I know that the newly-released Grip: Combat Racing is something of an homage to beloved PS1-era racer Rollcage, with its sci-fi slimline cars and giant wheels that allow the vehicle to, well, roll just as well upside-down as right-side up. But it reminds me more specifically of two N64 racing games that filled many a winter night (and summer evening) when I was a teen: Acclaim’s Extreme-G and LucasArts’ Star Wars Episode I: Racer, aka, the only good thing to come out of Episode I. Even more importantly, it reminds me of why I enjoy racing games in the first place: a desire to compete, yes, but even more fundamentally, to explore.
Excellent article! I feel the same kind of nostalgia for 90’s racing games and I have fond memories of Extreme-G and SW Ep.1 Racers. I think the limitations of the systems at the time had a lot to do with it. We were bound to a specific track and could not really explore the environment. The tracks were visually stunning (at the time) yes, but we also needed to use our imagination to expand and explore these universes, and that is what made it so great!
Anyway, you convinced me to try Grip. I’ll definitely give it a try in-between sessions of Wipeout Omega!
I’m really glad Danielle mentioned this game so I can pick it up soon.
Reading the article, I totally relate to her infatuation with setting. I’ll never forget how much time I spent playing F-Zero and imagining the world that the tracks inhabited; thinking, “this incredible highway over the ocean reminds me of the Pontchartrain Expressway.”
Also ALL of the tracks in the Wipeout and Hyrdo Thunder series make me wonder.
