Your rivals on the track seem distinctly more human than the robots in Gran Turismo and Forza that follow the same racing line through the track. They will spin out, pile up, crash into each other and generally act like real drivers would. That also means that they will be aggressively drafting your tail and will blow by you if you decide to slow down too early going into a turn. I could also have sworn the computer was trying to block me a few times, but perhaps I was just imagining it. This much is certain: even on the easiest difficulty setting, the A.I. will not give up the race easily.

The biggest game play mode available is GRID World, a.k.a. your career mode. The mode starts off with you and your manager trying to start up a small, one-car team. However, not having any money to do that, you’ll have to race for other teams to build your skill, your reputation and your checkbook. Eventually, you’ll have enough to buy your first car, for which you can choose the paintjob, number and later on, sponsors. The customization opportunities here aren’t even close to what Forza 2 offers, and there is absolutely no tuning you can do to the cars, which is a bit disheartening, but not a game-killer.

What is customizable, though, is your team experience in GRID World. You start out with only basic licenses in Japan, Europe and the United States, but as you win more races and championships, things change. You unlock more licenses as your reputation increases, your bank account grows to allow you to buy more cars, you gain a teammate, and you gain more sponsors willing to pay more money for top results. Your sponsors are completely customizable: you can pick and choose which sponsor will be your major sponsor (and pay you double winnings as a result), as well as who will be your minor sponsors. Each sponsor comes with a certain stipulation that must be met, whether it’s just finishing the race or finishing in first place or finishing without a scratch on your car. The tougher the stipulation, the more money you’ll make off it. On top of that, your teammate is selected by you. You can choose to hire or fire them at any time, and each has different skills or types of racing they excel at. The better the driver, though, the more you’ll have to pay for them in signing bonuses and race winnings. Through these features, GRID is able to deliver something other sim racing games have failed to do: the feeling of actually being a team owner and having to make these tough decisions.