Video Game Review: Formula 1 2016

Developer Codemasters
Publisher Codemasters
Distributor Apex Interactive
Where we got our copy Apex Interactive
Genre Driving, Simulator
Game modes Single Player, Multiplayer
Players Up to 22 in Online Lobbies
Reviewed on Playstation 4

Available on PC, Xbox One

Stunt

Published September 19, 2016

Now this view, as I’ll have you know, is not a very popular one within the Formula 1 circles, mind you any racing circles for that matter. It may come as a shock to you, but naps aren’t a socially accepted currency of Formula 1 enjoyment and will almost always leave you standing in awkward silence warding off the condescending stares of non-nap lovers – poor souls.

Well, as they say, ignorance is bliss. Luckily for Formula 1 and unfortunately for naps, we have things called Racing Games. Which consists of two sub-genres, simulation, and arcade respectively. This to entertain all from the most serious, Michael Schumacher wall poster owning, racing aficionado; to the casual gamer constantly begging for NFS Underground 3 to be announced. I am of the latter group if it’s not yet apparent.

What F1 2016 does well off the bat, is make it enjoyable for both parties. It can award agony and realism to the most hardcore of simulation racers and provide a lot of fun to the pickup and play, casual racer like myself. It does this through a variety of assists which can be toggled to make things a lot more difficult to mess up during a race and can add a new level of difficulty to hardcore racers amongst us if disabled. You can also turn up the AI difficulty for some added challenge, be it a lackluster AI (more on that later). But in truth, the toughest adversary I faced in this game has been the rain. Oh you sweet slippery fiend, how I hate thee!

F1 2016 graces your screen with a standard, easy to navigate home menu which feels a tad unpolished but is simple enough to figure out. Making available a series of modes, from the 22 player Multiplayer championship and the accustomed quick races to the more prevalent Career mode, which Codemasters have brought back with quite a bang. Supposedly due to some F1 2015 fan-backlash which I am happy to have missed.

Now onto what matters, the gameplay. For those completely bewildered, Formula 1 has you racing around tracks for a set amount of laps, in the efforts to be the first to complete all the laps in the fastest time. That’s about as technical as the objective can get, but don’t let that deter you as the joy lays in the technicalities of accomplishing this. And no better way to do that than the career mode – which is by far the most detailed, all-inclusive mode available to players.

You start off creating your racer by giving them a face from a selection of avatars, customising a helmet and obviously naming them. Thereafter you select your team and teammate, who will be your initial Rival, but will handoff the rival title to another competitor as your career progresses.

Once you’ve gotten through the creation step, you’ll be introduced to your Agent in a series of clunky yet personal cut-scenes. They don’t always run smoothly but they add to the experience at least. Once your agent leaves, you can start your first practice laps in preparation for the actual race. This is where it shines for the simulation racers among us. This is your opportunity to test out your tire allocation strategy and familiarize yourself with the track. For casuals and serious racers alike, there are challenges within the practice laps which allow you to score resource points which add RPG-like elements to the game. See, resource points gained, can be used to modify different skills within a skill tree known as car development. To the likes of improving downforce advantages and even car weight.

Once on the ground, the game comes alive, Codemasters have put in a lot of effort in making the game not only visually pleasing but damn accurate to the real thing, or at least accurate enough to meet even the strictest expectations. It’s a beautiful game on the PS4 platform on which I played it, with a realistic damage engine and very convincing physics.

The two immediate features you are introduced to when racing are manual take-offs – which is a beautiful dynamic allowing you to launch from the start using skill instead of just holding down the throttle, and secondly the voice from your team engineer which gives you updates on your performance, standings and progress through the controller speaker. I found both of these features to be outstanding additions to a racing simulator, so much so it had me intrigued to playing it a little more seriously.

