Race Driver: GRID

Race Driver: GRID launched in May 2008 simultaneously on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, and became one of the best-reviewed racing titles of its generation. Codemasters combined a rawer, less simulation-focused driving model than in previous TOCA/Race Driver entries with flashy vehicle damage and cinematic camera work and replays, making the game feel more dramatic than most of the competition at the time, whether in circuit races, drift challenges, or street battles.

The PlayStation 3 version launched the same day as the Xbox 360 release and offered practically identical content - the same tracks, cars, and game modes, including a career mode taking the player across several continents from Europe through America to Japan. Differences were minimal and mainly involved the use of trophies instead of achievements and small technical variations due to the different hardware of the two consoles. The game drew criticism at the time for lacking a cockpit view, but this was shared equally across all platforms, so PS3 players were at no disadvantage compared to others in this regard.

The PS3 release helped GRID reach a broad audience across both of the generation's main consoles and reinforced Codemasters' reputation as a studio capable of competing with established series like Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport even outside its home platform of Xbox.

The success of the simultaneous release across both consoles and PC later convinced Codemasters that a multiplatform strategy was worth sticking with for the series, and the studio repeated the same approach for the follow-up GRID 2 and further sequels.

The PlayStation 3 version was thus no second-rate add-on - it contributed to GRID becoming one of the titles that helped Codemasters build a reputation as a studio capable of delivering a quality racing experience across all the generation's main platforms without major compromises on any of them.

Why play it: For racing game fans, it's a guarantee of enjoying just as good an experience on PlayStation 3 as on other platforms of that generation, without technical compromises.