Codemasters showcases LiveRoutes system for Grid 2

Grid 2 is shaping up to be one of the most interesting racing games in a long time. According to Eurogamer, the game will debut a new system called LiveRoutes. It will be an optional feature in the game used to change the routes on race courses on a lap-by-lap basis. During the demo of the game at the weekend’s Eurogamer Expo, the system was shown off on the Chicago race circuit. Over two laps, one of the sections had changed in the second lap – a straight road was replaced by a left-right switchback.

Back in August, Codemasters had released an announcement trailer for the game. The trailer had shown off some bits of the new EGO Engine 3.0. The original game, Grid is still counted as one of the best arcade racing games ever. Many racing games have tried to attain the fine balance between arcade and simulation, but none of them did it as well as Grid. It was one of the first games outside the Dirt franchise to employ the EGO engine, showcasing stunning visuals and bone crunching crashes in urban and circuit environments.

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Executive producer Clive Moody told TopGear that, “the core design philosophy for Grid 2 is that we treat the race as a character, not a consequence of simply putting cars on tracks. Everything that goes into the game impacts on that second-to-second, in the moment, blockbuster drama.”

Drift along a radically altered race course every lap

The factor that sets Grid apart from other racers right from its conceptualization was the ‘flashback’ feature. This game mechanic allows you to rewind time (much like Prince of Persia – Sands of Time) in case you make a horrid turn and total your car. The mechanic sounds like a complete gimmick on paper, but the flashback feature does an amazing job by helping players correct errors and cope with the extremely high speeds, while acting like a buffer between the blurring speed and detailed damage mechanics of the game. In a game like Grid where ramming your car into the railing can actually break a wheel, Codemasters has managed to cut us ‘not-so-talented-racers’ some slack by allowing us to move back in time every time we screw up.

Two years ago, Reliance had extended its gigantic corporate hands towards gaming and in a move that pretty much came out of nowhere, acquired a 50 percent stake in Codemasters, the British game developer of Grid. Here’s what Rohit Sharma, CEO of Zapak had to say about the deal, “We are excited to partner with Codemasters and believe it’s very strong technology, development and distribution presence will complement our global gaming portfolio. Additionally, Zapak’s global strength in mobile gaming will enhance Codemasters’ ability to fully leverage its attractive franchises such as its racing and cricket games”.

After the deal, Codemasters had promised another Grid game. “In Southam it’s full steam ahead with the next iteration in our Flashpoint series, as well as the next Dirt and Grid,” said Gavin Cheshire, former VP of studios at Codemasters and current CEO of Caperfly. As of now, it looks like the plan to deliver on this promise.

Grid 2 is all set for a 2013 release.