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Race Driver: GRID (DS) By: Adam Waddilove Can the success of GRID be just as good on a handheld? Challenging players to become the number one race driver in a new world of exhilarating motorsport, Race Driver One will take players on a tour like never before; to beautifully realised racing locations through Europe, the U.S., Japan and beyond. The game will feature the most extensive range of events in the series, combining official circuit-based championships with road races and urban street competitions.  When it comes to racing games, the DS only really has Mario Kart to brag about. Sure there are others, but none that come close to that quality. Enter a handheld version of GRID, which was a great game on the consoles. Can that same magic work on the DS? It does manage to replicate everything that the console games do, it even has online play. Although searching for games take considerably longer than you would hope, even for a DS title.  You participate in races to gain reputation so you can improve your cars, buy more and so on as in the console versions. What the DS offers uniquely is decal creators and a track designer with the help of the stylus. It would have been nice for them to include an alternative control method using the stylus but maybe it’s not plausible for a driving game.  The game has plenty of event types including Single Race, Championship, Time Trial, Speed Test, Acceleration and Braking Test, Steering Test and Chase. Each of which seem fine enough, although the game can be somewhat unforgiving if you pummel into a wall and see all your rivals blast ahead. There’s no flashback feature in the DS version, so you can’t undo your mistakes like you could in the console versions. It’s a shame but it doesn’t make the game any less enjoyable, it just makes it more challenging as a result. Graphically, GRID is surprisingly strong for a DS title. It keeps a smooth framerate during races and draw distances aren’t too bad either, sure it may seem ugly compared to the next-gen versions, but that’s obvious. Put simply, GRID makes use of the DS more than a lot of games I’ve seen on the system lately, especially racers. The soundtrack for the game also does not disappoint, sure it’s not as catchy as the tunes in Mario Kart but it’s still impressive. The Verdict GRID DS may appear to most as a cash-in, but it’s much more than that. Underneath, it’s a deep racing game that will please many owners of Nintendo’s touch-screen device. 
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