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The current console landscape has been particularly rough on racing games. The three pillars of the of the genre – Need for Speed, Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport – all have their roots in prior generations. Meanwhile, a stable of notable contenders – MotorStorm, Blur, and Split/Second to name just a few – have collectively failed to make much of an impact. Codemasters’ Clive Moody thinks he knows why, and aims to break the dominance of the big three with GRID 2, announced just today with a stunning teaser trailer.

Like Need for Speed, Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport, GRID has a long history. A modern offshoot of Codemasters’ TOCA/Race Driver games, which date back to the original PlayStation, the first GRID arrived in 2008 and earned praise for its superlative graphics and thrilling on-track action, but may be best remembered for introducing the ability to “rewind” races when things went badly. Building on the strengths of the first game, GRID 2 promises to deliver the most dramatic, cinematic racing game on the market.

Speaking with GamesMaster magazine (via CVG), GRID 2 Executive Producer Moody describes his vision for the game.

Key to achieving GRID 2’s fidelity and immersion goals is the latest version of Codemasters’ EGO Game Technology Platform which, if the teaser trailer at the top of this page is anything to go by, is more than up to the challenge. Moody sings the technology’s praises on Codemasters’ GRID 2 page.

Rather than make an all out simulation like Forza, or a slippery arcade racer like Need for Speed, the team at Codemasters decided to split the difference – GRID 2 will “use real physics to hit a sweetspot between accessibility and simulation.” Most of the car and track specifics are being kept on hold for now, though courses set in Paris and Chicago have been confirmed (you can see them in the trailer). Races will take place on city streets, licensed circuits and mountain roads, and the game will include completely separate single and multiplayer campaigns.

Unfortunately, GRID 2 will be missing one notable feature from the first game, and fans are already up in arms about it: cockpit views. Despite being announced just this morning, the uproar about GRID 2’s lack of cockpit views has already been sufficient to prompt a reply from Moody, who starts by noting that “only 5% of Codemasters Racing game players ever used the in-car view,” and goes on to detail what omitting that view has allowed the team to accomplish.

GRID 2 is arriving late in the game. When it launches next Summer, the Wii U will have been available for months, and new hardware from Sony and Microsoft might not be far off. That’s both good and bad. The upside is that Codemasters has had years to master the current platforms – says Moody, “We’re now incredibly familiar with the current hardware and have reached the point that we’re getting EVERYTHING possible from it.” The downside is that, once they’ve seen what the next-gen Xbox and PlayStation are truly capable of, gamers may find it hard to generate much excitement for any current-gen titles, no matter how good they look. How will GRID 2 fare? What do you think?

Ranters, what do you think of your first look at GRID 2? Will the game have what it take to compete with the big three racing franchises?

GRID 2 releases Summer 2013 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

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Follow me on Twitter @HakenGaken.

Source: CVG, Codemasters (1,2), GRID 2