Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: EA
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5 Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PC
F1 2021 – Review
The Formula One games are sports titles much like the FIFA or NBA games that come out each year. Sadly for us, our last review was of F1 2018, meaning that we missed out on three years of F1 development. For us, it feels as if the quality has skyrocketed over the last few years. The latest Formula One game is action-packed with much content, different career modes, many tracks, great vehicles, and realistic handling. F1 2021 is the game that will bring you many hours of fun.
Story
In the earlier Formula One games, you just had to create your driver and work your way up to the big league. This is still present in F1 2021, but now there are also two extra career modes. The first is that you are both the driver and manager for your own team, the other mode is a co-op career mode with a friend where both of you drive for an existing team. Each career plays a bit differently, but you work your way up from a newbie to the absolute top in large lines.
When you play the career mode with your own team, you will have to balance the development and finances of your team, co-driver, and vehicle. While this sounds like a lot at first, the experience is nicely spread out and you use the time on track to fine-tune the parts you need with your R&D departments. The career mode is really long and filled with a lot of content, from doing PR stunts for extra income to putting extra time and money into your R&D, keeping both the fans and your co-driver happy to finally make your way to the top. In the beginning, it will be hard, as other teams have more resources than you, but as you slowly grow, you will notice that the podium finish comes closer after each race.
Graphics
The F1 games have always been known for their high-quality simulation aspects. This year’s version brings the graphical quality even higher while delivering a smooth high frame rate on yesteryears gaming PCs. This means that you don’t have to build a new PC to run this game on Ultra High with 144 FPS; which is perfect for those with regular gaming rigs.
In-game, you have a few camera angles to choose from and while the dashboard view is one of the most nicely made, realistic views, you won’t see directly in front due to the safety halo. The attention to detail is insane in this game, from all the small scratches on your vehicle to your tires getting filthy or damaged from aggressive driving. When working with your own team, you will see your logo branded on almost everything. This is a nice little extra for added immersion.
Sound
It feels that as much time is invested in the graphics, equally as much has been put into the sound department. Many characters are fully voiced and you will receive instructions over the radio during races. These calls are always crystal clear and you don’t have to rely on subtitles while driving 300KM/h to know what your commander is saying. During your many interactions with people, you can reply but sadly your character isn’t voiced, which kind of is a missed opportunity. Even if you only would have two generic voices for it, it would have added another layer to the already great sound design.
The best improvement is the engine sound. A few years ago we had F1 vehicles with small four-cylinder engines which sounded like your neighbor’s kid pimped-out Honda Civic. Now F1 returns with real engines that sound amazingly good, and when driving full throttle, the turbo noises are just eargasmic.
Gameplay
F1 2021 is a racing simulation game where you drive the most sophisticated racing machines on Earth and try to make it to the podium while either managing your own team or driving for an existing one. This game is packed to the brim with content and with three different career modes, you will be spending a lot of time fighting your way to the top. Aside from the many career options, there are also a handful of quick race options, including historic challenges where you take on heroic events of other well-known drivers to see if you can match their skill.
In the career mode, you have the option to establish your own brand and do everything from managing it to racing it; or you can select the safer option to become the new face of an already existing team alone or with a friend in co-op mode. If you however want to start your own team, then you are in for a long ride. You start by creating your avatar, team, and livery, and then you hire a teammate and start with the tutorial of managing your team. This is then followed by signing your first sponsor, selecting who will deliver your parts and engine, and then you also try to find a setup that suits your needs. During your days as a team leader, you will have to do interviews, and depending on your answers, your company will improve in various departments, as this will increase or decrease morale. This may feel like a lot, but things will become clear before you know it.
Racing is a big part of the game and each racing weekend is as follows: you get three 30 minutes of practice runs, the qualification and the race. The practice runs are there to try out the track and do challenges for extra development points. However, take into consideration that you will wear out your vehicle and tires the more you drive. In the first few races you won’t really notice it, but as time goes on, you will notice that your vehicle will get more worn out and you might not be able to push it as hard as you could in the beginning.
As technology progresses in real life, this also changes the way you race. You not only have a powerful engine pushing the vehicle to high speeds, but the new electromotor will also help you overtake or accelerate even faster. This resource is limited, as the battery will need to charge, but it can give you a fighting chance in the sharp corners. Of course, your opponents will be using this technology as well, so don’t forget to use it.
Controlling the game is quite easy. The vehicles handle really well and you don’t have to remember an instruction booklet worth of button presses. The only slight downside is that the only way to change your camera is in the options menu, and not just via a simple button press. Another slight annoyance is that the pop-up menu can be a bit confusing when you need to give information or want to read your status. This can be really distracting while racing, so it’s best to only use it when you are driving carefully.
Conclusion
After a short absence on our site, we are glad to finally be able to review another F1 game. F1 2021 is an amazing title that is guaranteed to bring you hours of fun, thanks to the multiple career options and many quick races. The graphics and sounds are high quality, while still making sure you can enjoy a high and smooth frame rate for the best experience, all while having plenty of customization options. The game has an extremely high realism factor and it really feels that you are the boss of your own company as you decide where you need to invest your research.
F1 2021 – Review,
No Comments