We take one more look at Codemasters’ next racing game, Grid Legends, ahead of its release in a few weeks.
The next installment in the Codemasters Grid series, titled Legends, will be released in a month. We were able to look at and play a chunk of the story mode prior to the launch. The plot in F1 2021 was a success, and we got to follow the exciting journey of newcomer Aiden Jackson as he fought to break into F1. A boastful opponent and a teammate who still had something to show before retiring stood in the way. Given the overwhelmingly positive response, it’s likely not surprising that they’re now attempting a true narrative mode in Grid Legends.
The main difference in Grid Legends is that all of the cut sequences are performed by real people rather than computer-generated copies. The characters are just as “over the top” as we’d anticipate, with the bad men being truly evil and the good guys being very heroic. Based on the massive crash that starts the whole event, the entire thing is documented like a documentary with numerous interviews. We get to play Driver 22, one of the major protagonists from the game’s opening crash sequence.
Seneca Racing is a modest racing team with a lot of issues. Instead of hiring established superstars, manager Marcus Ado takes a “Moneyball” approach, investing in youthful potential, which, of course, is less expensive. But this stems from his upbringing, as his parents manage a Nigerian restaurant where the most essential thing is to hire the right people, not the greatest or most expensive ingredients. Ado has introduced this concept to the racing scene, and it feels as absurd as it sounds. The squad, on the other hand, is at rock bottom as the game begins. Ado needs to recruit a replacement driver now that the second driver has left. This is where our protagonist enters the picture. During a race in London, Ado is on the scene looking for a new star, a driver who is nothing like Driver 22. However, if he performs well in the race, he is invited to race for the team. The only difficulty is that the main engineer is both a genius and a psychopath, and as he puts it, he builds automobiles that are better than everyone else’s, and the only trouble is finding someone who can drive them. The championship allows us to test a variety of automobile types, including touring cars and stadium trucks, on tracks all around the world, both genuine and imaginary city circuits, as is customary in the Grid-franchise.
The first race of Grid Legends takes place in London and takes place in the city center, passing via the London Eye and Westminster. But, among other sites, we’ll visit the center of Moscow, Paris, and the Japanese port of Yokohama. The locales are well-recreated, and if you’ve visited one of the areas, you’ll recognize many landmarks and ingenious ideas. There will be 250 career events, 130 courses (many of which will be in the same location but with different routes), and over 100 different cars to drive in the final game.
Grid Legends appear to be able to provide a lot of variation thanks to a track creator and cross-platform multiplayer. However, it comes with the stipulation that certain issues be cleaned up and addressed in the final month before publication. While many minor issues will be addressed, the driving experience itself remains the largest concern for us at this time. Currently, the driving does not appear to be where it should be. It seems choppy and lacks the fluidity of an arcade racing game in areas like acceleration and steering. The many jumps that appear around some tracks also do not produce the intended reaction, and the landings have a powerless feeling to them with no heft or heaviness.
At last, our only gripe is that we didn’t like the graphics in Grid Legends, which we have addressed our displeasure with, and it is likely something that should be mentioned again. The cut scenes are great, but the music isn’t quite as polished as we’d like it to be. However, keep in mind that the game will be released in a month, so Codemasters still has time to solve this.
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