GRID (2019) - Every PC F1 Game
7GRID by Codemasters, 2019.
The last game in the GRID series to feature an F1 car was pre-GRID, being ToCA Race Driver 3. However in GRID, Codemasters decided to license the Renault R26, the championship-winning car from 2006. They also roped in Fernando Alonso to help promote the game/be in it.
What we have here is essentially a simcade (more on the arcade side than sim) F1 experience. The lack of many traditional circuits makes it a bit strange to race about, as do obvious arcade-isms like dry weather tyres gripping like a champ in the wet!
Graphically this isn't quite up to the F1 games, and, as many pointed out, even reduces the detail on some tracks over previous GRID games. There are also some flickering flags seen here, this graphics bug wasn't there in the past I don't think.
The handling is also rather direct, and yet you can get back from most understeering incidents just by braking hard and steering tightly. Sound is okay, damage is rather lightweight, and it's all just about okay, if you like this sort of thing...
1. Race Start (Monza): 0:00 Monza isn't in the game, so here's Brands Hatch. I did have the difficulty set a bit low, hence the computer controlled cars braking rather hard around the track!
2. Spray Effects (Silverstone): 0:28 Silverstone is in the game, so you can enjoy F1 cars on dry tyres handling just fine in the wet! they also apparently now have headlights... the replay mode here also keeps jumping between cameras, meaning you might end up missing the best bits of the action...
3. Tunnel & View (Monaco): 0:49 There's no Monaco here, but I used Paris instead, to show off some tunnels (and the rather nice tunnel sound effects).
4. Wet Track (Spa-Francorchamps): 1:09 Spa didn't make it into this GRID either, so here's Suzuka. Once again, the F1 car corners on rains on dry tyres in a downpour!
5. Pitstop (Interlagos): 1:29 Pitstops were famously removed from the game, so here, at Sepang, Malaysia, I come to the pits rather damaged, to find them blocked off. If you look closely there are merchandise stands and even a lady taking a selfie in the pitlane. They just don't care about me! Lucky that damage is rarely race-ending (even with the terminal crash option enabled).
6. Huge Crash (Montreal): 2:00 There's no Montreal, so here's the Red Bull Ring. As you can see, the Renault F1 car is rather tough! So I crash twice. The amusingly downplayed pit crew response is hilarious! I planned to use the TV camera here, but it jumped about between views so much, you actually missed the crash, doh!
This is part of the Every PC F1 Game playlist, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYDobL0b26uiiYP8KdN3AwQmsu7ilzpxL