GRID

Handheld racers are a different breed. It was a decade before Ridge Racer – an arcade and console hit – could be properly made into a portable game. That development came courtesy of Sony's PSP, whose stellar processor allowed for a much deeper gameplay experience than the good old Game Boy.

But while PSone and PS2-caliber games can now be designed for handheld machines, we are far from the day when PS3 or Xbox 360-caliber games can be enjoyed anywhere. Such is the case with GRID for Nintendo DS. Don't get me wrong -- this is a good game. But it's not really GRID. The controls are different, the mechanics are more forgiving, and you can't rewind time after a botched move. Though you may have anticipated that some omissions had to be made (the DS couldn't possibly have enough ram or processing power to rewind time), if you loved the console version, you're bound to be a bit disappointed.

Alright, you're disappointed. (Tears, anger, broken windows.) Now that you're over it, let's discuss why the DS version is a solid racer in its own right.

Arcade Simulation

GRID offers 11 different race types, most of which will be familiar to anyone that’s played the other versions: Single Race, Championship, Time Trial, Speed Test, Acceleration and Braking Test, Steering Test, Chase, Survival, Drift Battle, Touge, and Blueprint. There is also a practice circuit that lets you cruise without rules or a time limit.

Most race types are fun, but there are a few that stumble in various places. We’ll start with those that succeed. The majority are won with the same skills: by being the fastest racer on the track. You’ll have to know the course layout and get comfortable with the D-pad steering – which is nowhere near as finely tuned or as sensitive as the analog steering found on every platform except the DS – or find yourself slamming into wall after wall. This is not easy to accomplish. Luckily, GRID is good at pushing players through the initial rough spots. It’s not a particularly fast racing game, at least not in terms of the sensation or presentation, so you won’t be engaged by that. But the course layout is a nice (albeit scaled down) re-creation of the console versions. While some locales are new or maybe just different, there are plenty of areas that stand out for being a part of the world you’ve raced before.

GRID lets you edit tracks both for the fun of it and to complete specific Blueprint events.

The Chase and Survival events will take players back to the early days of Need for Speed, back when “Hot Pursuit” was just the latest concept in changing up EA’s leading franchise. In Chase, you are in hot pursuit of the opponent. Catch him and you win. Do so within the first time bracket – say, 90 seconds – and you’ll be awarded the maximum number of medals (three). Rather than the standard gold, silver and bronze lineup, GRID uses numbers – one, two or three medals – to signify the top three players.

Survival’s goal is the opposite. During this event you’ll be chased by an AI opponent who seems to be faster and know the course better than you. If he gets within a few feet of your vehicle, it’s race over. Thus, you’re constantly, frantically driving to get as far away from him as possible. The longer you last, the more medals you’ll earn.

Touge, like the Single Race, Championship and Time Trial events, is an event of speed. But without any opponents and a time limit employed, it is essentially another kind of time trial. Race through to the mountain road, turn around at the checkpoint, and speed back down to the area where you first began. Though this could have been a nightmare on the DS where there’s no thumbstick and the screens are very small, Touge races were a lot easier to win in this version than they were on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Gridlocked

Before moving onto the events that didn’t work out so well, it’s important to note that GRID includes the same course creation feature that was developed for Race Driver: Create & Race. This is an excellent feature that, when used solely for the joy of creating and sharing your own tracks, is very rewarding.

But when included as a specific event, it isn’t nearly as fun. The game throws out a bunch of requirements, more or less forcing the player to build something specific. That wouldn’t be so bad if the requirements were clear. But you’ll have to tinker with the track and place and remove (and replace) pieces until the checkpoint screen shows it’s complete. Now suppose you want to take a break from track editing. What happens if all the pieces are in place and every request has been met except one? You’re screwed. You can’t save the track and exit because it’s not really a part of the track editor, but merely an event based on the track editor’s mechanics. The game won’t save during events, only after they have been completed.

GRID also has trouble in the area of drifting, as the semi-stiff D-pad controls do not allow for the precise steering that’s needed to drift. As a result, drifting is clunky and disconnected. You don’t slide into the drift; you skid into it and try to hold it long enough to score more than two or three hundred points at a time (possible but not common). Remember the cool combo system of the console versions, where you could link multiple drifts for multiplied point totals? That’s gone too.

GRID for Nintendo DS isn’t the show-stopping racer it was on Xbox 360 and PS3, nor is it as cool as Race Driver: Create & Race was last year. But if you don’t have Race Driver and just want a decent racing game for your DS, GRID is a good time.

Review Scoring Details for GRID

Gameplay: 7.8
Solid racing entertainment. GRID's smooth controls, fair objective variety and interesting track designs are just what a racing game needs.

Graphics: 7.5
Nothing standout. GRID's visuals are acceptable, but the car models are not the system's best, and the bland backdrops hinder the game's sensation of speed.

Sound: 4
The repetitive techno beats and weak engine sounds are expected but no less depressing.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Most events have a balanced difficulty, but don't be surprised if you find yourself shouting at the screen during the Chase, Survival or Blueprint events.

Concept: 6.9
GRID is more of a Race Driver: Create & Race offshoot than a totally new racing experience. However, you will recognize a handful of track patterns that were present in the console versions, which is very cool.

Multiplayer: 7
Single or multi-card races for up to four, just like Race Driver. However, with a weaker sense of speed, GRID is not as compelling.

Overall: 7.8
This Nintendo DS version isn't anywhere near the quality (or originality) of the console versions, but if you can accept it as a good racing game and not another version of GRID, you'll enjoy it very much.