GRID 2, also known as Race Driver: GRID 2 in Japan, is the second installment in the GRID series developed by Codemasters. It was released in North America on 28 May 2013 for the PC version and one day later for the other platforms, May 30 2013 in Australia, May 31 2013 in Europe and July 25 2013 in Japan.
The game was first announced on August 8 2012, although it was in pre-production for two years prior.
New features include improved lighting in the areas of per-instance lightmaps, skymaps, real time shadows, improved layered fog and sky simulation, enhancing the realism of the game in both subtle and overt ways, supporting and improving upon the cinematic and immersive play of the previous game.
The game does not include first person cockpit camera as the previous games did. It was justified by Codemasters that from research and focus groups it was concluded that only 5% of Codemasters Racing game players ever used the in-car view.[1]
Gameplay[]
TrueFeel Handling[]
Codemasters pushed the boundaries with Race Driver: GRID, continuing to do so with the newest incarnation. The biggest component of this is their introduction of the "TrueFeel Handling System", a core feature that promises to combine true-to-life physics with each individual type of car.[2]
To accomplish the marriage of physics and gameplay, Codemasters used professional drivers on real-life courses. Detailed notes and measures were taken about each type of vehicle, including speed, maneuverability, cornering, turning, etc. This was in effort to duplicate as precisely as possible the character of each vehicle, so that players would actually feel they were driving, for instance, a Nissan GT-R Spec, rather than some dumbed down computer model.
Once those results were compiled, they went and examined if any of the vehicles had any sort of "game-blocking" attribute, such that would make the car much less likely to be race worthy. These were tweaked accordingly, with all effort made to preserve the character of the car.
Career[]
- Main article: GRID 2/World Series of Racing
In GRID 2 players are responsible for transforming a new racing league - the World Series of Racing - from its "grass-roots" into a global phenomenon, being its star driver.
Offline Modes[]
- Club Events
- World Series Racing Championship
- Custom Event
- Splitscreen
- Timeline
Online Multiplayer[]
- Main article: GRID 2/Online Multiplayer
Players can play with friends and other GRID 2 fans online via the Online menu.
Damage[]
Players experience realistic handling effects as a result of vehicle damage. In particularly bad crashes damage may be terminal.
Replays[]
Players can view a cinematic replay of their race once it has ended. The game also features fully-integrated support for YouTube that enables to capture replay moments and share them online. Replays works only in the singleplayer modes of the game.
Flashbacks[]
A rewind feature can be used to revert back to a chosen moment if things go wrong during a race. The availability of flashbacks is determined by the chosen difficulty or is customisable in custom events.
Multiplayer also features Quick Flashbacks, allowing to reset the car at speed on the track.
Vehicles[]
- Main article: GRID 2/Vehicles
Throughout the World Series of Racing seasons, the player's investor will reward new cars at key milestones in the career with choices between two cars. The car that was not chosen, as well as other new cars can be earned upon beating Vehicle Challenges. During online, new cars can be unlocked upon reaching higher levels. Additional vehicles would me made available in downloadable content packs.
Customisation[]
Players can customise the appearance of their vehicles by choosing from a variety of paint patterns, colours, race number, and finishes. They can also personalise the style of wheels and select up to 6 sponsor decals.
Courses[]
- Main article: GRID 2/Courses
A wide range of worldwide-based tracks in featured, such as the streets of Chicago, the mountain roads of Okutama, or the circuit of Brands Hatch. Both day and night races are available to experience. Additional tracks would be offered as downloadable content.
LiveRoutes[]
New to GRID 2 are "LiveRoutes" through the city locations, in which the route changes during the race by opening or closing barriers at selected junctions, so that two laps are not the same.
Downloadable Content[]
- Main article: GRID 2/Downloadable Content
Codemasters released various downloadable content packs for GRID 2 throughout 2013.
- Bathurst Track Pack
- Classic GRID Pack
- Demolition Derby Pack
- Drift Pack
- GTR Racing Pack
- Headstart Pack
- IndyCar Pack
- McLaren Racing Pack
- Peak Performance Pack
- Spa-Francorchamps Track Pack
- Super Modified Pack
Pre-order packs[]
Four of the content packs were initially available as preorder packs in early 2013 - McLaren Racing, Headstart, IndyCar and GTR Racing.[3]
Special Releases[]
GRID 2: Mono Edition[]
- Main article: GRID 2: Mono Edition
In May 2013 a single £125,000 special edition release of the game included a real BAC Mono supercar featuring a GRID 2 themed paint job and a tour of the BAC factory.
GRID 2: Race Day Edition[]
- Main article: GRID 2: Race Day Edition
The Race Day Edition released in May 31, 2013 is a pre-order version which included the base game alongside the IndyCar and GTR Racing Packs.
GRID 2: Reloaded Edition[]
- Main article: GRID 2: Reloaded Edition
The Reloaded Edition was made available in 2014, featuring the full game expanded with its previously released additional content packs.
Achievements[]
- Main article: GRID 2/Achievements
Drivers[]
- Main article: GRID 2/Drivers
Gallery[]
Trailers[]
Screenshots[]
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Promotional Wallpapers[]
References[]
| TOCA and GRID Series | |
|---|---|
| Mainline Entries | TOCA Touring Car Championship (1997) · TOCA 2 Touring Cars (1998) · TOCA World Touring Cars (2000) · TOCA Race Driver (2002) · TOCA Race Driver 2 (2004) · TOCA Race Driver 3 (2006) · Race Driver: GRID (2008) · GRID 2 (2013) · GRID Autosport (2014)· GRID (2019) · GRID Legends (2022) |
| Spinoffs | TOCA Touring Car Championship (GBC) (2000) · TOCA World Touring Cars (GBA) (2003) · TOCA Race Driver 2 (J2ME) (2005) · Race Driver 2006 (2006) · TOCA Race Driver 3 (J2ME) (2007) · TOCA Race Driver 3 Challenge (2007) · Race Driver: Create & Race (2007) · Race Driver: GRID (DS) (2008) · Race Driver: GRID (J2ME) (2008) · GRID (Arcade) (2010) |