F1 2011

Review from Nat - Thursday, 24 November 2011 @ 1:05am

Reviews like F1 2011 are a bit of a doozy for individuals such as myself. I’ll be completely transparent up front and cop to the fact that I know literally *nothing* about F1, outside of that Senna documentary I watched on a plane and the bits I’ve seen from Top Gear. I’ve always appreciated it, but I’m more of a touring car guy myself – seemed to me to be a bit more like something I could ever actually do with my life, as opposed to something I saw on the telly (Because, in the end, every man thinks they’re great at two things: sex and driving. For what it’s worth, I’m brilliant at both, ladies).

However, after coming into F1 2011 and emerging the other side alive, I can say fairly categorically that this opinion might be soon changing. F1 2011 presents an entertaining, if not somewhat elegiac, opening into a world of racing I had considered myself far distanced from and left me interested in pursuing more. It did not turn me into a F1 junkie or make me go out and buy a Mark Webber tea-cosy, but it certainly made me think twice about the sport – which, really, is more than I ever expected coming into it.

The weather effects are impressive, and add to the immersion of the races.

F1 2011 is exactly what it appears to be on the box – it’s the most recent iteration of the Formula One game franchise, complete with updated rules and teams. That stuff was largely unimportant to me – I didn’t know the difference between the new rules and the old ones, nor who *any* of the drivers were (where was Nigel Mansell? He had a killer mustache in the old days...). Any F1 fan worth his salt already knows all the changes and how they affect racing, as well as the different drivers and their teams. It’s the same as any other annualised sports franchise in that way – the changes to the rules are relatively minor and only really matter to those already invested.

What is worth drawing attention to, however, is how goddamn good these cars are to drive. Whilst it took me a little while to get used to the F1 driving style, once I was settled in it was a simple and enjoyable experience. 2011 wisely borrows the Forza style of difficulty adjustments, allowing the car to take over as much or as little of the driving experience as necessary. Auto-brakes, ABS and driving lines are all fully customizeable to a point where you feel comfortable driving at a level of challenge you can accept. It’s a smart addition to any racing game, but especially here – by giving players such a wide breadth of difficulty adjusters, you can take your time to ease into the racing experience and truly learn how the cars handle. By the time you have finished the first practice run, you should be fairly well trained up on how to drive.

Whilst the environments are nothing to write home about, the car models are impressive.

This, however, was where my biggest problem with F1 2011 lies. For each new course, you have to go through a three step process: first, it requires you to undertake a practice run to learn the track and check any changes made to your car are acceptable and handle effectively. Secondly, you have to undertake the qualifying run and actually qualify for a starting position on the grid for the real race. Finally, you undertake the real race and hope to god you win. Even on the shortest possible lap settings, you still have to do at least nine laps of the track to complete all three segments, with lengthy load times between each part. It’s frustratingly repetitive, and whilst I understand that it is one of the tropes of motor racing, it is still frustrating to play.

Adding to your woes is the fact that the AI is unrelentingly challenging, and without a solid knowledge of the track, will leave you in a cloud of exhaust fumes and pieces of tyre. Whilst it’s enjoyable to come across some challenging AI for once, it was frustrating to know I had to put in actual work to learn how to beat them. It felt like I was grinding a racing game, which was odd. The AI difficulty can be adjusted; however the difference between medium and easy seems to be something akin to the difference between Sebastian Vettel and a slobbering vegetable.

When the rain comes out and the action is tight, you better be ready to bump some fenders.

Overall, F1 2011 impressed me. As a non-fan of the series, I found it easy to get into the racing and have a good enough time. It felt repetitive, but I think that is just one of the tropes of Formula One racing, and can’t really be held against the game. As a game, it is fairly special, with challenging AI, a fantastic gameplay engine; decent enough graphics and great sound design that captures the raw power of the cars. It’s certainly not my favourite racing game, but it’s now a sports franchise I would be okay with playing every year.

Pros

• Great AI – hard, though. Be careful!
• Easily customizeable driving settings catering from the biggest F1 fan to the biggest idiot (me).
• Great handling car model, and really, that’s all that matters.

Cons

• Soundtrack entirely forgettable.
• Feels a little like you’re dropped in alone, was a big tough to know what to do all the time – what the hell is a KERS?
• Repetitive!