Codemasters has revealed details about the multiplayer aspects of it's latest entry in the TOCA series, Race Driver: GRID - just GRID in the states. The ambitious racing title will feature 12-player online races with full car damage, meaning that if I play the game I will spend all my time online trying to hurt your car. 32 online racing events will take place on 80 circuits across 15 international locations.
The game also boasts a new online ranking system that tracks your career and awards experience points based on achievements you reach. For those of us who love racing but suck at it, the game will also feature spectator mode, allowing us to watch jealously as more competent players master hairpin curves that we'd normally be eating.
Race Driver: GRID ships May 30th for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in Europe and June 3rd stateside.
Fierce 12-player online races with full car damage - Race Driver: GRID's multiplayer details confirmed.
Wednesday, 14th May - Reflecting the ethos, spirit and attitude of the offline game, Race Driver: GRID will bring a world of motorsport to life online as Codemasters® today announced that the game's multiplayer content will feature 32 exhilarating online race events on 80 circuits at 15 intercontinental locations.
Featuring up to 12-player events with incredible full car damage, Race Driver: GRID's online multiplayer races will see gamers competing in aggressive races on iconic city streets and famous championship circuits across Europe, the U.S. and Japan.
"Race Driver: GRID online is the ultimate expression of what the game is all about - incident-packed, aggressive, wheel-to-wheel racing," said Ralph Fulton, Chief Game Designer, Race Driver: GRID. "Our wide range of motorsport disciplines, stunning locations and full damage 12-player races make for a uniquely spectacular race experience and our immersive new ranking system rewards player skill and deepens the challenge online."
Players will be able to take their custom livery online and make it feared and respected by competing in a huge range of racing disciplines; from drifting around Yokohama Docks, charging through the mean streets of Detroit, racing touring cars around Spa-Francorchamps to competing in chaotic demolition derbies.
The pure race experience is at the heart of Race Driver GRID's gameplay and, in online multiplayer, everything is geared towards maximising player time spent on track and minimising time spent in lobbies. Players can rapidly find the event they want and a slick voting system, matchmaking mechanism and seamless host migration means gamers find competitive races quickly and sessions stay together longer.
An innovative new online ranking system charts players' progress as they advance from Junior Rookie to Legend, with experience points being awarded based on a wide range of achievements, from events won to beating higher ranked opponents.
As players rise through the rankings, online leaderboards record the fastest laps for each track and gamers can download ghost cars to test out their skill against the best in the world in Test Drive mode or check out the competition in Spectator mode. Players can also fully customise their game including switching damage on or off, enabling catch-up mode, setting driver aids and allowing public and private games.
Race Driver: GRID is coming May 30th (Europe/PAL) for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Games For Windows®. A Nintendo DS™ edition will follow. Race Driver: GRID playable demos - featuring two online multiplayer events - are now available from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace, PLAYSTATION®Network and, for the Games For Windows demo, please visit www.racedrivergrid.com