GRID and Haze Demo Impressions

This week two new demos that interested me were put up on the PlayStation Network for download - GRID and Haze.

I can't particularly justify spending $40 on the glorified demo that is Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, so I was really interested in GRID. The developers promise real physics and damage as well as highly detailed cars and a realistic racing experience, much like GT5 (minus the damage, of course).

Most of the above is true, but I played each event twice and was horribly annoyed by how "loose" the cars handle. The slightest mistake and I'm sliding into the dirt and I go spinning out of control. No matter how hard I tried, unless I slowed down so far I nearly stopped, this would happen to me every time I'd go around a corner. I tried different speeds, different entrance/exit angles and everything...without fail almost every single corner I'd skid off into the dirt and spin around in circles trying to get back on the track. That's not very impressive, to be honest.

Sure, it is a demo, but the final product is close enough to release that its hard to believe they'll go back and rework the car handling. Its true, different cars might just handle different, but you would think they'd introduce you to the game with a decent handling car. If this is the case, they're only doing themselves a disservice.

I'm not big into FPS games, but I thought I'd try the Haze demo. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed it. It was easy to pick up and play and did a great job easing you into the game, especially for an FPS newbie, like myself. I might actually give Haze a rental once it comes out, but I'm not really impressed with GRID.

One thing that was consistent, however, was that they both look gorgeous. I'd recommend downloading both demos just for the eye candy alone. Haze will be gracing PS3s on May 23, while GRID will hit store shelves for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on June 3.