GRID Legends is going to be released next week. We're so excited to see what Legends will bring to the table later this month. Legends will bring a big change in direction for the long-running racing series. A more Career Mode-focused game looks like what we'll get before the end of the month, but is this a good thing for the series?
The problem with GRID 2019
Grid is a series whose roots burrow deep into the past of racing video games. The genesis of Grid can be traced all the way back to the TOCA series, which started in the 1990s. TOCA eventually morphed into Grid for the seventh generation of consoles (PS3/360) and the series was revitalised.
Despite that though, Grid required another revamp after five years away. GRID was released in 2019, and on the whole, the racing was pretty good. However, this wasn't enough to make a great game, despite the innovative Nemesis feature.
The problem was the story mode, because there wasn't one. This wouldn't have been an issue twenty years ago, but nowadays, racing games need more to them than just cars. The only possible exception to this are top-tier racing simulator titles like Gran Turismo and Ride, but even they had a much more rewarding progression system than GRID.
It was ironic that GRID lacked drive and direction, but that was exactly the case. To their credit, Codemasters have listened to these complaints, as GRID Legends has a story mode and one that takes centre stage. However, what if Codies have gone too far with their shift towards a single player narrative?
The tried and tested narrative
GRID Legends was revealed at EA Play Live 2021, to the surprise of everybody. Most believed that we'd get the confirmation of a new Need for Speed or perhaps Dirt Rally 3. While we didn't expect it, GRID Legends impressed us with its reveal trailer and got us all excited to see more.
It quickly became apparent that the story mode would be a large, if not the largest, part of Legends.
In some ways, this isn't a surprise, as F1 2021's various Career Modes are the most popular modes of that game. Furthermore, the new Braking Point mode also proved to be a hit. The same is also true for Dirt 5, a game that featured both Nolan North and Troy Baker amongst its cast.
This also links into the trend of sports documentaries that have become extremely successful recently. The most obvious being Formula 1's Drive to Survive, a show that has been a big inspiration for GRID Legends.
Drive to Survive has earned plenty of plaudits, there's no doubt about that. However, it's also garnered criticism for fabricating rivalries and steering up fake drama. Legends will need to be careful to not do this, nor take itself too seriously.
A true innovation?
Is Legends' Career Mode as inventive as it claims to be?
We'll have to wait until release day to say for sure. Although, in fairness, Codies develop both the official Formula 1 game and GRID, so if they are heavily inspired, at least it's from one of their own IP's.
While the "road to glory" or "rags to riches" story is one we've seen hundreds of times, it is an extremely effective one. However, the story is a fixed narrative, there will be no deviation from it. This could be an issue in terms of making the story feel your own, as everybody will have the same experience despite being different skill levels.
If there was a true role-playing aspect to Legends' story, this could be a very unique game. Having a narrative-driven story mode is fine, but what if we want to create our own teams and enter them into the GRID World Series? I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a racing gamer that didn't want that option.
That door though, has sadly not been unlocked this time around. If it had been, we surely would've found out by now, as this would be a fantastic feature to show off in trailers.
In Codemasters' defence...
It's very easy to criticise Codies, especially after becoming part of the EA family. However, the proof is in the video gaming pudding, and the British developers have consistently delivered over the past few years. Given everything we've seen so far and their recent track record, you'd be a brave person to bet against GRID Legends being another solid title.
In fairness as well, the gameplay does look a genuine step up from GRID. This is helped by some of the mouth-watering hypercars and beautiful circuits on offer. Features such as the Track Creator too won't hurt Legends' appeal at all either.
While the Career Mode may not be the longest game mode to play through, the mulitplayer should add hours of gameplay onto Legends' lifetime. The hop-in multiplayer could be a game-changer, and even if it isn't Codies are trying new things, they aren't merely updating previous games and re-releasing them with a new title.
If you want to check out what we're talking about, check out this gameplay of the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR:
GRID Legends will be released worldwide on 25th February on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PS5, Series X and PC. Find out how to pre-order GRID Legends here.