The change that everyone has been twittering about, however, is the removal of the “Grand Prix” mode seen in previous entries, which allowed you to pick a real life driver and play as them in an involving Career mode. The headline changes this year are the addition of the new Young Driver Test mode, a sort of tutorial mode that serves to introduce the uninitiated to the world of F1 racing, while also acting as a precursor to the Career mode. 2012 has nearly reached its twilight period and with it comes Codemasters’ latest effort, promising to deliver the best F1 experience yet. GAMEPLAY: The 2011 sequel served as a fine refinement of the 2010 ‘original’, ironing out a number of small creases, while updating the rules, racers and teams. In the wet, the engine noise becomes vital as you look to avoid spinning the rear wheels and ultimately losing traction. It sounds great, folks, so much so that it becomes a wonderful driving aid, as you try to keep as much power down through the corners as possible. The song of a V10, 2 litre, naturally aspirated engine, revving up to 14000 RPM. They can’t be blamed for developing a game for a console that has been out for seven years. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good looking racer, but am I the only one that looks at a title developed for Xbox 360 first (and later ported) and thinks that it looks a little…stale? This is likely a hardware issue rather than a fault made by the developer. It’s in the dry that things looks noticeably, well, dull looking.
The cars, track and drivers helmets all glistening with a super realistic wet look. Is this a bad thing? Well, not really, it looks drop-dead gorgeous when things get wet. GRAPHICS: F1 2012 looks rather a lot like last year’s effort, in fact it looks much the same as the 2010 game. We were in awe of its slick visuals and involving campaign mode, and we all waited for the patch that would fix the game crushing pit lane bug. September 2010 came and we all lapped up their efforts, we admired its visceral portrayal of the brutal, intense world of Formula 1. Why? Because Codemasters know racing games, it’s kinda’ their thing. It was joy to the ears of F1 fans when, back in 2010, Codemasters were confirmed as the new developer of Formula 1 licensed games.
It’s a yearly update that F1 fans are happy to see, but is it worth picking up? How does it compare to previous efforts? The margins are tight, this is Formula 1, and this is Formula 1 2012, the third of Codemasters licensed F1 efforts. Get it wrong, lose a wing, blow a tyre, lose the lead – lose everything. Get it right, kiss the wall, nail the exit, glory is yours. It’s the final corner of the final lap, victory is so nearly yours. You find yourself in the lead after 41 breathless, punishing laps in Montreal, Canada. Available on: Windows PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360