Racing games these days usually fall into one of two camps; they’re either very arcade-like or a heavy simulation. There aren’t a lot of those middle-of-the-road type of racers where, while grounded in reality, offer a bit of mercy when it comes to just how real they want to be. Luckily, EA and Codemasters’, GRID Legends manages to capture the spirit of the racing games I played as a kid but with the visual and audio finesse of a next-gen racing title, though with a couple of caveats here and there.

Story

GRID Legends tells a pretty interesting story about an up-and-coming racing team hoping to make it big in the GRID Legends league. Instead of having over-the-top cheesy characters like with EA’s latest Need for Speed titles, this title opts for more grounded ones that still have obvious traits so that it maintains that prime-time TV feel. Going along with the television aesthetic, the whole story is told in a sort of documentary-style as you follow the team to the top.

Gameplay

Legends manages to hit the nail on the head in a couple of key areas though falls short on the one aspect that I was hungry to see come with the game, but more on that later. Racing is exciting and invigorating with heart-pounding moments when combining some of the world’s fastest machines with the tightest and most intricate racing tracks available. I was blown away by the sheer vastness of just how many different types of racers, vehicle types, and race tracks Codemasters developed for this game.

Control over each vehicle is different yet it’ll only take you a few laps until you can finally start to get your zen with each one. I tend to have a real issue with racing sim games because I don’t have the time or energy to spend hours with a car before I can get used to it. As I said, this game is realistic enough to feel grounded though doesn’t give up the fun of it all just to be as painfully realistic as some of its competitors.

For me, what seems to be at the core of the Legends experience is its story which, for the most part, does a superb job at illustrating the competition that the racers have on and off of the track. Unfortunately, while the game sprinkles actual story-implemented events or situations into gameplay once in a while, they aren’t as satisfying or nearly as frequent as I had hoped for. Having a racer’s crash cause discourse in a race or a rival purposely trying to run you off of the road would’ve been even more exciting to add to the already exhilarating experience.

Don’t get me wrong, over the course of the races you participate in, you will most definitely build up rivals in the game as you crash into them and such but it just never felt like anything more than a tag on the screen and an audio snippet of my manager telling me that “they’re going to be gunning for you” or something along those lines. I guess what I’m saying is that having either dynamic or even more scripted moments would’ve made all the difference as I totally enjoyed the Hollywoodness of what the story had to offer.

There are other various other things you can do besides the story mode such as the Career mode which allows you to participate in all kinds of different sets of racers as you try to level up and proceed to unlock even more competitions. There’s also the online multiplayer aspect which is where I found myself spending my time when I wasn’t engaging in the game’s story. Here you can drop in and out of races extremely easily which is a ground-breaking feature that I wish more racing titles would implement.

Lastly, there’s the course creator mode though I’m personally not the kind of player that takes the time to interact with this normally. It’s fun and there are a ton of little intricacies that you can play around with. I’m sure that there are going to be a bunch of players that are going to enjoy this but it just isn’t for me. I will definitely check out your custom tracks though!

Audio and Visuals

Stunning is a word that still doesn’t give this game justice. Whether it’s hearing the cars and environments around you while in first-person mode as you’re driving as fast as you can or heading down a dark, rainy, and neon-lit road with a pack of cars behind you, this game is jaw-dropping at times. It’s essentially a feast for both the eyes and ears at every turn (pun intended).

It really goes to show that Codemasters really are artisans when it comes to crafting realistic and colorful audio and visuals. There were some instances while playing where I was just floored as sometimes it can look photorealistic. I played on the Series S and am just astonished by how good it really plays the entire time. I experienced not a hiccup or frame drop my entire time playing it.

Replayability

This title offers replayability value for many types of players. You may be like me and enjoy the story which will actually be getting more content in the future through DLC. Maybe you enjoy career mode? The career mode is dense and will definitely take you a while to get through. Then you have the multiplayer aspect which allows you to start a team with your friends. Besides that, it’s also easy to just jump into multiplayer games since you don’t have to wait for a race to be over in order to get right into the action.

What It Could Have Done Better

While I wanted the story elements to play into the actual gameplay a bit more, some of what actually is in the game bittered my experience a bit. There are a couple of events you take part in and while they’re mostly there to fill the game’s runtime or add “character development”, you’re actually able to fail them quite easily in some cases.

Honestly, these pissed me off to the point where I’d just turn the game off. They aren’t actual races and don’t have an impact on the game whatsoever so it makes me question their existence but most importantly, the reason why they’re failable. Lastly, I just wish the game had a photo mode. It’s a gorgeous title and it’s a crime for it to not be included at all.

Verdict

GRID Legends is an intense exhilarating ride from start to finish and does a great job at filling that void that gamers like myself are hungry for. Though I had wished that it leaned into its themes even more in the actual story mode, the game is immensely enjoyable regardless. It’s also an extremely vivid title in its audio and visual presentation which makes you feel like you’re in the heart of the action, always. Codemasters and EA should be proud of this one and I can only hope that a sequel is in the cards for the future. This is the racing title we’ve been waiting years for.