Grid Legends played: so much better than expected

While it comes in Formula 1 for the next weekend to the (hopefully fair) duel Hamilton against stages, we experience the duel of two true racing giants in the spring of 2022: Grid Legends (February 25) against Gran Tourism 7 (04 March). Two giants that are last stumbled. While GT Sport had to put a lot of criticism in many fans to release, the grid series is already a bit longer on descent. Luckily, however, the downward trend seems stopped and legends could fully convince in the preview.

Namely, we could not only play the new Arcade Racer of Code masters, but also learn from Creative Director Chris Smith, which comes in story and career mode on us. And so much was said in advance: There is a big racing game package that was now not having to hide from Sony's exclusive.

Before we go closer to the modes, here are a few important information in a nutshell:

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, PC Crossly: between all platforms, also cross-gene Free upgrade? Yes, do you have the PS4 version, you can upgrade free on PS5 Performance : 4K and up to 120Hz on PS5 and Xbox Series X Fuhrer: 130 cars from nine classes to start. Including Trucks, Free Wheeler, GT and Touring Vehicles Tracks: 22 pieces, including 13 Circuits, 9 street races and a start-target race. 9 modes: among other elimination, drift, multi class, stage ramps and the new Electric boost mode Multiplayer with 22 players inside (previously 16) Race Creator: Here we can race or events as it is popular Steering wheel support: According to Code masters, all common steering wheels are compatible to the start Cockpit view: Yes Microtransactions: No Complete replay function of the races: Yes

That awaits you in Story mode

One of the two large columns of Grid Legends is the according to Smith 8 to 10 hours long, linear story mode called Driven to Glory, rewrite the code masters as Premium Netflix Documentation. The comparison does not come from about, we expect a live action story with real actors and actresses. Incidentally, you can play the mode completely offline, which as a nice note on the edge.

What we know about the story: We assume the role of Driver 22 and start with Team Seneca in Grid World Series. By the way, the recordings were filmed in London and looks like the whole thing, you see here in the trailer:

Although we were still able to get into the story himself, who has played the story mode of Braking Point in F1 2021, but is certainly about knowing what awaits him or here. A fairly shallow, but lousy popcorn story, with one or the other feud between the drivers, which also seems to be staged very appealing. Whether that arrives, we will tell you in the test in the coming February.

Other content via Season Pass: Code masters will provide Grid Legends in the first year after release with so-called premium content contained, among other things, in the deluxe edition. Four updates should bring new story content, modes, routes and a booster multiplier. On the other hand, microtransactions are not available.

The career mode is so extensive

The second large pillar of Grid Legends is the career mode, which should keep us with a total of 250 events for about 20 hours. Here are the nine vehicle classes and the total nine modes used.

So you go with a touring car a pure drift race, in which you dust its per slide around the curve and by the chain of drifts as well as from the Grid series dust. Or their ride with trucks an elimination race, in which the last two vehicles leaving every 25 seconds.

Single and multiplayer: What is nice, we can experience the career mode on request with other players inside thanks to Hop-In feature. Friends are displayed in the menu displayed in which event we are currently located, Johnen can at any time and take over the role of a Kid river.

Further information about career mode:

Four difficulty levels

Livery and logo Customization Vehicle upgrades Sponsor agreements with rewards Driver Level and Autolevel Systems

Let's take a look at the various vehicle classes, the quite proper number of different routes and the selection of modes is provided for abundant variety and motivation, especially compared to Grid (2019).

How well the level of levels engages and motivates, of course, must still show. To tackle 250 events, of course, a large shale requires incentive, even off the arcade gameplay on the track.

We could play that and so much mood has done

In advance, it was said that of course we could not play the final version here. Our impressions from the PC version with Xbox Game pad therefore relate to an early build of the game.

That was playable: Gambling we allowed individual events from career mode, including elimination races with super sports cars, Stadium Ramp race with Stadium Trucks, in which we were able to boost on a circuit over ramps, as well as drift Run. Also, we were allowed to play around with the Race Creator, creating their own events, freeze which cars go to the start on which track is driven, whether it rains, is snowing or dry. A cool supplement, especially if you are traveling in the multiplayer or wants to tinker crazy multi-class races.

Like the whole, looks at the PC, you can see here:

Ramps Open Wheel Cockpit

For optics: Legends is a chic racing game, especially thanks to light and particle effects on the routes. There are the puddles, cars with engine damage sheaths us in dense smoke and the bodies flash in the sun. However, as one knows it from so many racers, the optical level falls away from the distance. Although the new routes of London and Moscow look very appealing, but we do not expect Next-Gen graphic miracle. Please also not from the viewers on the edge of the track (when does this point get a developer, when?). Incidentally, we were able to gradually deactivate or individualize the packed HUD on request.

But optics aside, we come to the most important, the feeling on the track. And that's fantastic, really fantastic. No matter what class, after only a few meters of the acclimatization drifting and graze precisely around the curves, delivering duels against the I. And if we talk about gripping here, then we not only talk about the well-known curve leaning to make up places. The I makes mistakes, has technical defects, keeps us in the curves, tries to take us off. Code masters can be I, they have already shown over the years in F1. At least they can arise I so that exciting races arise.

The damage model: Upon request, we can switch off or switching on the Technical and Optical Damage setting. Activated, the body will be strongly battered in the crash. In unimagined depths, the system does not move or do not experience any damage model here, which does not offer many other racing games like NFS or Fora.

There's rubber banding? The famous-notorious rubber band or drawing harmonica effect of the appearance, no matter how good or bad we drive, there is not in the classic form. If we drive without error, we come to the goal similar to Fora Horizon 5 with a great distance to the other cars, depending on the level of difficulty. However, the driver field is not split up. Code masters or Smith rewrite the system with packing. Means, we make a mistake, we have several cars in the neck. In our view, a good interim solution for an Arcade Racer, which is designed for action.