- 1,325
- England
- Doomotron
After seeing @Castrol96 asking if the GRID thread has died, I've decided to (hopefully) restart it by asking what GTPlanet's favourite game in the series is.
Favourite Grid/TOCA Game?
- Thread starter Doomotron
- 18 comments
- 6,664 views
- 900
- Australia
For me its a toss up between Toca 3 and the original GRID. Toca 3 wins out on sheer variety of disciplines and categories. V8 Supercars DTM Brit GT Group C Rally various open wheeler categories. I'd pay full price if they remastered it.
GRID runs a close second and its a game I still play today. Loved the ability to create your own team and for a sportscar racing fan the inclusion of the Le Mans Series was epic. I've found it hard to find that magic in the later editions of the game. My only dislike was the drifting.
GRID runs a close second and its a game I still play today. Loved the ability to create your own team and for a sportscar racing fan the inclusion of the Le Mans Series was epic. I've found it hard to find that magic in the later editions of the game. My only dislike was the drifting.
- 7,928
- Wreckage, Turn 1
- PrecisionXCIV
The original GRID was the most groundbreaking game at launch, so I'll have to go with that.
The other two games for that generation were pretty good for their own reasons, GRID Autosport felt like a better and more complete reboot than 2019.
On the other hand, GRID 2 wasn't well received at launch, but I personally liked its story-driven campaign and post-processing effects for added intensity. It's also the only game I've played all three of its ports (it helps that it was free via Xbox and Steam!)
The other two games for that generation were pretty good for their own reasons, GRID Autosport felt like a better and more complete reboot than 2019.
On the other hand, GRID 2 wasn't well received at launch, but I personally liked its story-driven campaign and post-processing effects for added intensity. It's also the only game I've played all three of its ports (it helps that it was free via Xbox and Steam!)
- 13,149
- GTPlanet
- Street-King-07
- Quattro Saltire
TOCA 2 Touring Cars was and still is one of my favorite games of all time.
- 28,500
- Bratvegas
- GTP_Liquid
Toca 2 is the one I've spent the most time playing and the first two BTCC games hold a very special place in my heart but I must point out that for quite a long time I felt that Race Driver 3 was the very best racing game I've ever played. To my memory it was the first game I played with a wheel that had clutch simulation. That with the Lancia Montecarlos and BMW M1s was just unbelievable.
- 2,425
- South Auckland, New Zealand
- Nismonath5
Oh boy, here we go!
I played every game in the series from the start, and each game was better than the last.
The two original games were good fun, TOCA 1 just lacking a bit due to being exclusively BTCC, but who doesn't love driving Lava land every now and again? The second was just an update but added the whole support car championship side of things as well as the test tracks which was neat.
TOCA World Touring Cars was amazing, arguably one of the best PS1 titles out there, and without the BTCC license to hold it back the car roster was phenomenally diverse, the track list was even more so and it was basically GT2 but so much better.
The PS2 era games were all good fun, but for different reasons.
Race Driver 1 was average, the graphical upgrade was huge but the physics and AI were terrible, it was more of a wreck fest than a touring car racing simulator. The story was jam packed with cliches too.
Race Driver 2 was what I consider to be the best cross between game quality and story. It was GT3 but better, with 20 cars on track, decent damage, even more racing variety, rally and off road entered for the first time and didn't suck at all, even if it was a bit light on the content there. And the story, while still a bit cliched, was good fun to follow along. I want Tom Cotcher to be on my comms for Lemons events!
Race Driver 3 is obviously the best of the bunch as far as game play, but the story is reduced to mere showcases of some of the cars you'll race. That doesn't stop it looking like one of the most visually stunning games for the PS2, and continuing on the "GT rival" mentality, this one took GT4 and put it to shame.
Race Driver GRID sort of abandoned the simulation feeling in place of high intensity pack racing, which was fine, the whole building up your team from the ground was a solid experience and the demolition derby mode is the precursor to Wreck Fest I always played, still do every now and again.
GRID 2 I tried really hard to like, but something was missing. But I just can't put my finger on it, even after all these years.
