So, there is still one more week until the F1 summer break, but if that is still too long to wait, Codemasters have your back. Indeed, it’s that time of the year again where the season’s official F1 game is released. But is it worth getting, or should you just wait and leave the driving to the professionals?
The story sees an unlikely hero set out on a quest to save the damsel in distress. Okay, so this is an F1 game, so there is no epic storyline which will have players running for the tissues. However, the career mode is back and that may inspire tears when losing the drivers’ championship by five points. Not only is the career mode, back but it’s bigger than ever, now players can do ten seasons and make their character become the best driver in history. Hopefully, knocking Mercedes off their pedestal, well unless you choose to drive for them.
While it may be bigger, it is still lacking a lot of aspects to make it the true F1 experience. There are two options, normal career and pro career. Pro career is for the experienced players who should have considered a profession as an actual driver. This means the game has full times for the weekend, making it last around seven hours for a race weekend. The camera is in the driver’s point of view, there are no flashbacks and only manual driving. The other career allows players customise their playing, with a choice to choose the length of the race sessions. There is still no co-op career, which would be good to play with friends or family, either on the same team competing for the 1st driver spot or as rivals on different teams.
Players can choose their character from a selection of pre-set designs. The options are not great with most of them looking like the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. You can also pick your car number and customise the colour schemes of your helmet. All 11 teams and 22 drivers are in the game, with all the tracks from the season making it in. From the start, players can choose which team they want to drive for. While Mercedes and Ferrari fans may rejoice, it removes an incentive to accept other contracts down the line. In previous games, you were offered contracts based on your performance in training which made you feel more wanted.
But what about the actual career? Practice sessions are in three parts, like a real race weekend and has more of a purpose. Other than driving around the track getting a feel for different car setups, players can do three practice programmes. One helps get players used to the track, another helps players understand how to conserve tyres. The third gives a prediction of where the player will qualify. The lap time now constantly shows how you are faring against your best lap. This helps clarify where on the track you are losing time, rather than guessing what part of the sector is giving you a hard time. The game tries to help newcomers to the series improve so that they can keep up with the action rather than hope other cars crash to gain places.
The pit crews still offer help during races, but mostly they say the weather is fine, which is good to know but hardly important every five seconds. But they do earn their money when it starts raining and can offer some light on whether it’s the time to change tyres. You can still ask for updates through audio, however, if you’re doing it manually, be prepared to go off track or crash. They also offer alternate strategies during a race which can help make a difference. They still seem to hush up in the pit, though. This means unless you’re an engineer, you’re not going to have much clue about making good changes to car setups. So much for this being a team sport, you have to do their jobs.
There is also a new hub. In between sessions, you find yourself behind the desk in the team’s quarters on the various tracks. The laptop is where you can check R&D, championship points, and even your trophies. R&D has been tweaked a bit to give players more control over their cars. It’s a nice change of scenery, with famous faces popping up now and then, but most of the time you’ll be going straight to the next session. There are also events that happen with the R&D manager and your agent. Most of the time it’s just them telling you the new parts arrived, or you have a new rival. It would be good to see other random events, maybe interviews to increase popularity.
I’ve prolonged mentioning the driving long enough. The cars handle better than ever before. They feel smoother, and you have more control behind the wheel. Also, if there is damage, it’s feelable in the car. The physics have also been improved, with crashes and parts coming off looking more realistic. You might be outpaced by faster cars, but each team can challenge for the podium. This does lead to a more varied race result, rather than just Hamilton or Rosberg running away with each race. The AI has also seen improvements, with them yielding if you are clearly right of way, rather than just carrying on as if you weren’t there. This doesn’t mean they will always just let you through, leading to great wheel to wheel driving.
There are still prominent incidents with around one or two cars coming out each race due to crashes or mechanical errors. Unexpected crashes or human errors are some of the best parts of F1, so it would be nice if it was more frequent, as how many races end with nearly all 22 drivers racing? A small chance for your car to have mechanical errors after adding in new parts could also help add realism and frustration.
A big introduction into this instalment was the formation lap. This has been wanted for the last few years. It adds to the realism, and warming up tyres and brakes can be fun but is hardly the most exciting thing of the weekend. The manual starts are also new and one of the best additions. Instead of just holding the throttle until you go, there is a huge impact on quick reactions. Players have to release the clutch as the lights go off. Release too early and you incur a drive through penalty, too late, lose places. Drivers also have the ability to manage the speed coming into the pits. This means players have to judge when they need to brake to ensure they’re not speeding in the pits, which leaves penalties. The Safety and Virtual Safety Cars are improved and are surprisingly more fun than you’d expect.
The cars look spectacular, with the little details like reflections of buildings on the cars or hot air out of the exhaust adding to the experience. Dirt or rain being hit on the screen and the accurate reflections in the wind mirrors really do help give the sense you are driving in the race. It’s just the track scenery and crowds can look blocky at times and a bit wooden. The character models have been improved, but they are still lacking certain detail, with many looking lifeless.
The online multiplayer now lets 22 drivers race at once, although this means even more people will just try to crash into you. It can also be hard to find games to play at times. The custom championship is a great way for friends to see who the best driver is. But this would be made better with split screen options.
The game has made some real advancements in recent years, and it is clear there is still much more to come in the next few years. It offers the intense action of race day but still lacks that spark which makes it feel real, with first place often being a dull drive.
Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: Codemasters
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC
Release Date: 19th August 2016