Here's one thing very few people, critics or users, are talking about - car handling has substantially improved. I own all F1 games from Here's one thing very few people, critics or users, are talking about - car handling has substantially improved. I own all F1 games from Codemasters, and I consider this iteration of simcade F1 cars to be the most challenging, interesting, and enjoyable to drive.
The biggest difference? If you push too hard into a turn and slam the brakes in a desperate attempt to still hit the apex, the front wheels DO NOT lockup and the cars DO NOT understeer straight off the track. Instead the cars have braking oversteer which can lead to a 4-tire-drift around the apex, which requires accurate throttle/brake input and appropriate steering to correct and minimize the time lost. That's right, these F1 cars like to drift under aggressive deceleration. And that is incredibly more fun than locking up the Pirilli's and cutting a chicane to regain control and speed. Is it accurate to the real motorsport?
Formula 1 Grand Prix (known as World Circuit in the US) is the first title of the racing games series created by Geoff Crammond and published by Microprose. Grand Prix 1, that includes all 16 international GP circuits of 1991, was released in 1991 for the Amiga and Atari ST. The DOS version was published one year later.
Perhaps not, but it's considerably more fun. Second biggest difference: Holy crap, the torque. I haven't driven every car yet, but if you load up that rear axle mid turn on a sweeper while pounding up through the gears, full throttle will result in lighting up the rear tires. Throttle control is critical; turns that were flat in F1 2013 now require some throttle manipulation to keep the car on the a fast racing line. You can also go deep into the rev's without losing too much acceleration, a pleasant situation because the gear ratios are fixed.
Why are people not talking about these improvements to car handling and the positive impact it has on the gameplay? I imagine most people use a joypad, and I don't know how these changes translate a stick and a couple triggers. Or if they have a wheel and pedal setup, they keep some driving assists on, completely negating the fun of pushing the fastest cars in the world while exploring the limits of grip. As for what everyone else is saying: Yes, in general there is less content and Codemasters should have anticipated this response. But if you have the racing peripherals and the skills to drive with all assists off, you will be surprised at how much fun it is to toss a Codies F1'14 car around the race tracks. I agree with the general copy+paste opinion about the game but it's still a pretty good game. It's better than least years iteration and it I agree with the general copy+paste opinion about the game but it's still a pretty good game.
It's better than least years iteration and it has the new engine rules and other details that's important for someone who actually enjoys F1 in real life and with a game perspective. Realistically I'd give the game a 7 or 8 but to counter the other clueless reviews I decided to be 'just as clueless' but on the opposite side of the scale.
Please try to be somewhat reflected when reviewing a game rather than childish and butthurt over minor details. I own all Codemaster Codemaster F1 games. This one has the most challenging physics model, crisper graphics, better AI (marginally) and I own all Codemaster Codemaster F1 games. This one has the most challenging physics model, crisper graphics, better AI (marginally) and overall had so much potential. Austria and Hockenheim tracks are worthy additions.
But, the thing that let's it down most is the p2p multiplayer set up. The F1 Server is even more temperamental than 2013, if that was possible. The F1 2015 release will determine Codemasters fate wrt keeping a stranglehold on the rights to this game. I hope they create something special but, most importantly, they have to nail online gameplay (lag and drop outs must be minimal or non-existent). Their preoccupation with keeping the casual console gamer happy is getting tiresome to the PC league racing community.
This is the first comparison between F1 2017 and F1 2013, so you can see how far things have come in just 4 years, as well as comparing to older PC F1 games! A couple of notes: as mentioned above, Grand Prix Unlimited covers the 1990, 1991 and 1992 seasons, but only uses one car model for all 3 years. Here they appear to have modelled the FW13 from 1990.
F1 2002 Demo
Nigel Mansell's World Championship (apart from being the first officially licensed F1 game on the PC) plays entirely from the cockpit view, so I showed a menu for one screenshot and a rival car from behind for another. Circuit is Hungaroring, Hungary. Here's the ultimate 3 generations comparison of Codemasters racing games, as we can compare F1 2017 to F1 2013 and ToCA Race Driver 3, as they all feature the FW18. Of course (due to Pirelli-only restriced licensing in modern F1 games I expect), only the ToCA game has Goodyear logos on the car tyres. Regarding ToCA Race Driver 3, there's no angled cameras in the game, meaning I had to spin-turn the car into the right angle, which looks a bit odd on the rear-right view, but it was the best I could do! Also, I know ToCA Race Driver 3 allows 16:9 widescreen, but it does so by cutting off the bottom of the screen, which loses a lot of the car cockpit view, hence sticking to 4:3 aspect ratio here. As mentioned above: Prost Grand Prix is unlicensed (but close enough to compare), whilst F1 Racing Simulation uses the same (poor) 3D models for all cars in the game, it also doesn't upscale via a Glide wrapper particularly well, with wobbly polygons in the distance.
F1 2002 Pc
Circuit is Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. The 1999 season was represented by no fewer than 4 PC F1 games in the past. Let's compare them.
F1 Challenge 99 02 Mods
F1 Challenge '99-'02 I used an edited executable that allowed higher resolutions, but kept it at 4:3 aspect ratio, as at 16:9 the bottom of the cockpit is cut off, which I didn't want to lose. F1 World Grand Prix is essentially a higher 3D modelled, better textured version of Official F1 Racing (above). Formula 1 99 has no angled cameras, so I parked the car and waited for AI cars to drive past to get screenshots! Circuit is Imola, Italy. As mentioned above, there's 4 PC F1 games with the 1999 season. What's interesting to compare here is the sponsorship logos shown on the Williams.
None have Winfield, as no cigarette brands appear in games, however, for some reason, F1 Challenge '99-'02 has the Veltins beer logo, where none of the other games do. Also note that Woody Woodpecker appears in all games on the nose, apart from F1 2013 (licensing issue presumably) and F1 World Grand Prix (which shows a Universal logo instead). Formula 1 99 has no angled cameras, so I parked the car and waited for AI cars to drive past to get screenshots! Fascinating fact: Formula 1 99 has some keys that adjust the angle of your in-car wing mirrors! Circuit is Sepang, Malaysia. F1 Challenge '99-'02 I used an edited executable that allowed higher resolutions, but kept it at 4:3 aspect ratio, as at 16:9 the bottom of the cockpit is cut off, which I didn't want to lose, however I wasn't able to upscale F1 2002 beyond 1600x1200 resolution, as the wrapper I use (dgVoodoo2) currently renders the steering wheel with no textures, hence that one is a bit lower resolution. Circuit is Melbourne, Australia - note: in F1 2017 this runs in the late afternoon/early evening, hence lighting looking very different to older games, which were captured around 1pm in-game time.