F1 2012

Being the zenith of the motorsports racing world, F1 sports the highest performing and most complex race cars in the world while putting race drivers under conditions where they must endure forces of over 4.5G’s.  Understanding the sport’s extreme technical nature can be a daunting task.  One of Codemasters Racing’s goals with this year’s F1 game was to make it more accessible.  Accessibility is not always a term I like to hear when it comes to games, especially when it is a game I am a fan of.  Can F1 2012 please the hardcore fans of the sport, improve upon last year’s game (which we loved), ...

While Formula One is a racing sport, F1 2012 is far more than just a racing game. Equal parts simulation and re-creation of the real world events, Codemasters Birmingham has done a magnificent job of capturing the precision of the vehicles and the excitement of individual events. It's a title that demands skill and tactics over thoughtless speeding, and as such will likely lose the interest of less committed players. For those willing to play by the rules, there’s an amazing wealth of content to be found here – easily Codemasters’ finest Formula One outing.

Once you’ve perfected your trade you can venture online with up to fifteen other players, with eight controlled by the computer-AI to make up a full grid. Alternatively you can enter a Co-op Championship with a fellow racer and compete directly with them, which is tremendous fun. The only shame is it isn’t available in offline split-screen and I can’t for the life of me think why. It’s not a massive factor in the grand scheme of things though, because this game has so much going for it. Whether you’re new to the series or have played a previous entry I’d recommend this game to anyone who is wi...

The subtle improvements are almost invisible to an untrained eye, but F1 nuts will find immeasurable satisfaction in taming and tuning this year’s cars to performance perfection.

A great racing game that any F1 fan will love, although it fails to really set itself apart from its predecessors.

Such thoughts may be wishful thinking. Codemasters has a duty to slowly improve its racing franchise. When out on the track, this is the best F1 simulation of the generation. It offers a real challenge for players of all levels. Unfortunately, a lack of new ideas hinders the rest of the game. Fans will be ready for a completely new experience this time next year. Right now, I can’t see this appealing to anyone other than those who have already committed to the franchise. F1 2012 produces an...

In the space of just two short seasons, Codemasters has almost already reached a pinnacle of quality with its F1 series, representing the sport with an almost unerring level of accuracy and attention to detail. With F1 2011 proving to be one of the finest Formula One games ever produced, you have to ask where the series can possibly go from here. How can Codemasters continue to evolve and develop F1 as a franchise when it's as authentic and all-encompassing as it is? It's accessibility that s...