within the game, each and every race genuinely feels different. Simply put, GRID looks, sounds and plays great and is arguably the best all-around game from Codemasters.