GRIP: Combat Racing Reviews
Full of good ideas, but less than stellar execution
GRIP: Combat Racing demands constant discipline from its audience while exhibiting little itself.
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 is a game that should be a rousing success on paper given the capabilities of the race cars; sadly it’s doesn’t really feel like it’s captured the essence of what made Rollcage so great almost 20 years ago.
GRIP is not yet at the point its potential suggests, but being made available at this moment runs that risk: as it is, the game needs several improvements and will certainly receive them. However, while its plentiful and varied content tick the right boxes, there are issues which will require more than just updates and additional modules to solve, and the model selected to bring GRIP to the players runs risks that can end up harming this experience more than it should.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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.
A no-thrills arcade racer that straddles the line between nostalgic throwback and outdated curio, and while fun in short doses it quickly loses its novelty.
There are still several issues that need to be ironed out but GRIP: Combat Racing isn’t a terrible game. In fact, with a few necessary fixes, it could definitely become something rather special
"Needs more grip and multiple players."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
GRIP has moments of brilliance, but not enough for me to recommend a purchase unless you’re a fan of Rollcage and are interested in what is essentially an incredibly late Rollcage 3. The addition of either some more courses or a level editor would be a huge improvement although I don’t know if that is in the works. GRIP isn’t everything I hoped it would be, however there is a solid base and plenty to suggest that Rollcage‘s formula still has something to offer in 2018.
Grip is a content-rich and entertaining arcade racer, but issues with handling and a weak aesthetic may leave players that are not diehard fans of the genre feeling lukewarm.
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
GRIP has great racing mechanics, but they're marred by inconsistent implementation.
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.
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.
It's great for a Sunday drive, but it's not going to hold your attention forever.
Though GRIP offers up some exciting racing and vehicular combat on a really wild and creative set of tracks, a frustrating singleplayer campaign and serious technical issues with the online multiplayer make it difficult to recommend in its current state.
GRIP has good gameplay mechanics, but the whole game doesn't allow them to truly shine. The issues, even if they are small, pile up and keep repeating often enough to the point that affects the entire experience.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The combat races and Arena matches are fun, but the straight-on racing is subpar. The courses are detailed and varied, but they're hard to make sense of when going fast. While it's certainly nice to see a throwback to old racing games, especially one with local split-screen, I wish it could have been a game I'd want to break out with friends more often.
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.