Rollin’ Back the Week’s Best Tips: GRiD 2, Fuse

Welcome back to Rollin’ Back the Week’s Best Tips.  Even though we’ve had a shortened work week due to Memorial Day, that didn’t stop us from keeping busy with two great new releases this week: Codemasters’ racing extravaganza GRiD 2 and Electronic Arts’ science-fiction driven shooter Fuse.

Both games bring something different to the table and are a lot of fun to play, but it never hurts to have a few tips in mind going in to each one.  This is especially true for GRiD 2, a racing game that’s more aggressive than you might think.

So let’s start with Codemasters’ latest and then go right into Insomniac Games’ co-op-powered shoot-em-up…

GRiD 2

Be Aggressive, B.E. Aggressive

As mentioned above, GRiD 2 is a lot grittier than your usual racing experience.  Even on the easiest difficulty setting, you’ll find cars careening into you and doing anything to try and regain the lead.

Keep in mind it’s a more realistic racing game, so you don’t have to worry about a spectacular Burnout-style wreck taking you out of the race.  Don’t be afraid to get a little dirty when it comes to knocking someone aside to take the lead or positioning yourself so you won’t give up your racing position.  It may take some practice, and sometimes you’ll hit a wall and have to use one of your precious Rewinds, but you’ll get better the more you race.  It may take some patience, but you’ll be promptly rewarded as you move up in the ranks.

Rewinds Are Your Friend… but Only for so Long

One feature that will greatly benefit you over the course of your run is the Rewind feature.  This allows you to correct a crucial mistake and take back several seconds of a race.  Some may consider it cheating, but it’s quite useful as you start up in GRiD 2.  It’s especially nice on outdoor courses where you can easily flip a car running off-road for even just a second or two.

Remember that rewinds are very limited in a race.  Even on easiest difficulty, you’re limited to about five or so.  Run out and you could very well be relying on your wits to finish up the rest of the race, so use them sparingly.  If you get in a crash that doesn’t completely kill your momentum, hold off and try to overtake the opponents.  Keep in mind that if you go flying off the road, you’ll automatically be reverted back to the main driving path, though you’ll lose some of your speed in the process.  Save those rewinds for when they really count, especially close to the finish line.  Nothing beats erasing a last second wreck and proving triumphant over the guy who thought he had you beat.

Drifting Takes Some Adjustment

Finally, you should understand that GRiD 2’s drifting system is something else.  It can be mastered, and it can differ for some cars, but it isn’t as easily accessible asnRidge Racer.  It will take time to learn the difference between an overdrift (and crashing into a wall) and not drifting enough.  Practice makes perfect, so just keep at it.  Don’t be afraid to try out other cars as well; just because you don’t have drifting down with one car doesn’t mean you’ll fare the same with another ride.

Moving on…

Fuse

The More, the Merrier

Insomniac Games developed Fusefor two types of enjoyment: single player and multiplayer.

In single player, you can switch off between characters at any time by holding down the select button and pressing the D-pad in the direction of the player you want.  In multiplayer, you stick to one particular character and work with others to bring down enemies.

Single player is enjoyable, but Insomniac built the game with cooperative play in mind.  If you can get multiple players going on the assault, you can combine their Fuse-oriented weaponry together to create some fantastic effects and boost your score in the process.  Relying on human partners is a way better idea than waiting on an AI-driven partner who’s under fire or won’t risk running around somewhere to get to you. 

Try it out with friends if you can, it’s way more fun that way.

Sometimes it Pays to be Quiet

There are numerous situations throughout Fuse where you have a choice in terms of how you want to clear a room.  You can either be stealthily and avoid drawing the attention of guards or go all-out in a gunfight.  Shooting is fun, but sometimes it pays to keep it quiet.  There are two reasons for this.

The first is positioning.  By taking your time to case out the perimeter and see where enemies are at, you can set up your teammates in particular spots, like perched on a balcony or behind cover near a group of enemies, before you let loose with your assault.  You’ll get far better results that simply running into a room and letting the bullets fly.

The second is being able to earn some extra points for stealth kills.  When you’re in cover, you can actually grab a nearby guard by pressing the triangle (or Y) button, snapping their neck without alerting the attention of his crew.  It’s cool to watch and gives you one less gunman to deal with when you unleash your fiery assault.

Watch Out for the Big Guys

You’ll face some “big boys” in Fuse like huge mechs that deliver a whole lot of firepower.  Remember that their weak spot is on their back, usually in the form of a protected power pack.

The best way to defeat them is to have one or two members draw their fire from one side of the room, then have the remaining members initiate an attack on the weak spot.  Eventually they’ll swivel around and fire in your direction, but just get in cover and let your teammates do some damage.  You’ll bring them down in no time flat.

GRiD 2 and Fuse are available now for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

See you next week for another Rollin’ Back the Week’s Best Tips!