F1 2011 Review

Hello again people of the internet, TKH here. Today I thought I would do another review on a video game. This time I'm going to review a game called F1 2011 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation Vita and the Nintendo 3DS. In this review I will be discussing the PS3 version of the game, which was released in late September 2011.

The game is a motor racing one, based on the 2011 Formula One World Championship season. Thus all the 24 cars, 19 tracks and 24 drivers from that season are shown and able to be used and raced on in the game. The game allows the player to choose race distances that range from short 1 or 3 lap sprints, to 40% and 50% of the full race distance, and of course players can do full length races. The career allows the player to make their own driver and go up against AI controlled players and rise up the ranks of Formula One, over 5 seasons, to become world champion.

The game in my opinion, allows for new comers and experienced veterans of motor racing games to be able to enjoy the game to its fullest. Options like traction control, anti-lock brakes, braking assist and showing optimum racing line on the track can be turned on or off freely. With all driving assists off (the way I always play the game), it makes for some challenging and enjoyable racing, with the car being able to spear off the track very easily if a mistake is made. This makes the racing extremely tense and exciting, as concentration is needed in abundance, in order to be fast and stay on the track. The graphics of the game also look very good, with cars and the tracks themselves looking extremely pretty and fantastic to look at and race around.

As I have mentioned before in my comparison post between Gran Turismo 5 and F1 2011, the AI in F1 2011 is extremely good, in fact in my opinion, it is the best AI I've seen in any motor racing video game. If one tries to overtake them down the inside into a corner, they will move across the track to try and block the inside line, making you go the long way around the outside. But they won't always do this, sometimes sticking to the racing line. They always give the player enough room so the two don't collide, making it very entertaining to race against them. With there being AI difficulties to suit all levels of speed and skill, they are great to go up against be it if you are a new comer or veteran of motor racing games.

The level of realism in the game is very high. The tracks grip levels slowly become better over a race or race weekend, with it having less grip in free practise 1 (hence lap times being slower), and by the race and during the race, the grip level is higher and gets higher until the race finishes (hence lap times are quicker). With fuel simulation (the weight of the fuel affects the cars handling and speed, also the player can run out of fuel) and tyre simulation (the tyres have realistic wear and handling characteristics) being able to be used or turned off, the player is once again given plenty of choice as to how they want their races to go. The car set up options are very detailed, enabling the player to adjust the car to what suits their driving style and make them quicker.

There is a multiplayer aspect of the game, which allows up to 16 human players and, if one wants, 8 AI players to battle it out online. This can be very enjoyable to race against your friends and find out who is the king of motor racing. There is also two player split screen available. A new addition is the Co-op Season, which allows two human players to pick and team, and compete against themselves and 22 AI players. This allows for some fantastic rivalry and challenging racing, as you try to beat your team-mate and see who the best is.

The bad things about the game are few and far between. One feature I wish Codemasters had implemented into the game is the ability to save the game at any point during a race, allowing for the player to exit a race and then reload it and continue it at a later date. This system was put in place in F1 06 on the PS2, which was a very convenient system if you had to quit a race but had yet to finish it. Another nice feature would have been if the game allowed the player to watch replays of races from perspectives other than the player's, so that it would enabled other battles through the field to be watched.

These few bad things in the game are very minor and don't hinder the gaming experience enough to be a problem. This game is extremely enjoyable and challenging to play, being the perfect choice for anyone who is a fan of motor racing. It also enables new comers to the sport to get used to the cars and tracks, having a fantastic time in the process. This game is one of my favourites of all time, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys playing motor racing games, my rating for it being 10/10.