Video Game Review: F1 2011

F1 2011

Genre(s): Racing
Rating: ESRB: E
Players: Single player/Two player split screen/Online
Developer: Codemasters
Console(s): PS3, XBox 360, Microsoft Windows

Description: Formula 1 racing game based on the 2011 F1 season.

Building on the successful F1 2010 comes Codemasters instant classic F1 2011, a racing sim putting you into the action of the Formula 1 season, wheel to wheel with your favourite drivers.

Less than a year ago I was reviewing F1 2010 and straight out panning it for its lack of content. F1 2010 just didn't work as a racer for fans. Sure it offered something in a market that had nothing but overall it required a giant make over. Thankfully F1 2011 has addressed most of these issues and created a game closer to the experience the fans are searching for.

Most obvious is massively overhauled graphics. F1 2011 has had the spit shine and polish added to all the tracks from last year as well as a few that look completely new. F1 2010 came out before the Korean GP so designers had to guess at the design but F1 2011 has brought a completely new Korea, all worked up from the actual gritty track. Its like driving a new track! This year designers have had a go at the still to be finished Indian track. Time will tell how close they managed.

My biggest pout over F1 2010 came when I reported it wasn't hard enough. Thankfully that has all been addressed in F1 2011! Users will now feel like they are driving the actual car. No more out driving the car and winning the championship with a car that never scored points in real life. I'm afraid if you want to do that you are going to need the skill level turned down to pointless!

Codemasters have promissed a few things with F1 2011 that I just can't review cos I haven't seen them! While I have been assured Abu Dhabi turns from twilight to night, it didn't when I played. The developers have also added a Safety Car but in the 10 or so hours I have spent with F1 2011 so far I am yet to see it. By all accounts, users have seen the Safety Car and report that it is good.

Addressed in the latest Formula 1 title are flags shown on the side of the track, cockpits that look like the real thing, more accurate racing, more accurate handling and less of that god awful race engineer from the last game. For some reason I find the updated engineer more tolerable.

The system for awarding penalties is still an aggression causing nightmare. Usually the player is penalised despite an accident being their fault or not. This would easily be the biggest downfall in an otherwise great game.

F1 2011 is 100% an improvement on last year. Yes, I do have a few more things I would like to see but overall Codemasters have finally delivered a game a fan can be happy with. It took two years and three generations of the game to get here but we have finally arrived. I can't wait to see what they improve on next year! If you love racing games, F1 2011 is a no brainer!

Reviewed on PS3

See this review at Geek Life.

The Little Button Laughed To See Such Fun, And Vettel Ran Away With The Title. Singapore, 2011

Vettel wins again! I don't recall a champion winning with so many races left to run but with only one more point to nab, Vettel may as well have the awards ceremony now. Hope he likes Saké cos he will be drinking a lot of it in two weeks!

Now, I gotta point out, geez my predictions were close! Did you read my last post?

Predictions for the race? Vettel will sprint out in front while Button clears Webber. Webber will hold up a charging Alonso who managed to pass Hamilton off the start. As the race goes on, Button will pass Vettel through strategy while Webber will be happy with 3rd. Hamilton will crash into a Ferrari somewhere.

OK so it was Alonso holding up a charging Webber but he still made the pass in the end and held up Alonso for a while. Meanwhile Button never did get that pass done on Vettel but hold the press! "Hamilton will crash into a Ferrari somewhere"! Yeah I totally did! I predicted the Hamilton-Massa crash! High five me!

As awesome as I was, this little touch-up was even more awesome-er!



Clearly there is nothing in it but last night, after the race, Twitter went berserk with calls for Massa's head! Seriously, after this? I've pushed strangers by accident harder than this! Massa would be feeling the stress of under performing. This was nothing more than a tempered yank on the arm.

So, Vettel pushed out yet another victory where he never saw more than back markers while Button struggled to keep him within reach. Not the greatest on P1 battles but Button gave a balls to the wall charge with 6 laps left that peaked a few weary watchers.

The fight for 3rd was more interesting with Alonso managing to make Webber work for a podium. No matter what he did, Webber found himself behind Alonso after pit stops, creating two great Red Bull passes on the twice world champ. A pass into turn 10 has my vote for pass of the year!

Hamilton spoilt Massa's race when an error, created by a lock up, punctured Massa's rear wheel with a piece of McLaren front wing. Massa crawled back to the pits while Hamilton managed a drive through for the incident.

Elsewhere on the track, another champion brought out the safety car. Schumacher drove for a gap he remembers seeing in 1998 and collected the back of Sergio Perez. Despite a heavy shunt, the old fella was OK. Anyone interesting in the musician Ben Folds is no doubt recalling his early song Boxing about an ageing Muhamed Ali about now. The classic lines "the strangest things have happened lately when I, take a good swing at all my dreams they pivot and slip. I drop my fists and they're back, laughing."

Renault had a terrible day near the rear as Petrov lost out to the Lotus of Kovalainen! No one knows why. Spooky.

