7.11.2012

New Menu System: In the previous F1 games we saw the paddock being the menu system. In this game they have done away with this and instead made it more simple by displaying a random F1 car that looks fantastic when you are on the menu. Some may not like this and I agree the paddock in F1 2011 was very well done it seems a shame that they have done away with it. One thing I have noticed though is while loading up F1 2012 it's much quicker probably because the menu is more simple.Race Mode: You can still pick any car, driver, track and weather etc and race it at any length you want. However for those who liked doing the full weekend will be sad to hear Friday practice 1 and 2 have been removed you now only do 1 practice session then qualifying and the race.I don't know why Codemasters bothered removing it because these practice sessions are part of the real sport, I know its nothing major but still.New Weather System: F1 2011 didn't really improve the weather much from 2010 but I can happily say in F1 2012 it has improved a lot. It does rain heavy at different parts of the track when a shower passes over and I've even noticed when it's partly cloudy some parts of the track go shaded for a while then back to sun. This may not be anything big but those little real life things make the game feel so much better. The game did have some bugs with the weather making it rain at every race during a career mode and the rain turning on suddenly but these issues have been fixed now.Car Handling: Controller users often complained that it was too difficult to drive with well good news for them F1 2012 has improvements for controller users, the car handles so much better, but when there is a gain there is a loss for those who like to race on a wheel will notice it is way too sensitive, you can change your settings on the wheel to improve the handling but I think no matter what the controllers will have the upper hand on this one.Challenges: This is a new addition to the game where you take on the world champions who are currently in the sport. This great to see they are trying new things and will help teach anyone with little knowledge about the sport.Young Driver Test: When you start your career mode you get taken to Abu Dhabi to do a young driver test program. It's basically a tutorial on how to play it, those who have played the previous games will find it maybe a bit boring. Another bad thing is you can't skip the videos they play. So good for those new to F1 games but nothing there for previous gamer's.Online: Seems pretty much the same, the penalty system I think is more strict and the first corner pile ups still occur but that's not the games fault, usually just bad drivers. At the moment a lot of people are complaining that there is a lot of bugs online with connection issues and other things that ruin the online play experience for some.Career Mode: After the young driver test you can choose the HRT, Marussia, Caterham, Force India or Williams. But if you didn't do well then you will be forced to pick a slower car like the HRT. The good changes I see is they have got rid of the interviews they were pretty useless as they just asked you the same stuff all the time. The teammate challenge is still there. The bad things I have noticed is the emails about the tyre wear it's just the same email after every race that your tyre wear is great or okay.AI Changes: The cars on the grid seem different now and act more aggressive and defensive. They also make more mistakes and crashes happen more often this is good to see a bit more realism.Improvements:1. Graphics look better also the frame rate is much smoother.2. Audio sounds seem more realisitc.3. Less loading screens and seems to load faster.4. Weather system is very real life.5. Car handling improved for controller users.6. Seems more realisic if the car goes to far over the kerbs or on the grass you spin out like in real life.7. If you run off the track it slows down the car so this stops anyone trying to skip corners and cheat.8. New championship mode.9. Split screen still there for 2 players.10. Some of the tracks have had changes to them to make them more realisitc.Things They Need To Add Or Fix:1. When doing a hot lap in qualifying one time the game made my car a ghost car so a faster car could just drivethrough me.2. When a AI car is not on a hot lap they should move out the way like in the real sport but they act like they are racing you by defending and chase you around.3. I've driven on most tracks in the time trial and accidentally skipped a corner I expected my lap to not be allowed but it was. In F1 2011 it was very strict but now it's more laid back about what you do in time trial.4. Only 1 practice session now.5. Still a lot of bugs and glitches to be fixed this game currently has had more patches than any other F1 game ever. Yet there are still problems.6. Wheel users may be unhappy with how the car handles for them.7. Still no podium cut scenes and no race commentary. Cut scenes are the exact same from F1 2011.Overall: F1 fans should get this game but if you are new to it don't expect it to be arcade like this isn't that type of game. Codemasters have made good changes to how the game loads up quicker and easier to find your way around. Controller users are happy with the changes but have left the wheel users to sort out the problems for themselves. The game still has many issues that are likely to be fixed with patches over time but it's shocking to see them release a game with a lot of issues. A okay third attempt here but they really need to test the game more next time.

