In F1 2011 players will be challenged to 'Be the driver, live the life, go compete', with wide-ranging technical and gameplay advancements on and off track and vastly extended competitive and co-operative multiplayer components.F1 2011 will feature all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the highly anticipated 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship, including the current FIA Formula One Drivers' World Champion Sebastian Vettel. The 2011 season also sees the debut of the 2011 Formula 1 Grand Prix Of India at Delhi's Jaypee International Race Circuit and the return of the iconic Nürburgring to the calendar.

Features:

• Go Compete! F1 2011 builds extensively on the multiplayer options from F1 2010. Split-screen racing is included for the first time in a high-definition FORMULA ONE title. Competitive online racing is extended with 16 players going head-to-head in GRAND PRIX™ with up to 8 AI drivers added to simulate the full grid of 24 drivers. An innovative new co-op Championship enables two players to lead their favourite FORMULA ONE team to Driver and Constructor glory across the course of a FORMULA ONE season. These enhancements are complimented by additional quick fire modes including Time Attack.
• New Circuits for 2011. Two stunning new additions to the race calendar extend the number of circuits to feature in F1 2011 to 19. Players will be able to debut ahead of the drivers on the Buddh International Circuit, the home of the first FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF INDIA and players will be able to test themselves on the iconic Nürburging circuit for the first time in High Definition, as this legendary track returns for the 2011 season.
• Be the driver, live the life. From the paddock to the track, F1 2011 takes players closer to the experience of being a FORMULA ONE driver than ever before. A new Parc Ferme area, an expanded and revamped Paddock, new Pit Lane, celebration and reaction cinematics and an enhanced media interaction system fully immerse players in the glamour, pressure and excitement of being a FORMULA ONE driver. Players progress from rookie to FIA FORMULA ONE DRIVERS’ WORLD CHAMPION in an extensive career mode where gamers fight to become priority driver and shape the development of the car by performing well in races and earning performance upgrades.
• All the cars, all the stars. Fully licensed, F1 2011 features all the drivers set to contest the 2011 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, including Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button. All 2011 teams are represented including Ferrari, Red Rull Racing, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Lotus Renault GP in their iconic black and gold livery.
• KERS, DRS and more! F1 2011 includes all the new rule changes set to make this year’s season the most exciting yet. F1 2011 debuts DRS (Drag Reduction System) – the new system which enables drivers to adjust the rear wing on the car to give a boost of up to 10km. KERS also returns, giving players an extra 80BHP for up to 6.67 seconds, enabling drivers to blast past rivals. Combined, these systems encourage close wheel-to-wheel racing with new options for both defence and attack. This season’s new Pirelli tyres are faithfully simulated in the game, and if players push their car too hard they may experience a range of authentic new damage failures.
• Full Day / Night Racing. The 2011 FORMULA 1 ETHIAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX comes alive with a full day/ night transition which recreates the special atmosphere at this unique track. Every one of the existing circuits from the 2010 roster has been given a complete visual overhaul. New atmospheric effects, including dynamic clouds, compliment a weather system which features an advanced rain model that affects on-track grip. Powered by the EGO Game Technology Platforms, F1 2011 pushes forward the graphical standard of what can be achieved in a racing game.
• The world’s greatest cars, the most exciting racing. Building on the heritage of producing award-winning racing games for over a decade, Codemasters is uniquely placed to realise the spectacle and exhilaration of racing 200MPH+ FORMULA ONE cars for all fans. F1 2011 can be tuned for players from a wide range of skill levels, from the casual gamer to the hardcore simulation enthusiast and those in between, with a range of differing skill levels. A huge range of vehicle variables can be tuned to suit each player’s unique driving style, or drivers can entrust their Race Engineer to set their car up and head straight onto the track. F1 2011 will support a comprehensive range of racing wheels for the ultimate racing experience.
• Unprecedented authenticity. Codemasters has used its unprecedented access to the world of FORMULA ONE to connect the development team directly with FORMULA ONE teams and tyre manufacturers. Extensive consultancy has taken place with a range of FORMULA ONE professionals, including race engineers, mechanics and drivers. This has been combined with real world data including CAD and on-board telemetry to deliver a race experience complete with authentic handling, accurate circuits and precisely modelled racing cars.
• EGO powered FORMULA ONE. F1 2011 is being developed on the EGO Game Technology platform, evolved from the award winning EGO engine. Enabling Codemasters development talent to share tools and technology across Studios and Central Technology teams, the EGO Game Technology Platform empowers Codemasters game designers to realise their creative visions across multiple platforms featuring cutting edge graphics, powerful AI, advanced physics systems and integrated network play.

Review:

14th October 2011 - F1 2011, the sequel to F1 2010 (oho, I did some digging here!) is a sports-style game. It's not really about being an ambassador to those uninterested in racing or Formula One, and it's definitely not interested in introducing people to games. But these aren't necessarily drawbacks, as games like Skate pulled off the trick to really drawing in the enthusiasts – so what about F1 2011? Let's have a look...

