F1 2011 - Computer Game Review

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

WHEN Codemasters released F1 2010 this time last year, it quickly received wide praise and applause as it was really the first game that actually captured the imagination of the sport.  This therefore put a lot of pressure on Codies, a company with a rich history of producing award-winning racing games, to deliver and most importantly, take it up to the next level with F1 2011.

     To start with, the essence of the game remains the same, built again upon the Career mode with its tagline, “Be the Driver, Live the Life, Go Compete.”  Starting with the standard pre-season interview with a member of the world’s press (David ‘Crofty’ Croft from BBC Radio 5 Live is used again on the UK version), the player has a much wider choice of teams to start their life in the sport with.  Obviously, all the options are midfield/backmarker teams, including the three ‘B’ teams, Team Lotus, Virgin Racing and HRT but it does gives the option to either begin the path to the front of the field quicker or longer for those new to the game.

     Essentially, the pit garage design remains the same from F1 2010, with constant reports from your race engineer both in the garage and on the track.  Team to driver reactions after qualifying and race are now implemented to give more a feel as to whether the chemistry within the team setup is strong or crumbling massively.  The agent that was featured in F1 2010 has been unceremoniously and thankfully, dumped.

     In game modes, two new modes have joined the setup this year.  Multiplayer returns after a year away, in a classic split-screen format.  Most exciting is the introduction of a co-op championship which allows 2 players to race as team-mates, so finally, an equal way to battle it out and see who the best is.  Online mode is also enhanced with it now being able to hold up to 16 players in one game session at a time.

     In the game itself, all of the 2011 rule changes in real life have been adapted into the game.  KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and DRS (Drag Reduction System) give the player a boost to improve their performance.  Also the new Pirelli tyres are featured and have modelled to act in realistic form with a set of tyres only lasting 10 to 15 laps, depending on the circuit, until they “fall off the cliff.”  Although a promise was made to reintroduce mechanical retirements on the game, no evidence has been shown yet so it’s hard to prove whether it is possible.

WELCOME: The Safety Car makes a much anticipated return

     However one aspect that has been welcomed by many is the return of the Safety Car, which was last featured in an F1 game back in 2001.  It is not known yet if it can be deployed for any AI incidents on track but it can be deployed during heavy rain conditions.  In addition, red flags have returned for the first time in an F1 game since 1998 for instances when a crash is so severe, the Safety Car can’t get round the track.

     Another new feature is ‘Race Director.’  Accessed via the pause menu during a race, it allows the player to not only look at the latest race standings but browse through each driver’s lap times and see whether they are performing upto standard or starting to drop off the pace.

GUARANTEE: More wheel-to-wheel combat is expected

     Finally, not just Singapore and Abu Dhabi (in its day-night element) can be played in night conditions as some circuits are also playable as night races.  The new Indian GP circuit is also featured but not the cancelled Bahrain GP despite rumours that it may still feature on the game despite its axing earlier in the season.  Improved modelling in the AI has also promised to make the game more challenging for experienced racers.  The blogger founder Simon Wright asked John Boden for his thoughts on the game via Twitter; “It’s very good, but very hard at the same time.  They’ve tried to make it as close to life as possible.  It is quite rewarding though and I’d go as far as to say it’s the best ‘pure racing,’ game I’ve played.”

     Overall, my verdict of F1 2011 is that there is plenty more to offer for the next edition.  It beats F1 2010 quite comfortably in terms of the game style but it still hasn’t quite made the next leap forward in gaming levels.  Nevertheless, this is definitely another hit F1 title for both the sport and Codies in general.

     F1 2011 is available now for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows. Handheld editions for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation’s new Vita handheld console will be released at a later date.