22.1.2013

First of all some people have valid criticisms of this game. My main gripes are:* No custom setups in quick race mode - the quick setups can be poor* No really useful tips how to get the most from custom setups (the text that tells you what difference adjustments doesn't mean much)* Wing settings of 1-1, roll bars of 1-11, suspension of 11-11 and camber of -3.5 & -1.5 are often the quickest setups regardless of circuit* Cars biased towards understeer (at least when using a steering wheel)* Should be able to set custom AI difficulty - Professional AI can be too slow but Legend is far too quick for me* AI drivers should be more aggressive defending position/overtaking* Should be able to race a full championship as your favourite driver* Penalty system can be poor,sometimes penalising you when you get hit by an AI car. Multiplayer penalties are horrendous, countless idiots online deliberately drive into you and you get a 10 second penalty for trying to avoid them!* Accelerating time in a wet qualifying session (the AI drivers will set the same lap times as dry conditions while you slither around with no grip, the `fix' for this is to run qualifying in real time)* Brake bias adjustment is too extreme - if you move bias rearwards you end up having huge oversteer under braking so best off leaving alone* Should be able to watch other cars out on track like you could with EA Sports F1/GP series games* It would be good if you could save a game mid-race* Multiplayer idiots should be heavily penalised for deliberately running you off track, happens nearly every quick match and takes away the enjoymentThat might sound like a long list of issues but I do really enjoy this game. It takes a while to master driving the cars but once you do it's great fun, especially if you turn off the driving aids and do 50% races. I find that doing longer races is the key to getting the most out of the game as then tyre strategy comes into play. It opens you up to either taking more pitstops where you can drive faster without worrying so much about tyre wear, or you can go for less stops but heavily manage your tyres. I really enjoy this aspect of the game, it's very realistic to modern F1.The career mode is quite good and probably the major feature of the game. It would be great though if Codemasters could implement a true career mode where you start in 2010 with those cars/drivers and end in 2012 (or 2013), I don't know if their licensing agreement allows for that but EA Sports managed something similar with F1 Career Challenge back in 2003. It would add a lot more depth to the game.The Champions Mode is a nice feature when you don't want to do a full race. It sets you challenges such as catch and overtake Button in the wet, or catch and overtake Vettel setting fastest lap along the way. It's just a good bit of fun.Multiplayer is a mixed experience - particularly on quick match races there are morons who just barge into you at every corner. I don't know why people do this as it just takes away the fun. These people thankfully aren't as common if you enter custom races.Overall this game does have it's faults but it really is enjoyable if you're into F1, especially if you take the time to do longer races which allows for a pretty realistic experience.

