Race Driver: GRID Multiplayer Details [15-05-2008 | JZ | Comments (0) ]
Reflecting the ethos, spirit and attitude of the offline game, GRID will bring the world of motorsports to life online as Codemasters today announced that the game's multiplayer content will feature 32 exhilarating online race events on 80 circuits at 15 intercontinental locations. Featuring up to 12-player events with incredible full car damage, GRID's online multiplayer races will see gamers competing in aggressive races on iconic city streets and famous championship circuits across Europe, the U.S. and Japan.

"GRID online is the ultimate expression of what the game is all about - collision-packed, aggressive, wheel-to-wheel racing," said Ralph Fulton, Chief Game Designer, GRID. "Our wide range of motorsport disciplines, stunning locations and full damage 12-player races make for a uniquely spectacular race experience and our immersive new ranking system rewards player skill and deepens the challenge online."

Players will earn fear and respect by taking their custom paint jobs online and competing in a huge range of racing disciplines - from drifting around Yokohama Docks, charging through the mean streets of Detroit, racing touring cars around Spa-Francorchamps to competing in chaotic demolition derbies.

Race Driver: GRID Preview at Hookedgamers [14-05-2008 | JZ | Comments (0) ]
Codemasters are set to release a new arcade style racer named GRID later this year. Codemasters have had a fairly good history in this genre, with many titles spanning from the Toca Touring Cars Series to more recent titles such as DiRT. When I first laid eyes on the game, I uttered a simple but all-revealing “Wow”. I was overwhelmed to say the least. The amazing graphics are some of the most impressive you and I will see in this particular era of gaming. Needless to say, my interest was piqued.

Race Driver: GRID Demo Released [11-05-2008 | JZ | Comments (4) ]
A playable demo for Race Driver GRID is now available, offering a test drive of the PC edition of the next installment in the Race Driver series of motorsports simulations. Word is: "The demo offers 3 events to compete in. The eBay Motors Muscle Cup sees you taking the wheel of a Ford Mustang GT-R and the streets of San Francisco, the Advan International Trophy hands you a Nissan S15 Silvia and your playground is Yokohama Docks, and the Euro Touring Car Series provides some old-school tin-top thrills with a BMW 320si touring car and the sweeping curves and hairpins of Jarama." Demo is 894Mb big.

GRID Demo This Week [05-05-2008 | JZ | Comments (0) ]
The demo has 3 events to compete in. The eBay Motors Muscle Cup sees you taking the wheel of a ford Mustang GT-R and the streets of San Francisco, the Advan International Trophy hands you a Nissan S15 Silvia and your playground is Yokohama Docks, and the Euro Touring Car Series provides some old-school tin-top thrills with a BMW 320si touring car and the sweeping curves and hairpins of Jarama.

You’ll also have the opportunity to use the console versions of the demo to win an amazing prize. More details when the demo comes out.

Race Driver: GRID & Ebay [23-04-2008 | JZ | Comments (1) ]
Engage In-Game Advertising, an independent video game advertising company in conjunction with Codemasters, a leading game publisher, designed a contextually relevant strategy for incorporating the eBay Motors marketplace within GRID, the highly anticipated, next-generation blockbuster console and PC auto racing game. The in-game integration of the eBay Motors marketplace experience allows GRID players to buy and sell performance vehicles in a realistic setting. The marketplace experience becomes an essential element in a player's strategy to win races by upgrading cars for optimal performance. This marks the first time a real world application has been deeply immersed as a core function in a driving title.

"This is an exciting and creative way to reinforce our brand among core auto enthusiasts," said Curtis Kroeker, director of vehicles for eBay Motors. "Engage In-Game Advertising brought the video game channel and opportunity into view. GRID was the logical platform to reinforce eBay Motors as the leading online destination for buying and selling all things automotive," said Kroeker.

GRID takes players to dramatic and beautifully realized race locations over three continents to compete in an unprecedented variety of racing events. Packed with the most powerful racecars - new and classic, circuit and drift - players will compete in urban street races, as well as conquer the most prestigious official racetracks and championships. The eBay Motors experience becomes a revolving plot point as players continually upgrade or swap out vehicles to keep up with the competition and changing road conditions.

"It's not often a brand, a game publisher and a common element align perfectly in a video game environment," said David Smith, president and co-founder of Engage. "eBay Motors involvement within the game play of GRID is 100% relevant to the game plot and offers players a functional benefit."

eBay Motors will also sponsor their own race series in the game titled, "The eBay Motor Muscle Series" allowing players to compete on branded tracks in downtown San Francisco, Long Beach, Washington D.C. & Detroit, featuring the eBay Motors Mustang GTR concept racecar.

"The eBay Motors in-game strategy goes beyond simple ad placements in video games and delivers a whole new level of realistic game functionality for players," said Peter Chan, director of business development at Codemasters.

