XBox 360 Review: F1 2011

To me the F1 franchise has always been one to admire from afar - though curiously, I have unwittingly invested in the last four offerings - and retained them to boot, though playing has never really occurred to me as anything but the briefest of fancies. The problem was always that though they have consistently been the most precise, aesthetically astounding sports games on the market for a long time now, there is definitely something of the supermodel about them. That is to say, no matter how perfect they look, or how well they tread the catwalk, the perfection is just too much, and the idea of an extended period in their company is as far from fun as could possibly be imagined. There was never a question about the game's precision: like its predecessors, 12 pushes the aesthetic boundaries to the very limit, and it looks and feels like a hugely authentic experience, which will appeal in spades to the type of fan who values that sort of thing above all else. Even next to last year's game, which was a visual triumph, the uplift in quality here is immediately noticeable: the entire lighting system has been replaced, and there is an obvious attempt to ramp up the realism in environments and peripheral design that makes for a deeply immersive, and authentic Formula 1 landscape. The design work that has gone into the cars is also astonishingly diligent: different teams have individual steering wheel designs, which to some outside of the game might seem like over-egging the pudding, but to purists (which this game is aimed squarely and unashamedly at) it's those kind of details that mean extra points at the evaluation stage. F1 2011 deserves the highest praise for the work that has gone on at the lowest level of design, in those areas that appear initially to reap no rewards - the interactive elements of the environment for instance, like race stewards and caution lights work effortlessly well, and weather has a far more realistic effect on the environment (not necessarily the race conditions) though surely a massive amount of work went into achieving those. The cars also feel more minutely designed, from those steering wheels, to individual driver animations that the gamer might not even notice and through to the way the car interacts with the background. Reflections are much better, and the front wings visibly react to jolts in the road surface. All-in-all, the game's design is heroically precise, and of mind-boggling scope considering the primary experience of the game requires break-neck speeds and the kind of concentration that wipes out the finer details of background. Even more impressive, all of the aesthetic improvements haven't cost the game's fame-rate: in fact, quite the opposite is true, as the flow feels quicker even when you're jostling for road position on a particularly crowded section of track. But is it fun? Well, the driving experience is definitely intense, though in comparison to stable-mate Dirt 3 it is an entirely different type of intensity. Rather than the excesses of that extreme driving experience, F1 rewards precision and is remarkably harsh on mistakes, which makes the handling situation all the more frustrating. Within the space of just two half races, I was almost ready to give up on the game, having been black flagged on both occasions for what I'd call only possible fatal accidents, and if I weren't so stubborn in my commitment to besting games, I would surely have turned on my heel there and then. But then, F1 isn't exactly an accessible franchise: it is made by fans for fans, at a near anarok level, so casual fans of either the sport or of the franchise have been pushed towards the door this time around. And working hard to reap rewards in a gaming experience isn't necessarily a bad thing either. Once you've put the hours in to get to grips with the car and the road (as well as a rule-book that could prop up the leaning tower of Pisa), it is enormousnly satisfying to be able to win races, knowing what effort it took to get to that stage. There is certainly part of me that thinks such a commitment to difficulty is a good thing here, because let's face it, Formula 1 is an elite sport - in real life it requires Herculean effort and a purse like Roman Abramovich to compete for even the last places on the grid. So it would be wrong for gamers to be able to waltz in and claim pole after a few practice races. There's also the issue of what the gamer must do outside of the immediate race day experience, from endless practice and test track time, as well as the extended qualifying sessions, and the encouragement to tune the car to your precise requirements while racing. It's all very authentic, from the bias towards tyres affecting handling and grip, as with the real sport at the minute, to the complexity of the tune-up section if you really get into it. Once again, I'm reminded that the game seeks total, time-consuming immersion, and not snappy, short-term success: if further statement were needed, it takes time within the game to get the car warmed up, and there are only limited windows to enjoy optimum performance, while the rest of the race is spent attempting to get back there. The balance is undoubtedly tipped towards preparation here, and to great, if not immediately rewarding effect. And once you do get up to speed with the car, and the tracks, one of the most impressive uplifts this time out is in the AI, which dictates more authentic behaviour from other drivers, especially into sharp corners, where even as recently as last year opponents would almost come to a halt in a move professional drivers would deem entirely unthinkable. So now, instead of being able to best every race easily once you've learned the tricks and put in the preparation thanks to the unrealistic AI that made other racers unrealistically non-competitive, the CPU bites back in F1 2011, to prolong that period before the gamer can start picking up rewards and awards. But, like I said, is it fun? Well, not exactly to begin with. As I said, it takes a lot of dedication to get the car to respond well, even for semi-regular franchise veterans, at least without turning the driving assists up to the highest level (which feels too much like cheating even for an appallingly "free-flow" driver like myself). But once you've put those hours in, F1 rewards the gamer well, offering a ridiculously slick driving experience that becomes hugely addictive as you put more track time in, and it is the kind of game that encourages competition not only against the CPU, and the competition, but also against yourself. It tells you to be the best, but it will in no way apologise for making the journey difficult. One of the most talked about new additions this year has been the safety car, in yet another move towards added realism: it adds little to the gameplay other than enforced slow laps, but it is optional for anyone who doesn't want to go that deep into the Formula One universe. F1 2011 is arguably the single most successful game, judged purely in terms of its own agenda, and Codemasters deserve massive praise for the precision and authenticity they have retained. And while it is not a free spirited racing game like Dirt 3, there is a different gaming experience involved here: a different kind of fun. In terms of the online side of things, Codemasters have spent some time tuning up as well, players can now compete in grids of 24, with 16 of them human players and the other 8 CPU, as well as on a one-on-one basis when joining the same team with a friend to try and win the Champsionship, or just finish above your opponent. It's a slick set-up and the frame-rate continues to impress even in the busiest of race sections, but it is a shame that it can't yet accomodate split screen racing. One for the future releases though, I suppose.

F1 2011 is available to buy on XBox 360.