A few months ago, we had reported about a racing game called Race Driver One. Now publisher Codemasters has sent word that the game has been renamed and will be called Race Driver: Grid. It is expected to feature powerful race cars, new as well as classics, circuit and drift.
Ralph Fulton is the chief game designer. He comments, “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 exhilarating again.”
Gavin Raeburn, Executive Producer, Codemasters Studios says, “Race Driver: Grid is all about the race. 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.”
Race Driver: Grid will have beautifully realized and dramatic race locations over three continents. Gamers will be able to race on the most prestigious official race tracks and championships as well as take part in road events and urban street races. Here are a few details of Race Driver Grid:
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 being developed in-house by Codemasters for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Games for Windows. The game is expected to be released by mid 2008.