GRID Legends honestly wasn't a game we expected to see revealed during EA's Play Live 2021. We're very glad that it was though, as the upcoming racer from Codemasters looks thrilling. Codies are hoping that a revamped story mode and the power of the next-gen consoles will revitalise the GRID series.
Since its reveal back in July, we've also been treated to a demo video that gave us our first proper look at GRID Legends' gameplay. What has been revealed though, and what can we now expect next year? We've got everything you need to know right here!
Latest news - First look at Driven to Glory Story
We got hands-on with GRID Legends new story mode 'Driven To Glory'. This was along with some more in-depth gameplay opportunities.
Check out what we made of the story mode below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5T0JsKpNV8
High-speed thrill ride
While the reveal trailer definitely focussed on GRID Legends' story mode, the gameplay demo did not. Instead, we got 17 minutes of high-octane action and showed us exactly what we wanted to see.
The first thing you'll notice when watching the gameplay is the sound. The Aston Martin Valkyrie's scream sounds otherworldly and is further enhanced by the tunnel's echo. Although it hasn't been explicitly stated, we believe that GRID Legends will run in 4K and at 60 fps on the next-gen consoles and PC.
The circuit being showcased is the mesmeric Strada Alpina, which is located in the Italian Alps. Strada Alpina has high-speed countryside sections, a stadium-based modern circuit and street tracks all in one, it's incredible.
We then travel to London, where predictably, it's raining. We get our first look at Legends' boost power-ups, which can be accumulated by going through gates. During electric car races, you can go through these to gain boost and use it when it suits you. This isn't dissimilar to the real-life Formula E races, nor Mario Kart
You should also notice the graphics in this section of the gameplay. The reflection of the sunlight and surroundings on the water is nothing short of amazing. The weather conditions too will play a big role in how your car handles, as snow and rain will lessen the trip on-track.
Elimination mode
A new mode that was revealed in the gameplay trailer earlier this month was Elimination mode. GRID is nothing if it's not a high-speed thrill ride and nothing shows it better than Elimination mode. A lot of racing series have done their own take on this mode in the past, but the basics are pretty simple.
There's a timer that runs down and when it hits zero, whoever is at the back is eliminated from the race. This continues until there's only one car left at the front. The most notable series to incorporate this mode in the past was Burnout, but we're confident that GRID can do their own take on it just as well.
Any more details?
Something that the original reveal did show us though, was that multi-class racing and a huge variety of vehicles are on offer in Legends. We saw some more of this in action as well during the latest gameplay.
That means that in theory, you can race super and hyper-cars against trucks and big rigs. What could possibly go wrong?
Another thing that was discussed by the pair on the video was the new track creator feature in GRID. We're very excited for this, as a true track creator is something that has been sorely lacking in racing games for a long time.
Full gameplay video
If you still haven't seen the latest GRID Legends gameplay video, don't worry, we've got you covered. GRID's official YouTube channel was sure to upload the full video for the big reveal and it's linked below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHViN83fdnI&t=847s
First look at Driven to Glory Story
After the first gameplay was revealed for GRID Legends, we have been eager to see more. Codemasters definitely listened to the fans as well, as we got a huge 40-minute gameplay video uploaded to GRID's YouTube channel. This is our first proper look at the Driven to Glory Story Mode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrw_PlD1utI
Driven to Glory is unique in that it's a story mode that has real-world cutscenes in between the races. This is something we've not seen in a very long time, and a breath of fresh air for the series.
Release date
GRID Legends is set to be released worldwide on 25th February 2022. Legends will be released on the PlayStation 4, PS5, Series X, Xbox One and PC all at the same time.