This cover was made using Canva and Bitmoji.
Although my first impressions of Grid 2 were not very positive, I must admit that as the hours went by I have grown fond of the 2013 title developed by Codemasters, which is also a nostalgic trip to the nature of racing video games of the seventh generation of consoles.
And while Grid 2 could be defined as a much more arcade version of its predecessor, the truth is that they have managed to integrate its simulation elements very well, creating a perfect balance that, although a little intimidating at first, becomes increasingly addictive and enjoyable to master.
In this way, we could say that its gameplay is its greatest virtue, characterized by a handling system that the developers have called "TrueFeel", where each car feels heavy, and the middle point between realism and accessibility is found. In Grid 2, the first few races can be frustrating, but once you get used to the physics (and start to master drifting) everything becomes infinitely more enjoyable.
There is a wide range of vehicles, from "classic" muscle cars to European supercars, each with a slightly different driving style, and several customization options to give it a unique look. Likewise, the game has beautiful graphics, which despite being more than 10 years old have aged very well, the circuits are detailed, there are solid visual effects, and the action is frenetic and fluid.
Unfortunately, as much as we recognize the good aspects of its graphics and gameplay, the same cannot be said of its gameplay structure: full of good ideas but with the same executed in a questionable way.
You see, in Grid 2 you have to create your own driver and build a racing career with him to achieve glory, to do so you have to complete multiple competitions and challenges throughout the world, and instead of having a "currency" that allows you to acquire new items and vehicles, the entire game is centered around your fan base, which will increase as you accumulate victories, and will allow you to unlock new sponsors and cars.
While I appreciate the idea (and there are a couple of interesting options that the game offers us), Grid 2 seems too intent on limiting the way you progress through the story, feeling more like a linear campaign than an adventure that you can approach in the way you want.
It's a shame, because tackling each race is a lot of fun, and it would be nice to be able to progress at your own pace, or, failing that, focus on one type of vehicle or driving category while ignoring (temporarily) the others.
In short, Grid 2 is a fun game that isn't a masterpiece due to its own stupidity, but it has enough incentives to provide a couple of hours of fun.
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The gameplay is very important, that this is its strong point because otherwise people end up getting tired of it and leave it, in addition to the fact that as this type of game gets older, it is the gameplay that attracts people to experience it again. As in every game you have to get used to several things and especially in racing games you have to see how the speed of the car behaves, the reaction and especially if you are going to play with mouse and keyboard or joystick.
The gameplay is very solid, and honestly it's the only reason I plan to keep playing, it's satisfying to progress and see your skills improve, but I still find the "story mode" to be pretty weak.