Follow Genre: Simulation, Racing
Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: EA Sports, Electronic Arts
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5

F1 22 – Review

July 20, 2022 - Ibuki - 1 Comment

Site Score

6.8

Good: Mechanics

Bad: F1 Life feels useless, Feels toned down compared to older versions

User Score

4.0

(1 votes)

Click to vote

Rating: 4.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Like clockwork, we can expect a new iteration of the F1 games every single year. For the most part, Codemasters has a spotless track record when it comes to these games, and the only thing that differs from the previous versions is the quantity of the content. This was often noticeable when special modes were omitted or added, but the quality has remained quite consistent over the years. Now, F1 22 made a short pitstop for us to give it a go, and we can already see more and more of EA’s influence corrupting this great series. We were still treated to a solid game, but we also noticed several paywalls on our route to bringing home the gold.

Story

Even though the game has a Career mode, there is no real story to be found in the game. Of course, you have certain goals to work towards, but other than that, there is no real narrative value when playing through the Career mode. Some might not miss the absence of a story, others might find it sad that there’s no framework to tie all the races together.

Graphics

Graphically, this new release of F1 is spiffy looking. The game looks good, and the cars have more than enough details. That being said, the F1 cars look a bit like plastic toys from certain angles, and the tracks often lack a few details. We also noticed a few visual bugs, but these were very minor and not really that bothersome. As a whole, the game looks nicely designed, but we were never under the impression this title was pushing the boundaries of our PS5 console.

Sound

The soundscape of F1 22 is actually quite ‘epic’. We are then not talking about the great sound effects, but we are actually referring to the very cinematic soundtrack. In the menus, after races, and even on the PlayStation’s home screen, cinema-quality music will be blaring through your speakers. We very much enjoyed the new background tracks, but at times it also felt a bit too much for a game such as this.

Gameplay

F1 22 is a racing sim that’s mainly about driving F1 cars. The game offers very standard modes, such as GP, Time Trials, or a Career mode, but you’ll also be able to play through challenges. This game also features the F1 Life mode, which is basically a hub to display your cars and cosmetic items, which you’ll actually have to pay real money for. The latter feels a bit useless, but this might be down to personal preference. For the most part, you’re treated to solid mechanics and proper racing sim gameplay. We did notice that the AI drivers are still unmovable objects and that if you crash into them, it will be the same as driving into a brick wall. The exact opposite is also true. When you perform a clean takeover, and an AI opponent hits you from the back, you will immediately spin out of control, while the AI-controlled car still goes on its merry way.

Oddly enough, F1 22 has a complete mode that revolves around driving with supercars, instead of actual F1 cars. This mode basically has you play through short challenges that involve drifting, driving in-between cones, driving at a certain speed within a certain time frame, and so on. Truth be told, we very much enjoyed this so-called Challenge mode, but it also felt a bit out of place in this game, especially considering the game did lack any other special modes that revolved around actual F1 events. While we would not mind seeing this Challenge mode in future iterations of the game, we would also prefer a few more F1-oriented modes, outside of the GP, multiplayer, or Time Trial modes.

Conclusion

F1 22 is still a good F1 experience, albeit with less content than earlier entries. We didn’t really appreciate the F1 Life mode, which just adds useless cosmetics that will actually cost you real money in order to unlock them. Nonetheless, outside of a few struggles with the AI, this year’s F1 game offers more of the same, and fans of the series will still find enough to scratch their racing itch. It shows that Codemasters are still on top of their game with very polished mechanics, a satisfying soundscape, and good-looking vehicles for you to aim for that coveted first place with. We just hope that the next iteration(s) will not have more paywalls added.