When Codemasters released their second instalment in the GRID series, GRID 2, compared to the first title, Race Driver: GRID, the game really took a sharp turn into the drifting side of racing. Of course, it's yet to be discovered by fans if the upcoming game, GRID Autosport, will follow suit, but with the release of new details, screens, and a trailer, we do know that tuning events (which include drifting) will be featured in the title.
The upcoming Tuner events will be dedicated to vehicles that have been modified and tuned for one job, drifting! Players will square off against opponents and pull off the most impressive and longest drifts, as well as trying to chain drifts together to earn the most points. As most racing fans will know, drifting isn't about being the fastest racer, it's all about being the best at drifting by showcasing flawless control of their car when it's in a very unstable state as it drifts around the corners. It only takes the smallest bit of under or over steer to send the car spinning into a rubbish score! Tuner events will also feature the straight-forward time attack mode, where racers will push their cars to the max in an attempt to set the fastest lap and beat out the competition.
All this typing of drifting and racing is all well and good, but readers want to know what cars they will be able to try out! For drifting, players can get behind the wheel of "contemporary and classic cars" such as the "Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Team Orange, the Mazda RX-7 (FD3S) Drift Tuned and the Nissan 1993 (S13) Daijiro Yoshihara 240SX". When it comes to the standard races and/or Time Attack events, the modified versions of these more modern cars will be available to race. Take your pick from the "Honda S2000, Ford Mustang Boss 302 and Chevrolet Camaro SS, and race classics like the Dodge Charger R/T and Plymouth AAR Cuda".
Players will be able to show off their racing skills within the Tuner events and championships feature online against opposing players, and also in the game's career mode. Various circuits will be on offer such as the " Yas Marina Circuit, Hockenheim and Brands Hatch, plus a bespoke Drift Arena at the game’s custom Autosport Raceway environment".
In GRID Autosport’ s huge career, gamers will specialise in their favourite racing discipline or conquer them all; players will feel the aggression of the pack in Touring Cars, race into the night in Endurance events, race Open-Wheel cars with precision, show car control in Tuner events and react on the fly in Street races. Each unique category features series dedicated to different classes, including Touring Cars, Hypercars, Endurance GT Cars, Prototypes, Single-Seaters, Super Modified vehicles, Drift cars and many, many more. Bursting with content, GRID Autosport features over 100 routes across 22 incredible locations and the world’s most exciting contemporary and classic high-performance racing cars to collect, tune and upgrade.
We've already covered various disciplines to come in the game already. We've been touring, tested our endurance, and faced the challenge of open-wheel racing. Now, it's time to take a look at the tuner discipline in this new trailer:
Codemasters have even more gameplay to showcase. We previously headed to Canada and witnessed a Ford GT40 MK1 take on the beast that is Mont Tremblant. In another car-versus-track trailer, we get to watch a Silvia Drift Tuned take on the Autosport Raceway as it drifts so easily around the track. As you'll see in the trailer, the steering and drifting look to be super-sensitive. Those with heavy hands (or a heavy left thumb at least) will need to work on their sensitivity and finesse when it comes to handling these drifting machines:
Get to grips with tuning, modifying and drifting your favourite vehicles when GRID Autosport releases on June 24th in North America and June 27th in Europe. Residents of the UK can pre-order the Black Edition of the title with more details on what's included, right here.
We've got the full list of GRID Autosport achievements - check the list for guides to unlocking them.