Grid Autosport regained some of that gritty simulation feeling, but still lacked a bit of oomph. The bland standard cockpits were and still are a terrible decision on their part. I got really into the drag racing DLC of all things in that one.
And GRID 2019.... Well actually, I dont have it just yet. But I played the demo and enjoyed myself enough!!
Um, so, anyway. I do quite love the GRID series. Could I pick a favorite? Probably not, they're all solid relics of their respective eras, though I'll probably have to go with Race Driver 3 for the simple fact that it was the most influential when I got my hands on it.
I played every game in the series from the start, and each game was better than the last.
The two original games were good fun, TOCA 1 just lacking a bit due to being exclusively BTCC, but who doesn't love driving Lava land every now and again? The second was just an update but added the whole support car championship side of things as well as the test tracks which was neat.
TOCA World Touring Cars was amazing, arguably one of the best PS1 titles out there, and without the BTCC license to hold it back the car roster was phenomenally diverse, the track list was even more so and it was basically GT2 but so much better.
The PS2 era games were all good fun, but for different reasons.
Race Driver 1 was average, the graphical upgrade was huge but the physics and AI were terrible, it was more of a wreck fest than a touring car racing simulator. The story was jam packed with cliches too.
Race Driver 2 was what I consider to be the best cross between game quality and story. It was GT3 but better, with 20 cars on track, decent damage, even more racing variety, rally and off road entered for the first time and didn't suck at all, even if it was a bit light on the content there. And the story, while still a bit cliched, was good fun to follow along. I want Tom Cotcher to be on my comms for Lemons events!
Race Driver 3 is obviously the best of the bunch as far as game play, but the story is reduced to mere showcases of some of the cars you'll race. That doesn't stop it looking like one of the most visually stunning games for the PS2, and continuing on the "GT rival" mentality, this one took GT4 and put it to shame.
Race Driver GRID sort of abandoned the simulation feeling in place of high intensity pack racing, which was fine, the whole building up your team from the ground was a solid experience and the demolition derby mode is the precursor to Wreck Fest I always played, still do every now and again.
GRID 2 I tried really hard to like, but something was missing. But I just can't put my finger on it, even after all these years.
Grid Autosport regained some of that gritty simulation feeling, but still lacked a bit of oomph. The bland standard cockpits were and still are a terrible decision on their part. I got really into the drag racing DLC of all things in that one.
And GRID 2019.... Well actually, I dont have it just yet. But I played the demo and enjoyed myself enough!!
Um, so, anyway. I do quite love the GRID series. Could I pick a favorite? Probably not, they're all solid relics of their respective eras, though I'll probably have to go with Race Driver 3 for the simple fact that it was the most influential when I got my hands on it.
- 2,153
- United Kingdom
TOCA 3.
Had great races in it and met a great group
Had great races in it and met a great group
- 2,236
- Lima
- gohan_girabyt3
- gohan_girabyt3
Playing TOCA 3 as we speak, this is truly between that and GRID 1 because both were the ultimate peek for Codies in their respective times!! Especially when both truly take the "Rubbing is racing, racing is rubbing" literally!!
TOCA 3 had the awesome variety and difficulty, great graphics as well, but some weird physics:
And we all already know about the crashes ♥
Overall, both were again the top their franchises ever reached (better for TOCA 3 since it was the last one before the rename, and GRID went downhill after the 1st one...)
TOCA 3 had the awesome variety and difficulty, great graphics as well, but some weird physics:
- Awesome Variety: You start with either a Renault Clio or a GT light (well, you basically start with a DTM Mercedes C Class), and climb all the way through to 3 generations of the Williams F1 team (A 1st time for any game, and F1, to have an official F1 car outside an F1 official game), and even Off-Road events when they had the Colin McRae series alive to do it!!
- Unforgettable difficulty: Honestly, if you pass the world tour 100% with a keyboard on hard difficulty, consider yourself a god!
- Weird Physics: Just ask the Nascar Dodge Charger (on Super Speedway spec) doing Indianapolis flat out or the Nascar Chevy Silverado doing Dover flat out too, or, the worst car in the game IMO, the Formula BMW...