Is It Raining? Nah, That Is Just Sweat! Qualifying, Singapore 2011

Late last night, Singapore officials brushed off the Vettel plaque they had glued to pole earlier in the year when Seb found a half second behind the seat of the Red Bull on his way to his 11th pole of the year!

Despite the long lap time, Q1 proved difficult with bumper to bumper traffic making it difficult to grab a competitive time. Vitaly Petrov is the dunce this week, claiming the unwanted 18th position, only slightly ahead of the back markers of Lotus, Virgin and HRT. HRT almost managed to nab a small victory against Virgin but came unstuck as D'Ambrosio found 4/100th near the end of the session.

Q2 stopped momentarily while Kobayashi took time to come back down to Earth, launching in awesome Petrov Malaysia style off the curbs at turn 10 into the fence!

Senna is quickly making a place for him at Renault, again out-qualifying Petrov giving him a two to one lead. Speculation will no doubt start quickly about Senna becoming Kubica's replacement. Senna lines up 15th.

The Williams boys are winning in the annoying awards this year. Buzzing around the midfield and bitching about it, time may be up for F1's longest serving driver, Barrichello. Rumours are out this week about World Champion Kimi Raikkonen returning to the sport which made him famous. Raikkonen could well be guy to lead Williams back to the front, if he can get to grips with F1 again. Half the world will be keeping an eye out for any news. Don't forget, Williams is now a floated team on the stock exchange. They will be doing anything they can to get that share price to go up. Williams lines up 12th and 13th. Who cares which way around they are?!

Q3 upset BBC commentator David Coulthard who criticised Force India and Michael Schumacher choosing to not post a time. While DC said the fans deserve to see the cars on track, this is a notable tactic. How can F1 enforce a tyre maximum without accepting tyre saving tactics? There is no way Force India could move up the order with an extra run. Even Schumacher lines up next to team mate Rosburg who did scrub a set of tyres pushing for pole.

The usual suspects fill out the top six places. Vettel ahead of Webber who will need his front row spot to make up for his inability to get his Red Bull off the line. Hard worker Button fills out the top three next to Hamilton in 4th who chose to not make a second attempt at the pole. Ferrari are having a hard time of it qualifying 5th and 6th, Massa a second off his team mate Alonso!

Predictions for the race? Vettel will sprint out in front while Button clears Webber. Webber will hold up a charging Alonso who managed to pass Hamilton off the start. As the race goes on, Button will pass Vettel through strategy while Webber will be happy with 3rd. Hamilton will crash into a Ferrari somewhere.

Enjoy.

Vettel's DRS Fails At Monza. Italy 2011

Done and dusted? Vettel's win at Monza potentially puts him one race from becoming a two time world champion and with the constructors title all but locked up by Red Bull, what's the point in running the rest of the season?

The constructors battle for second is warming up but with Massa off the pace, the Brits should be able to take that honour at McLaren. It's just about safe to say the top five positions in the constructors is set. Congrats Red Bull on a well deserved second title!

Over on the drivers leader board, things aren't quite so assured. With Webber's DNF at Monza, he takes a nose dive through the standings to fourth! Fernando's never say die attitude has put him in a tentative second place with the next 3 drivers all poised to strip him of second in Singapore! Button rounds out the top 3 with equal points with Webber, only landing above Webber due to his race wins. Aggressive little annoyance, Hamilton is in fifth but is only one win away from stealing second place!

Monza began slowly, about as slow as a safety car, as several spectators at the first corner chicane reported hearing 'I believe I can fly' by R Kelly playing out of the newly fit stereo in Liuzzi's HRT while his car plowed through the mid-field! Liuzzi claimed the scalps of Rosburg and Petrov before pushing his HRT through the chicane loudly proclaiming that he beat them and should appear ahead of them in the classifications. The new stereo upgrade in the sister HRT of Daniel Ricciardo shorted out the electrics ensuring Daniel needed to be pushed back into the pits to be restarted when he failed to leave the grid with the pack.

Alonso showed why he is one of the best by claiming first after the opening chicane and held it till after the restart when Vettel made short work of passing, using more than his fair share of the Italian country side.

The most fun of the race came as Schumacher schooled Hamilton on race craft. Despite several lunges, the seven time world champion kept Lewis behind the Merc dragster. Bemused by the action unfolding in front of him, Button quietly watched the Schui-Hamilton show for a while before making quick work of both of them and leaving them to it on his way to second.

Webber found out what a slow Ferrari can do to a Red Bull front end when making contact with Massa at the first turn. Doomed to fail, Webber had to go the long way back to the pits and had almost made it before breaking too hard into the parabolica, locking his front wheels as they guided him into the wall.

Unable to fight off Button, Alonso folded and kept third place for himself. He finished in front of the disgruntled Hamilton who did manage to get past Schumacher in the end for fourth. Schui claimed an important fifth.

With the high attrition, Kovalainen managed to pull thirteenth leaving me to wonder if Kovalainen could finally grab Lotus it's first point before the end of the season. Also noteworthy to some, Bruno Senna nabbed his first ever F1 points in his Renault. Not sure if I share the sentiment but some are happy to see a Senna score points in an F1 car. Apparently the first time since Ayrton drove in Adelaide, 1993.