Grid marks the newest entry in the TOCA series of racers from Codemasters. At first glance it looks like a straight up arcade style racer, but there are a few sim qualities involved to help separate it from other current arcade style games, like the Burnout and Sega Rally series.

Having played thru all of the available modes in Grid, I have to say that it's an excellent addition to the racing fan's next-gen library. There are some fantastic visuals at play here, and while the overall car selection is a bit short compared to something like Forza 2, the beautiful track setting and design, along with a fairly robust single player mode more than makes up for what the game is lacking. The use of the game engine created for Colin McRae: Dirt is responsible for a lot my personal praise, and the realistic damage dealt to not only your vehicle but to other competitors really adds another level of depth to the title.

When you first start the game, you'll be asked to input your own name, and depending on if your name is common enough or not, you'll be asked to choose from a list of nicknames. One nice, albeit small feature is that if the game recognizes your name it will actually use it in the sound clips that play before and after a race, which is pretty neat. If not, you're stuck with the nickname you selected, some of which are pretty strange depending on your sense of humor.

Once you actually start the game proper, you'll be put right smack dab in the beginning of a race. There's not a tutorial in sight, instead you'll be asked to simply finish this first race, which will then give you your initial Beginner's License that will allow you to participate in future events (and actually begin the game). It's an interesting way to force someone to become familiar with the controls, with plenty of turns to help you come to grips with the steering and over all control of the system. I could see it definitely being off-putting to beginners though, so it's a pretty ballsy move to make on the part of the developers.

When this initial race is completed, you'll then have the option of choosing from a few events that will see you racing for a variety of other teams. Most of these early races have a pretty basic requirement that only needs you to finish the race, at which point you'll make a little bit of bank, all of which will go towards the purchase of your first car. Every race has a secondary objective too, such as placing ahead of a rival racer or sponsor, and you can make a little extra money from completing these tasks as well.

Once you've purchased your first vehicle, then you're ready to really dive into the game. You'll create your own team, and from here on out you'll be racing for yourself. You can still opt to race for other teams to make a little side cash, but the majority of your time will be spent participating in events across three different regions, USA, Japan, and Europe. As you generate more cash you can opt to buy other vehicles, however, the game doesn't allow you to alter vehicles past the livery stage. There's no need to buy suspensions, new engines, tires, etc.

When you start out with your team you'll be introduced to three different tiers for each region. The races and events vary from tier to tier; running the gamut from basic races, best lap time competitions, demolition derby, drift challenges, and a couple more. There's enough variety here that the events don't really get stale, especially spread out against the variety of tracks you'll encounter. The difficulty is pretty well balanced as well, with three options to pick from. I rarely had issues with rubber banding (racers magically coming up from behind), mostly because I never really blew ahead of my competition. The first few turns are always entertaining, just to see who survives the multitude of collisions that occur there. Also, you'll be notified by your team of crashes that occur elsewhere on the track, usually ahead of you.

One unique feature of Grid is the ability to rewind a certain amount of time at the click of a button. This is particularly useful after you've messed up a turn, or damaged a key part of your car that has affected your ability to steer. Simply click a button and a small control panel appears at the bottom of the screen, allowing you to rewind, fast forward and pick up again wherever you choose within the allotted time. You typically only have so many of these you can use on one race, and if you choose to do the hardest difficulty, Pro mode, you won't be allowed to use this option at all. Also, if you want to compete in Ranked online matches, you automatically default to Pro mode so this feature is turned off. It's definitely a useful tool in getting acquainted with some of the tougher tracks and turns, but if you want to really excel at the game you'll have to stop using it as a crutch at some point.

Grid also features a heavy emphasis on drifting, with a variety of drift modes to choose from. Drifting itself takes a bit to get used to, but once you spend some time learning the tricks it can be incredibly satisfying to slide in and out of turns at will. The best way to learn is to just dive into the Freestyle Drift mode, which has you taking two passes at a course in attempt to rack up as many drift points as possible. You can create combonations by performing one drift after another, which ends up being particularly useful in the more twisted tracks. It's a skill you'll want to learn to be able to compete online, where quite a few players have almost developed their drifting skills into a fine art.

All together, Grid is a fantastic racer on the PS3, easily one of the best on the system if you prefer a little less simulation in your racing controls. The online community is robust enough that I didn't have any trouble getting into both Ranked and Unranked matches, and the single player campaign will keep you busy for a moderate amount of time. One of my complaints would be that the damage feels a bit unfair at time, especially when your steering is knocked completely out of line. This really only becomes an issue in the Pro mode when you can't rewind the damage, but once your car is crippled there's really no coming back from behind. Other than that, the controls are excellent (and there is some Logitech Wheel support), the visuals are clear and the framerate felt really steady, and even the overall menu presentation is lively. I wish the tunes were a bit more entertaining to listen to, especially since the PS3 doesn't have the ability to create your own soundtrack yet, but maybe that's something that will change in the future.

I'd definitely suggest picking up Grid though; it's a game that can appeal to a wide variety of racing aficionados out there. The Pro mode provides enough of a challenge to the vets out there, while the rewind ability does a great job of teaching newer players how to manage the turns and get a grip on the physics at play. While the game is definitely more in tune with an Arcade racer than a Sim game, it has qualities that can appeal to both crowds, which is definitely the formula for an excellent title.