F1 2011 (Xbox 360) Review
Formula One is looked upon by many as the pinnacle of motorsport. If NASCAR is burgers and beer, then most fans would say F1 is champagne and caviar. Codemasters appears to be entering a yearly release cycle for the F1 series. It previous game, F1 2010, was good but not perfect. So, does F1 2011 bring enough changes and new stuff to make it worthwhile?
I think there’s a distinct difference between driving games and racing games. Gran Turismo uses the subtitle “the real driving simulator” for a reason, and as great as it is, the Forza franchise is as much about community and car customization as it is about simulation. F1 2011, on the other hand, is all about racing and for this reason alone I love it as I’m the type of player that just wants to race. I’m not knocking the features the other driving games come with, I just prefer to get right into things and go fast.
Since it’s only been about a year since the release of Codemasters previous F1 game, the 2011edition isn’t any sort of revolutionary step forward. There are some changes that are worth remarking about though. Most notable is the inclusion of all the new rule changes for the F1 series this season. The most notable is a Drag Reduction System (DRS). By pressing the Y button in specific situations you can open up the rear wing to reduce drag and gain speed for overtaking other cars. Also available is KERS, which acts as a sort of turbo boost for a limited period of time helping to pass. While these two additions might sound like cheats to the layperson, they are valid strategies employed in real F1 racing today and add a nice layer of strategy to how you race. The way they’re mapped to the buttons makes them simple too. It is nice not having a significant learning curve to employ these new tactics. Also new this year is the safety car, which only comes out during races that are 20% of real life length or more.
Naturally, all of 2011’s F1 teams, drivers, and tracks (19 in total) are in the game. All are faithfully represented too. The career mode plays nearly identical to its predecessor save for the fact it appears there are significantly longer load times. You begin as a series rookie and get to choose from five teams this season, where as last year it was only three. Each race weekend has a practice, qualifying and race session. In each session you will be presented with goals set by your team. These might be “qualify in 15th place” or “finish the race in 6th or better”. Occasionally there is what is called R&D goals in the practice sessions as well. Achieving these goals rewards you in an almost RPG-like fashion in which you can apply new changes to your car for additional performance. F1 teams are consistently looking to improve their cars and this is generally a nice feature that captures the spirit of the sport.
The biggest improvement I found in F1 2011 is to the cars handling. In F1 2010, I felt the cars were extremely twitchy. While that is how I expect such a high performing car to feel, I found it extremely unforgiving even on the medium difficulty levels. This year the cars are still as nimble but I felt less as risk of losing traction, especially on tight corners or putting the wheels on the curbing (red and while rumble strips). For me that makes the game infinitely more enjoyable and more playable. The difference in the handling of cars is subtle this year but extremely well done. There is a noticeable performance jump when your tires come up to temperature and you will feel the car get lighter as your fuel load lessens during a race. You’ll also certainly notice the decrease in traction when using full rain tires. Play a session in heavy rain and then another on the same track in dry conditions. The difference is impressive. Putting in these kind of gameplay elements really shows that Codemasters spent a lot of time on all things race-related, big or small, and this attention to detail pays off in spades. I should note that while I have a wireless racing wheel I used only the Xbox 360 controller for this review.
I thought the AI in F1 2010 was very good. AI drivers would take chances and dive for the apex to make passes and defend their lines aggressively. It’s more of the same this year but I did notice the occasional problem. Backmarkers seem especially aggressive. On another note, Codemasters has gone to lengths to make the game more accessible to all. One smart idea is to give braking lines a little verticality. The lines actually raise perpendicular off the road when they turn red. This really helps them not only stand out, but they are more effective when you’re in one of the lower views such as the in-car view. Although the game does try to be more accessible, F1 isn’t for everyone. Things are extremely fast and happen in the blink of an eye. This might frustrate the more casual racers out there. That said, the action is extremely fast and hair raising when you’re racing for position.
Also expanded this year are the online and multiplayer options. You can race online with up to 16 players. You also have the option of adding AI cars to make up to the standard 24 car F1 field. Again, a nice touch but nothing new since Codemasters has been doing this sort of thing since the Race Driver series on the original Xbox. More exciting though is the ability to play a full championship series cooperatively with a friend online. Instead of competing against an AI teammate in the career, you can face off against your buddy and fight for not just wins but all of the R&D objectives. Perform better, become the lead driver for the team and you get the performance enhancements before your friend. This is a fantastic idea that shows that the folks making this game aren’t just fans of the sport but also gamers as well. Well done Codemasters!
Codemasters make some of the best looking racing games out there and F1 2011 is no exception. What they seem to do better than most is use lighting to give things a photorealistic effect. They also excel in the level of detail they put into each driving game. Case in point, pan back to the roll bar camera while racing in the rain and take a look at your helmet. Pretty great stuff.
Speaking of rain, I’ve never seen better rain effects in a game, ever. Last year’s game was good as the way water pooled on areas of the track was awesome. This year however it is all that and more. Race behind another car at speed and it is literally a blur. It reminds me of taking my glasses off. It’s fuzzy like that. Damn near impossible to see things, let alone your braking point, but when you think about what it would be like to race in an open cockpit car in the rain, it makes sense.
While the replays generally look as good as they appear in the ads and videos you see online, the graphic fidelity is right up there. Car models are extremely detailed down to individual decals. What about the frame rate you ask? It is, simply put, silky smooth. I’m no professor but it looks 60fps to me. I have noticed occasional hiccups, but they are incredibly brief from time to time, almost like a frame or two gets skipped. There’s a bit more of this in and out of the paddock but it doesn’t affect game play because you’re not in control.
Normally, racing games aren’t the deepest auditory experience but Codemasters’ attention to detail shines here as well. It’s the extra details like the rain, wind, and gravel that impress me the most. One particular example is hearing the scrub and squeal of the tires as they protest the 4 lateral G’s and struggle to maintain grip around certain corners. Codemasters makes terrific use of surround sound to make it truly feel like you’re in a 700+ HP race car. Not only that, but the scream of the engines of the other cars you are racing with.
There’s little in terms of dialogue both during the between race menus or in the actual races. Your race engineers come on the radio from time to time to give you information like when to pit, how your car is operating, and if there are any notable events occurring. What is there is fine, but I’d like to hear more dialogue in general and more variety too. Don’t let this criticism fool you though; this is a very good-sounding game in its own way.
Minor criticisms aside, the only thing F1 2011 doesn’t have going for it is that it is released just weeks before Microsoft’s 800lb gorilla Forza 4. Casual fans might simply wait for that one. Their loss though. F1 2011 gets top marks in all aspects of the game, especially how it handles. There’s more than enough here to warrant a purchase even if you picked up last year’s game. Heck, the online co-op championship mode might be worth the price of admission for many. If this is indeed going to be a yearly release, let’s hope Codemasters continues to evolve things as they have done this year.
