It's All In The (F1) Game

16/08/2012
FEATURE BY GUEST AUTHORS

Codemasters recently announced that they were producing a second F1 game. Alongside the traditional Formula One game that will come out in September, F1 Race Stars will go on sale in November. Many people have already made the connection between the hugely successful Mario Kart franchise and F1 Race Stars, with Codemasters themselves hoping the game opens the sport to a new audience.

The reaction from fans has generally been positive so far - but there remain those who are not quite so convinced. Now seems like a good time to look at the evaluation of the racing games in recent years, and debate which game might be more popular.

Codemasters gained the exclusive rights to produce Formula One games in 2009 and since then have produced two fairly successful games for Xbox, PlayStation and PC. 2010 was the first time in many years that an F1 game came out for PC and was followed up a year later with the release of F1 2011. It is perhaps hard for people to imagine the work that goes into such games - it now isn't just a case of adding new drivers and tracks and remodelling the cars - such has been the development in rival racing games in recent years.

The problem for a company like Codemasters is what avenue they want to take when developing the game. For some will want to see Codemasters taking the simulation route - that is the ability to indulge in setting up cars, working out the perfect race strategy and mastering the best racing line through Eau Rouge. It is fair to say that the closest many fans of the sport will get to driving an F1 car will be in a simulated environment, and Codemasters have been under increasing pressure to get every area of the game as realistic as possible.

There are those who take racing games extremely seriously - you only have to look at the many racing leagues that people have started where fans can race against others from all around the world. There are even leagues that go to the trouble of giving out prizes to the winners.

You also have to look at the likes of the Nissan Gran Turismo Academy. The competition has been running for numerous years now, and aims to transform computer game racers into full time professional racing drivers.

The problem that comes from going down the simulation route is that the game would therefore perhaps not be appealing to casual fans of the sport.

There will be those who will buy the game to simply have a bit of fun playing with friends via the multiplayer option. But the danger is that casual fans could perhaps become frustrated if the game was to be too challenging.

Whilst some fans may enjoy in the technicalities of setting up a car - others will simply want to jump into a game and race. But you only have to look at the mixed reviews that F1 games have received from magazines in the past to know that they are not for everyone. The common complaint from casual fans is that they are difficult to pick up and play - that they are too technical and confusing.

It is fair to say that if you aren't completely familiar with how Formula One works that you won't be winning many races on the games.

Codemasters realise that and have to make sure that the game remains suitably challenging and realistic for the hard core fans, whilst not being frustrating for those who aren't. It is a difficult balance to achieve, and unsurprisingly, they don't always get it right.

Take the damage for instance.

In real life, Formula One cars are notoriously fragile. Unlike in other forms of racing, you cannot get away with even the slightest amount of contact without damaging your car. Yet in recent F1 games, you can get away with accidents unharmed which would be considered race ending in a normal race. Perhaps if they made the damage more realistic, the game would be considered too difficult for some players…

That is where F1 Race Stars could work so well.

The game breaches the gap for people who want to try an F1 game, but find the traditional version too difficult or challenging. You only have to hear of Codemasters' ideas of "power-ups" in F1 Race Stars to know that it'll be a lighter hearted version of Formula One. Plus the cartoon versions of the drivers and the Mario Kart like tracks will no doubt appeal to younger fans too.

It'll benefit F1 2012 too. Whereas casual fans are now more likely to stick with F1 Race Stars, Codemasters can concentrate on implementing the features that the serious computer game racers will want.

So could it be a Mario Kart rival? No doubt that it will certainly have some advantages - not least being an official F1 licensed game with all the teams and drivers present. That alone will be a good enough reason for some people to buy the game. Additionally, for however inaccurate it will prove to be, if it puts the "fun" back into F1 for casual fans - the sport will only benefit.

After years of not having many F1 games come out, it is only right that we should be treated to two in this incredible 2012 season. I for one can't wait for either game to hit the shops.

Check out a selection of images from the two games, here

James Singleton

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Published: 16/08/2012
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