This game simply mix the fun of sim and arcade racing to a higher level. And guess what? Pure fun.
[1] Graphic
Simply eye-candy. Like in DiRT 2. Great graphic effects, great rendering, great cars. And much more lighter and pure magnificent.
[2] Sound & Music
Errhh...I simply will not talk about the music in this game. Better turn off the electric music. But the sound effects is great; it gives you real damn thrill to face off.
[3] Gameplay
First, I am about to remind you, that this game is in different handle with Need for Speed : Shift or even GTR. It is different from SHIFT that is a arcade racer in simulation cover and GTR that is a pure sim. GRID is in the both. You get many racers around you, realistic handling and damage, real world tracks and locations, real and decently selected cars, but to attract gamers, Codemasters simply give you pure awesomeness of playing in a race car just like SHIFT but in different manner. It is more gripping, more tight, more accessible, and more exciting than SHIFT. So this is half way to simulation, and half way to arcade. But the game itself shown its purpose more decently; it is not like SHIFT that gives you raw fun of a race driver. I would say GRID is more success in its presentation and delivering, but it is no match with SHIFT that gives you real driver experience, more real handling, more humanly AI, and less eye-candy effect; realistic view of a driver.
Second, because of that, GRID comes out with a selection of cars, not many as SHIFT, but in good direction and placed as it should must placed. Good rendering and excellent damage.
Now get into the aspects :
1. Flashbacks - nice feature. If your car crashed in 200 mph and your car suffer a great deal of damage and totaled, you still can get back in the track quickly to avoid the mistake. It's relaxing.
2. Great modes of race : It gives you drag, drift, circuit, and more. How Codemasters could balanced this out is simply amazing. Its not boring and it grows on you.
3. Quickly know how to handle the car you want : For an example, Nissan Silvia on a drift track. First attempt you will use as many as flashbacks. But in the second attempt, you will drift smoothly and know what the right direction for the car.
4. Good cockpit view : it immersing you to give you more much intention to your car. It feels just right.
Cons :
1. The cockpit view is too near with the glasses.
2. There is no customization at all.
3. Too much eye candy feature will makes your eye sick for a moment.
4. Decent selection of cars, but only just a few.
[4] Lasting Appeal
More accessible for players, but it's not teach you how to be a racer. It simply gives you how fun it was to be an ultimate racer.
Rating :
* Graphics : (Good) 8 of 10
Decent rendering and good looking environments.
* Gameplay & Features : (Level 2) 8,25 of 10
It makes accessibe to be a racer.
* Sound & Music : (Insufficient) 6,7 of 10
There is no good music in this game, simply pure good sound effects.
* Lasting Appeal : (Level 1) 7,8 of 10
Total Score : (Good) 8 of 10 (not overall)