GAMEPLAY

Gameplay is, to put it bluntly; brutal. Even on the Medium setting, I was really pushed hard to get into the podium positions in the early races, and I'm no racing game slouch. This, however, does create a sense of immersion rare in today's racing games. We’ve become too used to Forza and Need for Speed, where the hardest races are still possible to ace.

F1 2011 makes it clear from the outset that you'll win some, you'll lose some, but you will always just have to do your best, no matter the situation. This, along with the high level of strategy in the gameplay, really does give a sense that you have to use everything at your disposal and every possible way to get an edge on the competition, just to be competitive. Just like the real thing.

The handling and feel of the cars has also been improved since F1 2010, with cars feeling a bit more planted and predictable, and the weight of all the aerodynamics pushing the car down at high speed does come through to you, which is definitely an improvement in itself.

Two other new additions are the KERS and DRS systems. KERS is basically a power boost that you can only use once in a lap, and DRS lowers the rear wing, dropping the down force for a quick blast up the strait. However, points must be deducted here for them simply never working. It's bad enough that the game pretty much doesn't tell you what they are or how to activate them, and it's worse still that, when you hunt around in the options menu to find the controller layout, find the buttons, then try using them – they do nothing.

Where things go a bit pear-shaped is using a controller on the outside views – it's very difficult to tell when and where the car's going to understeer, and harder still to effectively gauge your speed without using the speedometer. These don't sound like massive issues, but try it – use the outside view with a controller, and see how many times you end up in a gravel trap, with your controller through the screen. It is incredibly frustrating.

One of the major aspects to make the difficulty what it is, is the AI. Codemasters has really brought their A-game here, making the AI difficult without making it frustrating to drive around, like Polyphony Digital did with Gran Turismo 5 – unlike the latter, the AI doesn't just crash into you all the time and never let you overtake. The AI is both challenging and fun to drive around, which makes the difficulty a challenge, rather than an annoyance.

Finally on the gameplay front, the penalty system – the helmets must be to keep drivers from ripping their hair out. Actually, there's a personal recommendation from me; wear a helmet, keep your hair safe! The penalties may be realistic and all that, but it doesn't mean they aren't frustrating.

GRAPHICS

The graphics are a mixed bag here. First of all, let's establish that the screenshots you may have seen leading up to the games release are not indicative of the game's actual look at all. It really doesn't look that good. It looks fine, sure – but it doesn't really look great. The cars themselves look wonderful, with beautiful reflections and delicious curves aplenty, but the drivers, the equipment and the tracks just look a bit under developed, sometimes even a fair bit substandard on the people. Nothing special there.

This is definitely a game designed to be seen at 150mph. And what better place to do so, than on some of the best tracks in the world, which are all modeled accurately, and do look like the real thing.

The menus all look great, with a clean, easy to understand theme throughout, and the HUD is also great, apart from the lack of a half-decent tachometer. One feature I really like is that you can see the sectors on which you need to improve, on the mini-map! It really does help, knowing where you really need to get the hammer down, and knowing where the accidents are before you're near them.

There really isn't that much else to say about the graphics. The bottom line, here, is that it's not a bad looking game, but there are times where it really doesn't look up to scratch, and times when it does look pretty appealing.

SOUND

Audio is pretty good, the sounds of all the Formula One cars screaming around some of the best tracks in the world really is one for the bucket list. There is no music while you drive, which is actually a good thing. The music in the menus does the job and that’s about it.

The voices are done actually really well, with your mate in the pits, giving you info and instructions on the fly sounding great, and rarely exactly repeating dialogue.

Overall, the audio, while racing, is absolutely fantastic. The scream of the cars tearing round the tracks, the thump and crunch of the crashes, the scratch of the gravel traps – they all sound awesome!

VALUE

If we ignore F1 2010, F1 2011 is a fantastic title in itself. There are heaps of races to do, with each one being as short or as involving as you could want it to be.

If we slot F1 2010 back into the equation, it's noticeable that F1 2011 is, essentially, just an upgrade. An excellent upgrade at that, adding many new features and improvements, but still an upgrade.

There is an awful lot of single player content to be enjoyed here, and you won't be running out of career mode in any kind of hurry.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the sense of accomplishment that I'd earned every podium finish I had in the game the hard way, that I'd given it my all and come out on top – was a brilliant feeling. F1 2011's difficulty and pressure really make an immersive, heart-pounding, sweat-inducing, finger-breaking package. And that's how a Formula One game should be, white knuckled, loud and rewarding.

Winning an F1 race is a feeling that really leaves you satisfied here, and it's no cakewalk. There aren't really any game-breaking faults here, and, if you're into Formula One, you'll have an especially great time – although you may find the opposite if you're not a fan, unless you have a fair bit of patience.

If you have cash to spare with Forza Motorsport 4 just released, F1 2011 is worth picking up.

AAG Score: 6.8/10

Pros:

+ Intense, with a great sense of speed

+ Gives a glimpse behind the scenes

+ Lots of improvements over F1 2010

+ Great weather effects

+ Heaps of play time

Cons:

- Very steep difficulty curve for casual drivers

- Graphics sub-par on drivers & equipment

- Virtually no proper introduction for KERS & DRS

Reviewed and Written By Frankie Main
(Based on Xbox 360 version of the game)

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