The cars drive like brilliantly engineered vehicles that punish you for even the slightest misjudgment, of which I had many. As racing is a battle of seconds, any miscalculations aid in the detriment of your success. When turning all assists off, in an attempt to test if I maybe had some hidden racing talent, I was very quickly locking my tires while braking and found it very hard to actually put the throttle down and gain advantage. In actual car tuning, brake bias, throttle mapping, weight distribution and a series of other fine tuning options make this a great game for the guys who want simulation to the highest degree, fortunately by turning assists on again helps us casual gamers just as well and we can rely on simple presets to assist us in the tuning department as well.

The poorest feature in the game is the AI. I found them being too laid back on the first lap of every race, then becoming an unnatural train of destruction and risky overtakes from lap 2 onward. It’s quite enjoyable to watch them challenge each other in the rare event that they’re not racing around like a perfect snake. But it really is a very rare event and they further spoil the experience by taking uncalculated charges often knocking you off the track or even brake testing when you’re tailing them.

What’s a very nice touch in the event of them knocking you into a barricade, is watching the Safety car take to the track and lead the flock of cars around while they scrape you up – I have noticed that often a virtual safety car is dispatched instead, which is less pleasing and I couldn’t really see a pattern to when it is dispatched instead of the live car. But all in all, a nice to have.

When I think Formula 1, the first thing that comes to mind is a weekend nap. Watching the first few laps, dozing off and awakening (often in a frightful way) to the ecstatic commotion of the remaining 5 laps - Often being bellowed out by commentators now equally bored, yet grasping for any level of excitement to remain awake. I hold these memories dear and they’re definitely in my top 5 nap-memories, right after that 30-minute power nap where you awaken feeling like you’ve slept for 8 straight hours. Glorious. Now this view, as I’ll have you know, is not a very popular one within the Formula 1 circles, mind you any racing circles for that matter. It may come as a shock to you, but naps aren’t a socially accepted currency of Formula 1 enjoyment and will almost always leave you standing in awkward silence warding off the condescending stares of non-nap lovers – poor souls. Well, as they say, ignorance is bliss. Luckily for Formula 1 and unfortunately for naps, we have things called Racing Games. Which consists of two sub-genres, simulation, and arcade respectively. This to entertain all from the most serious, Michael Schumacher wall poster owning, racing aficionado; to the casual gamer constantly begging for NFS Underground 3 to be announced. I am of the latter group if it’s not yet apparent. What F1 2016 does well off the bat, is make it enjoyable for both parties. It can award agony and realism to the most hardcore of simulation racers and provide a lot of fun to the pickup and play, casual racer like myself. It does this through a variety of assists which can be toggled to make things a lot more difficult to mess up during a race and can add a new level of difficulty to hardcore racers amongst us if disabled. You can also turn up the AI difficulty for some added challenge, be it a lackluster AI (more on that later). But in truth, the toughest adversary I faced in this game has been the rain. Oh you sweet slippery fiend, how I hate thee! F1 2016 graces your screen with a standard, easy to navigate home menu which feels a tad unpolished but is simple enough to figure out. Making available a series of modes, from the 22 player Multiplayer championship and the accustomed quick races to the more prevalent Career mode, which Codemasters have brought back with quite a bang. Supposedly due to some F1 2015 fan-backlash which I am happy to have missed. Now onto what matters, the gameplay. For those completely bewildered, Formula 1 has you racing around tracks for a set amount of laps, in the efforts to be the first to complete all the laps in the fastest time. That’s about as technical as the objective can get, but don’t let that deter you as the joy lays in the technicalities of accomplishing this. And no better way to do that than the career mode – which is…

Video Game Review: Formula 1 2016

2016-09-19

Stunt

Total

Total - 8.5

85 8.5

F1 2016 is fantastic racer for fans who enjoy serious racing and arcade racing alike. It’s almost a given being made by racing game giants like Codemasters that it’s a must have game for all enthusiasts. Their efforts and experience in the genre are ever present and their listening to their community and delivery makes playing the game so much more enjoyable. For anyone having their doubts after the F1 2015 debacle, F1 2016 is a saving grace and flagship in the series.

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Stunt

Gaming Editor / Tech Author at Geek Node

Some say that he sees the world at 144 frames per second and his thumbs are actual analog sticks. All we know is he's called Stunt.