F1 2012 Review: A Great Racing Experience

F1 2012 Review: A Great Racing Experience

F1 2012
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Codemasters
Racing

F1 2012 is my first go at the F1 series and I must say that the realism and simulation is so hardcore that it becomes a truly wonderful racing title. Jumping into the game you are met with a detailed explanation of everything you need to know about how to handle a perfect race. For a first timer like me, it was extremely important to go through these steps and it’s probably a good reminder to those who have been fans of the series. There is much to learn and so many details to become familiar with before you can race. You could just go out and start racing, but to be the best driver out there, you will need to know a few things first.

Whether you race a fully customizable quick race, take the racing online or start your season or career, there is plenty to keep you occupied. You can even head into the proving grounds to play a new championship mode, time attack mode, and time trial. Championship mode is a nice addition which I enjoyed making my way through. In this mode you find yourself in a situation where you must accomplish a specific goal by beating another driver.

The gameplay of F1 2012 is very difficult and will take you some time to get used to. It’s simulation at its best. If you get to aggressive you’ll find your place at the end of the line. It’s very important to play patiently and to take your time learning the different courses and your vehicle. There is always a time to try and be more aggressive though, but it’s certainly not right away. Career mode does it best and is the most fun, as you race on tracks that will take you upwards of 30 minutes at first. So when I say to be patient and make sure you hold your lines, I mean that because if you do that and race a good race, you’ll place in a good position. The way the career mode is set up, you will be able to do a practice course run to get use to the upcoming track that you are racing on. Following that will be your qualifying run. Then it will be the actual race.

F1 2012 – Gameplay Video (First Few Laps Of A Race)

Career mode is incredible. You’ll get to see the weather reports for the upcoming days of your practice, qualifying, and race. You’ll be able to set your tires accordingly. You’ll have races where it starts raining, but then stops mid race or vice versa, causing you to make some pit stops mid-race to get the appropriate tires. Let me quickly tell you now, that racing in the rain is a lot of fun even though it increases the challenge due to a slick track and poor visibility. It makes it a lot tougher to see when the turns are coming up and when the cars in front of you are slowing down. Not only are the tires important, but you have a lot of additional options in your garage for you to change and adjust your vehicle accordingly to your style and track conditions. There is a lot to learn here and a lot to experiment with to help make you a better driver.

Career mode also has a great presentation. You’ll be able to see the excitement of your driver after winning a good race or placing higher than what you were expected to. If you screw up and do awful, it has a nice animation for that as well. The entire presentation is just wonderful and makes the experience all the better.

As I mentioned, the game is very difficult, but you can play it on easy level to make it an easier experience for yourself. I kept it on intermediate the entire time because I wanted a decent challenge. It’s certainly the more difficult way to go, especially for a first timer to the series, but it’s also the fastest way to learn. It also makes it all the more exciting when you continue to place higher and higher. The most important thing about the game is to know the tracks and the turns, once you get that down your experience will become a lot better.

For each race you will need to put in a perfect effort. If you don’t, you’ll find yourself in trouble and more than likely finish in last place. That’s why I said to make sure and take it easy and be less aggressive until you know the tracks a lot better. Thankfully, if you mess up a turn and spin out, which you might do often at first, you will have a flashback available for you to use. This is something that rewinds time so that you can undo your mistake. You only get so many per race, so in a long race, make sure you don’t have to use them. There is nothing worse than racing a perfect race while using up all of your flashbacks and then spinning out on the last lap to lose a high position.

F1 2012 – Gameplay Video (Practice Laps In The Rain)

F1 2012 gives you a truly wonderful and realistic experience, all the way down to the very rules that you must follow. One more reason not to be too aggressive is that if you bump another driver you could be penalized 10 seconds off your race time. You’ll eventually learn when to be aggressive, but there are a lot of rules in place that you must obey by as well. While you are learning the ropes, the game has a nice soundtrack to it during the menus, though I must say the menus aren’t the greatest. The visuals in the game are very nice though, especially when the rain starts. It’s also fun to see how the weather affects a race. Watch it become cloudy and then turn rainy mid-race, changing the way you must drive and forcing the pit-stops for new tires. It’s also great when it starts down-pouring with heavy rain. Each course looks great as well and is fun to race on. For those who like to keep track of your stats, there is a ton for you to enjoy so that you can keep track of everything that you’ve accomplished.

This is a great racing experience for anyone who enjoys Formula 1 or racing sims In general. This should definitely be a game that you have on your radar and give it try. The demo is available for those of you that are still unsure. Give that a go and if you like it, the full game offers so much more for you to enjoy and hours upon hour of gameplay.

Score: 9/10

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