Leave the fantasy world of NFS...Welcome to the gritty real life of a racer !
I was a Need for Speed fan; Underground series were behind me wanting to take a career turning cars. But all of NFS to date is merely child's play; a Disney world compared to the real life world of GRID.
You play as a track racing driving wanna-be, your manager gets you a run-down car and some offers from teams wanting you to drive their cars. Your job at the start is to make enough money to start your team then the rest is history :D
First off, the graphics are absolutely amazing. Besides the feats; the car is highly vulnerable so don't expect to crash @ 200MPH and walk away with a scratch like in NFS.
Perhaps the cocaine of this is the scenes in your garage with the lo-fi music and the afternoon sun illuminating the place as you modify the sponsors and check the races...AMAZING !
The little things like that are what hook you on for the experience, not the rewards and unlocks
The biggest life-like part of the game is the controls; in the beginning it will be IMPOSSIBLE to even finish a race without totaling your car because the physics of GRID are literally like real life; e-brake too much or turn too fast and you're in the wall. Each car also handles itself VERY differently so if you buy a new car, it will take you a while to get used to it
If you thought you can drift on NFS...try getting ONE drift on GRID *hehe*
As soon as you get your head straight and get wise to the physics, you'll be ADDICTED to the challenge of each race
The same way Facebook over-took Myspace & Hi5 because of its more "formal" feel, GRID shines for the same reason over its counterparts so with passing seasons, sponsors' requirements, ability to purchase cars when accessing relative race disciplines, the paint-jobs and branding
There are numerous race events from freestyle drifting to F1 to LeMans to destruction derby to touring; each with its specific cars...take your pick !
One of the nicest cherries on the top is the audio; the voices & lines of the manager and the guy on the speakers during the race are absolutely immersing; you get to choose an audio nickname they call you with and you feel as if they're really there with you as you progress
All in all...
A very durable game that will last for long & provide a great deal of challenge for racing games fans who like it rough and gritty