Less than four weeks ago, The Sussex Newspaper had written off the racing sports genre as a two horse race between the mighty Forza Motorsports (and its Horizon spin off) and the crowd funded upstart Project Cars. That was four weeks ago. And then something odd happened. That something was F1 2018. For anyone who would describe themselves as a fan of F1 racing, the F1 series of games has been their constant companion since records began. Think of the relationship between the Fifa series and true football fans and you’ll have an idea of what this means. But for many outside the F1 fraternity, the sport and, consequently, the game, may have appeared bewilderingly complex and, for the most part wholly inaccessible. Again, that was until F1 2018. Built for both fans of the series and new comers, F1 2018 is by far the most accessible, challenging and entertaining racing game we’ve ever played. And we’re not blowing our own trumpet when we say we’ve pretty much played them all. From its super slick overlay presentation to its handy audio guide giving you hints at what you can do to improve your cars performance, F1 2018 has set new benchmarks that other racing games will have to be judged by.
Graphically F1 2018 is nothing short of breath taking. Take a look at the screenshot and you’ll see what we mean. Developed by Codemasters, this game simply oozes the type of high production values that keep most developers awake at nights. Every car detail is gloriously rendered to razor sharp precision. The weather effects and how they’re reflected on the cars are truly something that you have to see to believe. During our first race, the cars and tracks looked so realistic that we were tempted to try and get out of our vehicle and look around (not recommended).
In the audio department Codemasters have also underlined why they’re the kings of racing. Every car has its own distinctive engine noise and every engine has an authoritative growl or hum that sets it aside. Excellent.
Despite all of these triumphs, it is however in its gameplay that F1 2018 really shines. The learning curve has been fine tuned to a point where newbies are able to race and feel a sense of accomplishment after every victory. Meanwhile the game boasts an insane level of customisation that is guaranteed to keep any petrol head gleefully engrossed for months at a time.
As well as a robust career mode, F1 2018 also boasts a highly addictive and customisable Grand Prix mode, a multi-discipline Championships section as well as a time trial and online component.
Codemasters have also attempted to personalize the F1 2018 career mode by introducing an after race media interview. Following each race, you’re interviewed by journalists and the answers you give will go some way to determining your relationship with your team and the amount of media exposure you’ll receive. Yes, this is an element of window dressing but it’s fun. And, more importantly, it works.
If we had any gripes with the game it would be that, at times, F1 2018 can be a little overwhelming with its level of detail and the amount of information you have to absorb in order to get the best out of your car. Occasionally we blindly followed our engineers , crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. But as the engineer was usually proven right, this is only a minor niggle and one that will do little to detract from what is a truly great racing game. F1 2018 is a surprising contender to the racing genre crown. A must buy for fans and newcomers alike. Highly recommended.
9 out of 10