GRIP: Combat Racing Reviews
The 'spiritual successor' industry reaches deep into the 90s game cupboard with this futuristic racer. Should we start asking why?
A no-thrills arcade racer that straddles the line between nostalgic throwback and outdated curio, and while fun in short doses it quickly loses its novelty.
It's great for a Sunday drive, but it's not going to hold your attention forever.
GRIP: Combat Racing is an unpolished gem that's currently too flawed to fully recommend. When it comes together – particularly in multiplayer – GRIP is capable of providing some of the most engaging future racing this side of Wipeout 2097, but it's all too easy for it to fall apart, especially when you're placed in the hands of the game's cheating AI.
I feel that GRIP will draw lots of strong opinions on either side of the spectrum and that the diehards will stick with it for the foreseeable future. It’s not likely to set the world on fire and will appeal mostly to the nostalgia of older PC gamers, but does enough to be more than a pretty paint job on top of old ideas.
A fun racing game despite its control problems and some minor graphical hiccups.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Grip: Combat Racing offers an enormous amount of fun content for a reasonable price. Frankly, this game could go toe to toe with a lot of AAA racers and come out on top. Blistering speed, amazing track design, wild action; if you can get past some mild frustrations, Grip fully delivers and intense, jaw-clenching good time.
A dull campaign mode doesn't do the solo experience any favors. Ultimately, GRIP has fun gameplay at its foundation, I'm just not sure this first attempt takes the game everywhere it needs to go.
The spirit of Rollcage lives back in Grip: Combat Racing, where you speed your way up upside down until victory. The Rivals system is genious, but Caged Element didn't fully explore its potential. Beautiful tracks and a tense campaign are definitely highlights of this game.
Review in Italian | Read full review
In the end, Grip has all the prerequisite gameplay and technical elements. Yet the randomness of the environments and the clunky air handling left little to be desired.
Grip: Combat Racing is a fast-paced experience that is sometimes hindered by its own level design. Online matches and game optimization are where it truly shines. The campaign mode, though, becomes more of a chore than something to celebrate.
GRIP has great racing mechanics, but they're marred by inconsistent implementation.
GRIP is a technically sound game and can genuinely offer some exciting racing, as you try to dodge enemy weapons, track hazards and more, all at insane speeds. However, it can also be a confusing game to navigate and also has very unfair rubber-banding which can screw you over more than half the time as you'll find a well-placed rocket right up your rear-pipe just before you hit the finish line. GRIP also looks and sounds great, with some very well designed tracks, though some side modes (arena-based modes) completely miss out the best part about the game - being able to ride on any surface. I can genuinely see people enjoying their time with GRIP than I have, I just think it's missed the mark.
GRIP is a fine racing game. It has some fantastic moments in its fast speeds and impressive maneuvers. While there are some issues here and there with the devastation of crashing, and the online being laggy at times, I find that at its heart, it’s a great racer that tries something that hasn’t been thought of in a long while. It’s a buy for racing fans, but I would hold off until a slight price drop, at least. Maybe by then a few patches and sort out a few things.
GRIP: Combat Racing suffers from a number of flaws, inadequately hardened difficulty and dead multiplayer. The project may appeal to old Rollcage fans and fans of high-speed arcades, but everyone else can safely skip the game or wait for big updates.
Review in Russian | Read full review
While its controls can often be a little too unforgiving - especially when travelling at such high speeds - once you've got the hang of each vehicle's unique yet temperamental handling, GRIP: Combat Racing really opens up. Serving as a faithful nod to the original Rollcage, the wide range of modes and unlockable parts could make it the next Rocket League - if it manages to gather a similar cult following. If you're in the market for a larger than life racer that isn't Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, this could well be your next racing obsession.
GRIP: Combat Racing is an impressive arcade racer, one that harkens back to the glory days of racers such as WipEout, while adding its own innovations. Jumping from floor to ceiling to wall and back sounds like it might be too hectic, but GRIP's excellent camera handling ensures that players won't lose track of what they are doing very easily. Four-player split screen, which is an absolute rarity these days, is a much-appreciated inclusion, and ensures that GRIP: Combat Racing will be played by groups for a while to come.
GRIP: Combat Racing is a fantastic love letter to a game that has been long since forgotten by most players. Although it's not a true sequel, it would feel right at home as the third installment of the Rollcage franchise. Everything from the blazing speed to the level of concentration needed to process each turn will make you grip your controller tightly as you plunge into the outrageously fast vehicular combat. It's a non-stop thrill ride of tense turns, gravity-defying stunts, and ruthless rivalry; all while hurtling down tracks at breakneck speeds. It never lets up. Instead, the raw aggression of the game increases as you progress creating an incredible experience that's not for the faint of heart.
Held back by baked-in design decisions, muddy graphical effects, and non-exciting sound design, it's doubtful that GRIP could make any significant comeback due to its flaws. With these elements in mind, GRIP: Combat Racer should take a pass from prospective purchasers.
GRIP: Combat Racing demands constant discipline from its audience while exhibiting little itself.