30.9.2012

F1 2012 is by far the best F1 game that Codemasters have made. They've taken the negative comments from last years release and turned them into positive improvements.The game play is simply fantastic, the graphics are amazing, the AI are intelligent and the handling of the cars is much much better. But what really makes this game stand out compared to its predecessors are the game modes that are additional to the standard 20 race career mode.Season Challenge Mode is an enjoyable condensed version of a season where you race at random tracks with the aim of beating a rival. Once successful you have the option to drive in their seat at their team making the season more interesting as you can hop up and down the grid,with a fresh rival to beat at every other race.There's also Champions Mode where there are six scenarios where you are placed against each of the F1 World Champions where you have so many laps to overcome a special circumstance, such as a safety car period, rain or a pit stop to beat them. The seventh scenario puts you against all 6 world champions in a race where you must beat them all.Another nice touch is the Young Drivers Test which is basically a tutorial which allows you to master the controls and progress on to you career. More teams are available to drive for at the start of a season depending on how well you do here.TV style commentary has also made a brief return with commentary snippets used before scenarios in season and champions challenge modes. It eradicates any loneliness felt in the last few games.Penalties have also been improved dramatically, if you accidentally completely cut across a chicane the game automatically slows you done so you can't be penalised for cheating. If you continuously take too much kerb and effectively cut across a corner you will punished which is fair enough. The best feature though is the fact that if you over take somebody by cutting a bend you are asked to surrender back the position to you rival with a set time limit, a really nice feature.My only grumble is the fact that the changeable weather in the races can cause problems. One moment the track is dry and then the next minute it starts raining and the track is wet, fair enough, but even though the track is wet you can continue racing on dry tyres for laps and laps, and if you were to pit for intermediates or wets you'd have no grip whatsoever. It is so unpredictable whether or not your tyres will work. Your engineer isn't much help either, as in one race at Malaysia, he kept on informing me that rain was due in five minutes, even though it was already chucking it down. Likewise in practice sessions and qualifying you have no idea what the state of the track is like as there is no option to view the cameras out on track to determine whether it is raining or not. You can view the race director page which enlightens you to what tyres the other cars are on, but surely there could be a better way of doing this? Fortunately you can switch the weather mode off.But generally speaking this is by far the best f1 game out on the PlayStation, it is a vast improvement on last years title. Maybe next years game will be even better.

24.12.2012

Firstly, I would like to say that I am an avid follower of the F1 franchise, since the early 2000s, and this game is by far the most realistic I have played. However, the game is not without issue.CAREERCareer mode in F1 2012 is unimaginative and completely the same as in the two previous years. Whilst this was exciting in F1 2010 due to an absence of an F1 game for four years (F1 2006), this needs serious work from Codemasters to make the game more engaging overall offline.PROVING GROUNDSI must say that this is one of the biggest improvements of the F1 franchise. The game now has 'young driver tests' to help people whom are new to the franchise get to grips with f1 (It can be tricky, for some!).In addition, Champions Mode is a competitive and engaging new thing against Al's which I think could do with more expansion in F1 2013.MULTIPLAYERI have many comments on the multiplayer, with this being my main domain of play in F1 2012. Although the penalty system is now better, it is not foolproof and many whom seek to ruin the game through unfair ramming do not seem to get penalties 100% of the time (this should be considered if you are buying solely for online play). In addition, I was hoping Codemasters would finally introduce more than the three mandatory game-modes; perhaps half Grand-Prix's with one shot qualifying would be nice. Overall, Multiplayer is improving with the advance of the penalty system, however it still needs considerable work, and if like me you wish to have fair and close racing....you may find yourself joining an outside racing league, which cures the problem. (I would perhaps also like to see lobbies based on aids, race wins or ranks).GAME PHYSICS AND EXTRA COMMENTSIn terms of realism, Codemasters are keen to stress this game is more arcade-based than simulator. However, the game is surprisingly accurate, and there are a good range of driver aids for new players (however I have these turned off). As far as I am aware, there does not seem to be 'grip hacking' which was an issue in F1 2011. The audio has been re-vamped and is of significant improvement (you can hear the car losing grip instead of in previous games where the car would simply spin, giving no time to react). A real issue for me is the REMOVAL of steering wheel support as in the demo (especially if you have a driving force GT wheel with 900 degree rotation), as you can't get any sort of setup which seems to fit (I have fiddled endlessly with steering deadzones and saturation, as well as hours online researching), however this got so annoying I have found myself resorting back to the controller. The Al's have improved, with closer racing and ability to have accidents, however they still follow eachother in lines and I have never seen Al's lock up, or bump one another as perhaps in real life.Really, realistically, I am nit-picking. The game overall, is entertaining, and as long as you can live with such niggles (which I have coped with as an avid racing-game fan), you should find the experience enjoyable; if not a little frustrating!