Codemasters will release GRID in June for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Games for Windows, and Nintendo DS. For additional game details go to http://www.grid-game.com.

Developer offers excuse for Race Driver: GRID [02-03-2008 | JZ | Comments (0) ]
When we first got wind that Codemasters was taking the V8 Supercars and DTMs out of the next Race Driver game – usually branded V8 Supercars in Australia – we, like every other fan, pulled a sex face, punched our nearest pet and called the legendary developer names that would make a solider blush. The series means a lot to us, and if sales charts and the continued online activity of the previous generation’s games are any indication, it’s equally as important to the rest of you convicts.

We were desperately looking forward to racing across the top of Bathurst in all its next-gen glory and we’re shattered that it is, currently, not going to happen. It seemed like a given! Since day frickin’ one of this generation we’ve been anticipating it: Friday nights online, drinking piss and racing through the V8 Championship with our mates. Fuck yeah!

Quite frankly, you can take your drift racing and shove it up your exhaust pipe.

In pursuit of an explanation our sister publication Official PlayStation Magazine conducted an interview with Chief Game Designer Ralph Fulton. The interview can be read in the next issue of the magazine, on sale March 7 – but below you’ll find a small excerpt that tackles this issue in particular.

Race Driver: GRID Official Website [29-02-2008 | JZ | Comments (0) ]
Check out the new website of Racedriver GRID from Codemasters.

Race Driver: GRID Preview at IGN [15-02-2008 | JZ | Comments (0) ]
UK, February 13, 2008 - With the current generation of consoles now really hitting their stride, last year saw a steady influx of triple-A racing titles for petrol-heads to gorge themselves on – from Forza Motorsport's refined take on an established formula, through to the zenith of the Project Gotham series with its fourth installment, and on to the triumphant return of SEGA Rally, there was no shortage of choice for those yearning for automotive thrills. This year, with the imminent release of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and the full fat release in the later months, the din of engines has receded to a muted hum. Step forward Codemasters' Race Driver: GRID, which is looking to break the silence and once more get gamers singing the rasped tune of caterwauling engines.

Race Driver: GRID Preview at PCGH [04-02-2008 | JZ | Comments (1) ]
Southam, Middle England, Warwickshire. PCGH visited the developers of the Codemaster Studios to see how the latest installment of the Race Driver series, Race Driver: Grid, is evolving. The title is expected for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in summer 2008.

Race Driver: GRID Game Guide & Screenshots [30-11-2007 | JZ | Comments (0) ]
I've created a Game Guide section for this upcoming Codemasters' title as well as uploaded 6 screenshots.

Race Driver: GRID Announced [30-11-2007 | JZ | Comments (0) ]
Codemasters® today announced Race Driver: GRID™ as the full and official title for the game introduced under the working title of Race Driver One. Race Driver: GRID is the new racing experience from Codemasters Studios, creators of Colin McRae: DiRT™ and the Race Driver™ series, and is set to deliver a step-change in the racing genre.

Coming mid 2008, Race Driver: GRID is set to capture every moment from the starting grid to the chequered flag and concentrate those moments into an intense and dramatic race experience. Race Driver: GRID is being developed for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows®.

" Race Driver: GRID is all about the race." said Gavin Raeburn, Executive Producer at Codemasters Studios. "The next iteration of our DiRT engine combined with a decade of experience in developing driving games enables us to put the player at the centre of the action like never before. Damage, packed grids, intelligent opposition and unprecedented race day atmosphere will combine to deliver an experience like no other.

Says Ralph Fulton, Chief Game Designer. " GRID focuses on everything that happens between the start grid and the chequered flag: the drama, the rivalries, the aggression and the crashes. This is not a game about collecting cars or spending all of your time in the front-end tuning suspension settings or designing liveries. We want to make racing exciting again."

Race Driver: GRID will take players to beautifully realised and dramatic race locations over three continents to compete in an unprecedented variety of racing events. Packed with the most powerful race cars – new and classic, circuit and drift – players will compete to conquer the most prestigious official race tracks and championships and then go beyond to compete in challenging city-based competitions, through to road events and urban street races.
In Europe, race gamers will compete on the greatest official tracks in prestige Marques including Aston Martin, Koenigsegg and Pagani.

Iconic cities across the U.S. – including San Francisco, Washington DC and Detroit and each with their own atmosphere and events – play hosts to diverse street races. Here, high-performance V8 muscle cars set the pace in aggressive closely fought pack competitions.

In the Far East, Japanese racing culture sets the tone where night races, including Drift racing, take drivers through neon illuminated cities and to outlying mountain roads. There is also the opportunity to compete in races that operate on the fringes of legality in the back streets and industrial areas of Yokohama.

Race Driver: GRID is coming mid 2008 for the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 system and Games for Windows.