And we all already know about the crashes ♥Overall, both were again the top their franchises ever reached (better for TOCA 3 since it was the last one before the rename, and GRID went downhill after the 1st one...)
- 28,500
- Bratvegas
- GTP_Liquid
I would like to say that if you've ever had the chance to play Toca 2 on PC, i.e. the 1998 BTCC one, on its hardest difficulty I think it has some of the most genuinely competitive AI I've ever raced against.
The Playstation version just isn't quite as polished as a racing game but still the one I've played the most.
The Playstation version just isn't quite as polished as a racing game but still the one I've played the most.
- 59
- United Kingdom
My favourite game was undoubtedly TOCA 2 Touring Cars on the PS1. I sank more hours into that than just about any other racing game ever. At the time it seemed a big step up on the original TOCA game, the graphics seemed sharper and there was a lot more content to enjoy (whilst still keeping the full BTCC experience). The AI drivers were excellent, hard but fair - when I had a bad race I never felt cheated in the same way I have often done in other games.
Something the first two TOCA games did very well was that AI drivers had their own personalities and made mistakes on their own - I still remember in one of my first races, at Silverstone, rounding a corner to find a Vauxhall on its roof - which isn't something that would happen in Gran Turismo. Add in the support categories (from memory, Formula Ford, Fiestas, TVRs and Listers), the variable weather that could lead to a mid-race downpour and the enjoyable fictional tracks, and there was enough to keep me playing this as my "main" racing game until I got a PS2, late to that party in 2003.
TOCA World Touring cars didn't really do it for me, it was good having tracks from across the world but everything else felt like a step backwards. The original Race Driver storyline-themed effort felt a bit lacklustre. Race Driver 2 and 3 were enjoyable with a diverse selection of machinery in both. The only Grid game I liked was Autosport which felt like a return to proper motor racing, it was a pity it was released quite late into the PS3's lifecycle so I think I only played it for a year before I got a PS4 and moved on to Project CARS.
Something the first two TOCA games did very well was that AI drivers had their own personalities and made mistakes on their own - I still remember in one of my first races, at Silverstone, rounding a corner to find a Vauxhall on its roof - which isn't something that would happen in Gran Turismo. Add in the support categories (from memory, Formula Ford, Fiestas, TVRs and Listers), the variable weather that could lead to a mid-race downpour and the enjoyable fictional tracks, and there was enough to keep me playing this as my "main" racing game until I got a PS2, late to that party in 2003.
TOCA World Touring cars didn't really do it for me, it was good having tracks from across the world but everything else felt like a step backwards. The original Race Driver storyline-themed effort felt a bit lacklustre. Race Driver 2 and 3 were enjoyable with a diverse selection of machinery in both. The only Grid game I liked was Autosport which felt like a return to proper motor racing, it was a pity it was released quite late into the PS3's lifecycle so I think I only played it for a year before I got a PS4 and moved on to Project CARS.
- 6,781
- United Kingdom
I had that game on PC back in the day and was fortunate to have a PC with the recommended specs so it ran great. Maybe it's nostalgia but think it felt more of an authentic feeling racing simulator game than current modern titles hence why I voted for it. It felt ahead of the game at time of release and it was a great racing game combo with Colin McRae Rally at the time too. They really nailed the atmosphere, Codemasters!
Felt like you really had to concentrate to not bin it. Maybe playing with keyboard made it harder but was so fun just trying to make sure you stay on track and make progress against the AI. Also had cousins with road versions of cars in the game at the time so it was relatable being BTCC.
- 10,965
- Central Coast, NSW
- EelX 5
I know this post was made a long time ago but I'm still astonish the V8 Supercars/DTM/TOCA Race Driver trilogy were G rated in Australia
. Photo reminded me of that.It's like the people behind the age ratings only played V8 Supercars in Free Play without playing the story and assumed the rest of the game is just that. Glad my Mum never saw me playthrough 1 and 2s story mode.
The marketing level this game had on Australia worked too well
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