21.9.2012

Their are multiple improvements to gameplay, graphics and even new modes, this outshines F1 2011 and F1 2010 in every way. For example:-Tutorial-The game starts with a much needed tutorial or "Young Driver Test", in which they explain the dynamics of a Formula One car, which the former games needed like Will Smith's kids need to stop being in films.-New Modes-Season Mode which offers a shorter, unorthodox version of Formula One in which you must beat rivals in order to receive contract offers from larger teams. Despite being unlike the normal Formula One season, this proved to be challenging and more fun than a pot of jam and a space hopper combined. There's also a mode called Champions Mode,which I am yet to try, another way to keep the game fresh, as season after season of the same races can get repetitive. It looks pretty good though.-Difficulty Settings-=Medium=The difficulty settings on the previous game were too easy on 'Easy' or 'Medium' and too hard on 'Hard'. Even playing on medium on F1 2012 does require some practice, and unlike the previous games it's not so easy to get to the front and gain a massive lead in a bottom of the tables car. Whereas in the previous game you could win all of the races of the season in an HRT or Toro Rosso, this time round the AI are a little more competitive and a podium is a struggle in a less competitive car.=Hard=On the previous games, it was ridiculous trying to control the car and race on hard mode as the car appeared to have very little downforce, even at high speed, and it felt like the rear wing was open all the time, but the car seems to have a little more traction and makes the game more enjoyable. Seriously, in the last game, the cars had less traction than a greased up Rick Martin moonwalking on a non-stick frying pan. Also, the fact that you have to race using manual gears means you have to learn which gear you need to be in on each corner, however in 2012, they provide a handy little red or green dot to tell you which gear you're supposed to be in. This can be turned off, but is useful and a huge time saver.-Online-The online gameplay is much the same as the previous games, most other players thinking that it's a game of Destruction Derby, which can get a little frustrating and the game hands out race time penalties like the Child Catcher hands out sweets, even if you're not at fault by standard F1 rules. However, they have removed the trophies for having to win 35 games online, replacing it with a "play 'X' online" trophy, which, for those concerned with trophies, is a massive improvement on the grind of F1 2011.The game also sees an introduction of a new track, Austin, Texas 'The track of the Americas', which is a pretty good track all in all.More importantly, however it also sees the re-introduction of the Bahrain International Circuit, omitted from the last game thanks to the riots, which is one of my favourites. The track that it is, not the riots.Brilliant game. Five stars. If you like your F1, buy this game. And a potato. I named mine Kimi.

21.9.2012

I enjoyed the last two F1 games and this improves upon both.The graphics to me do look better, for example in F1 2011 if you looked closely the tyres didn't look perfectly round (not really a problem when you're racing though!) but in this game they do. They seemed to have polished the graphics more, with the tracks and cars looking just that bit crisper and nicer. The pit crew and characters within the game look pretty much the same as F1 2011, it's on the track you'll notice the difference and during the replays.Graphics are all very nice and help to immerse you in the game but we all know gameplay is always going to be the most important element and this game definitely improves over the previous incarnations.

10.9.2013

OK, so there are some key points that set this game aside from the 2011 version for me. Firstly, I play in triple-screen mode using nVidia surround, so the fact that they have fixed some of the graphical glitches caused by that is great: The game no longer crashes during loading after a few races in multiplayer, and you don't have to reset the resolution settings every time to get the surround view to work properly. The menu's and cut-scenes are now extended so that they display across all 3 screens, instead of just the centre screen, and the in-menu graphics are much nicer looking.In the game there have also been improvements: the cars are easier to spin when exiting corners at full throttle,

4.12.2012

I have played f1 games since F1 1997 on the ps1 and have always been frustrated by many titles. This one however fits the bill in every way. As an F1 fanatic the way DRS and KERS has been added into the game really gives you a realistic feel, at some points during races it would get a bit repetitive and losing concentration would be easy to do but with DRS and KERS each lap is a new experience. I tend to play the career mode, playing 50% races and each lap I'm checking tyre wear, checking fuel consumption and making sure I use KERS and DRS to the maximum. Every race, even if I have dominated qualifying is never an easy one,

