In summer 2008 comes the new Codemasters game title, Grid, an extension to the series TOCA, and later Race Driver series.

Ralph Fulton, Chief Game Designer states: “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 exciting again.” (Note: Is this an admission that the last released titles have NOT been exciting??)

Heartwarming words though, from Fulton, because since the first installment of the series, then titled TOCA Touring Cars and TOCA2, which was an in depth simulation of the BTTC season, where the player joined in a team over a whole season, I feel the series has lost much of the intense rivalry, the game becoming more impersonal with racing against cars with faceless drivers, as opposed to the games earlier TOCA rivalries, where one could get immense satisfaction of a tactical race over 13 laps, and maybe even dumping James Thompson or Alain Menu out of the race into the bargain!

Many racing gamers would love to see a return to BTCC simulation, or even a world Touring Cars series using similar formula. But over the years, Codemasters have refused to listen. Can the latest title live up to expectation? Below is a sample video of the forthcoming game. Feast your eyes on this one…

Tags: Codemasters, Race Driver, TOCA Touring Cars, PS3, XBox, PC Gaming