Recent reviews by Calmante

I have played all of the Codemaster F1 games, and most F1 games going back to the Geoff Crammond series. I would say I have a long view of the genre at this point.

With that in mind, I would say that this game is quite good, and continues the incremental refinement that the series has enjoyed since 2010. You may have seen that the series has gotten lower review scores year after year, and that has more to do with the nature of yearly sports releases than anything about the game itself. 2013 was clearly a high point for the series, and it didn't have the scores that 2012 had, despite having tons of classic content, as well as a decently fleshed out career mode. One of the few shortcomings of the series is the continued lack of telemetry, which makes car setups a little less scientific than they could be.

Codemasters have a fantastic physics engine, and have successfully modeled these new engines and that just-on-the-verge-of-snapping-the-rear feel that this season's pilots have to deal with. Lots of fun. The tire models have also changed, as in real life, with much more predicable, though probably too conservative, tire life (at least for my taste).

The classic content is missed, along with the Young Driver Weekend, though I still have F1 2013 if I ever get the urge to drive Niki Lauda's Ferrari at Estoril, Portugal.

If I look at this game without any prior context, is it worth it? Certainly, yes. It's a stripped down F1 game, no doubt, but when all of the rule changes, engine outputs, tire compounds, etc., it's quite a feat that Codemasters was able to release this game during their usual release window at all. I'll definitely be looking forward to F1 2015 which promises a bigger evolution in presentation. I give this an 8/10 so far.

A final note: I loved the Geoff Crammond games, but anyone who says they were superior has selective memory. They were amazing for their time, but do not stand up to today's racers.

If this game were $5 or less, than it ~may~ change my recommendation, but I would still be on the fence. This is a worthwhile experience, but it's not nearly as clever as you would expect based on the hype. These themes were explored much more successfully in the Portal series.

Ultimately, there's not much to this "game" and it is basically an extremely short "choose your own adventure" book. There is nothing here besides the fantastic narration.

Sale only purchase.