16.12.2012

I have enjoyed the F1 games very much and have seen improvements every year, from not spinning out hitting a kerb to better penalty systems. This year their are more notable changes.Summary of the game:- Obviously being 2012 you get all the 2012 cars and tracks.- Graphics have improved even more, not as pixelated.- The sound is incredible, have had to turn the volume down a few times!- Physics are very good, definitely no arcade handling here. You will notice this the most when you lose your front wing!- DRS and KERS are included and can make the racing much more exciting.- Young driver test is very useful for getting back in the racing seat, especially if you haven't played an F1 game for a while!- Proving ground is good fun,

2.10.2012

Having owned Formula 1: Championship mode and the Codemasters games (and not seeing much difference in quality apart from updated teams) i was far from excited like most of us when a new game comes out. Having now played F1 2012, I am so glad i made the plunge regardless.First thing i enjoyed was the new Young Drivers Test. This gives you a detailed, but simplistic look at the science behind racing an F1 car. Gone are the days when you just raced with default aerodynamics, or default tyres, as this feature will show you what the little tweaks actually do.Second major difference was the difficulty/realism. On past games I would start a career in a Torro Rosso (or similar guff team)

25.9.2012

This is the first F1 game I've bought since GP4, in some ways I'm impressed with the step forward, in other ways I'm disappointed.First off, performance-wise I was surprised to find it runs at 52 FPS on my Alienware laptop at 1920x1080 with all settings maxed out so a half decent desktop shouldn't have any problems running it.Graphics-wise it's good, not quite as spectacular as I was hoping as far as trackside detail goes, but the wet weather effects in particular are a big leap forward from older gamesGameplay is where the bugs start showing - in Malaysia I was dumped on the grid with intermediate tyres when the track was bone dry and the rest of the grid were on slicks,

19.6.2013

i had this game on the xbox 360 and found it unrealistic,damage not realistic,cars wont overtake you,huge gap between legend and pro, 8 seconds per lap difference, no good if your 5 seconds faster than pro in a lotus but 3 seconds slower than marussia on legend.i got rid of the xbox version and got the pc one, although its the same game, the good thing about pc is the mods you can install,the game is last years card, drivers (lewis at mclaren) (mclaren front runners) there is a mod on the pc called 2013 mod, purely legal to add on, and you get all the cars and drivers from the current season, along with the tracks, helmets and up to date teams, so mclaren are not good but mercedes amg are,

14.11.2012

After reading other people's reviews, I was sceptical about getting this game.How wrong some are.I absolutely love this game. The best F1 game I have ever played. Once you get used to it it is really not hard, depending on what driver assists you use. I use as little as possible, and rarely spin out.The AI is much improved from 2011, although sometimes I feel they don't always make the right decision. On the whole it is very good, and maybe I'm just being overly aggressive.Graphics are beautiful, nice colours etc.The only aspect I don't like of the game is the auto braking, but you get used to it and just learn to keep your lines tighter, which is a lot easier than in F1 2011 as the cars handle much nicer,

15.1.2013

Was expecting alot from this came considering what the previous version was like. Took a while to get used to the driving, as all games are different. There are many great things about this game - graphics, noise of the cars, how the cars look themselves, the drs, kers, tyre simulation, the damage simulation etc etc. But there are some things that let the game down. Driving in the rain looks great and is challenging (as it should be) but the computer cars dont ever seem to struggle. Watch Formula 1 on tv, on board camera, they struggle, even Lewis Hamilton (amazing rain driver) always adusting the steering wheel, throttle, brake, back end sliding out etc etc, but that just does not happen on the game.

16.11.2012

Firstly, and possibly most importantly, I have played both 2010 and 2011 and have found that this game offers the most authentic feeling driving experience, particularly regarding lock-ups.There is realistic oversteer and understeer where appropriate and your setup really affects the amount of each of these you get. Brake lock-ups I find excellent - get braking wrong and you end up overshooting the corner or similarly losing lap time. You can, of course, turn on driving aids so that this isn't a problem.I have had a lot of fun doing a co-op championship with a friend - this is my favourite part of the gameHowever, I do have several problems with it.- My steering controls do not save between sessions.

F1 2012 - Reviews

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