If like me you normally steer clear of driving games or you might simply love them, stick around because GRIP will lock you in, no matter what side of the road you are on…
For anyone familiar with the 1999 title Rollcage you’ll find some striking resemblances visually and physically. Luckily developers Caged Element have brought it into 2018 for a newer generation to enjoy, win, lose and vanquish opponents over and over again at a pace slightly faster than its inspiration.
GRIP houses three main game types Racing, Arenas and Carkour… Yep that’s a thing now. These areas do spread out as there are varying forms of races from traditional races, elimination and time trials. To elaborate on Carkour, this mode offers you a chance to complete trick runs that gradually increase in difficulty!
Campaign and Multiplayer modes are at hand bringing all the race variants to a front. The campaigns roots are styled in a tiered tournament, progressing up the ladder as you learn and develop your skills as a seasoned driver. There are items to unlock as you progress through the ranks, with new cars too, all displaying a variety of stats to suit your driving style. I mostly stuck with the original model from the get go but it’s worth trying the others out also.
I had to wait until release to find an online game as no one seem to be online when I was *cue the world’s smallest violin*. Once I managed to get onto the multiplayer side though things picked up and found this fun with even more unpredictability with each game, keeping you on your rubber toes. Saying that I quickly learnt my lack of ability was apparent when it comes to driving games, as I met my demise many times, but someone has to come last I suppose.
There are Power-ups much like Sonic Racing and Mario Kart with a balance of offensive and defensive capabilities. The Power ups are well balanced, in the fact that even when you do meet your maker it’s not too strenuous to get back into the hustle and bustle of the race pack. You can also use them to shoot certain elements of your environment for those unsuspecting takedowns.
GRIP did make me pull a U-turn as I found myself being drawn to its gaze on my home screen for other sessions. Not being overly impressed with the controls I did adjust to them but still found it technically frustrating at times. There is a lot to give and take with grip as much as I did enjoy it there were issues that popped up along the way that hindered the experience overall I hope that these niggles are resolved in any future patches. I was impressed by how the levels and stages are constructed showing an array of planets and captivating backdrops. Soundtrack was enjoyable from the studios of Hospital Records, fully immerse with a headset on I was completely in my element and it sets the tone from the get go.
Available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam) you can pick up GRIP for around the £32.99 mark but do shop around you may be able to grab a bargain online if you look a little further.
There will also be DLC in the future, this will be expansive DLC and for those of you wondering on micro-transactions/ pay to win there is zilch, nada, nothing! Also if like myself you are the owner of the Xbox Game Pass, happy days, you own it already and can download from launch directly through the Game Pass app for free.
I’d give GRIP a solid 7/10, a fun pick up, flowing with nostalgia and set in its own pace, not my cup of tea and with some niggles along the way.