EA Sports
Earlier in July, the release of F1 22, the latest installment of the official Formula 1 racing game franchise. Unlike previous years, a lot has changed in the past year F1 2021: Radical new technical rules mean the cars are very different from the ones we’ve seen over the decades, several circuits have been revised, new tracks have been added and the race format now includes an occasional shorter sprint race in addition to the main race. All this is faithfully reflected in F1 22and for some die-hard F1 fans that will be enough to pick up a copy.
For everyone else I’m not so sure. Part of that is due to the game itself. For the first time since EA Sports bought the Codemasters studio in late 2020, we’re seeing the giant games publisher’s influence at work, and it’s not exactly positive. For example, the sheer frequency of incentives to spend XP or buy microtransactions will probably be enough for most Ars readers to loathe. F1 22.
But my frustration isn’t just with the game itself – at its core there’s still beautiful physics that translate into engaging controls, whether that’s with a steering wheel or a controller. No, it’s F1’s new cars, which are bigger and heavier than they’ve ever been, and frankly a bit of a pig to drive.
EA Sports
Now they ride on 18-inch wheels, the tires have shorter, stiffer sidewalls, and the suspension designs are far less complex than previously allowed. Grip is limited; that’s why the front tires don’t like doing two things at once, like braking and turn – best slow down in a straight line before entering that corner. The rear tires will also happily interrupt traction in the lower gears, putting you in a spin unless you’re extremely progressive on the throttle (or hit the traction control to the max).
All of this was predicted ahead of the 2022 F1 season, so Codemasters has done a faithful job of digitally recreating the new machines for our entertainment. I don’t think the in-game cars will suffer from the same porpoises as the real ones this year. But the aerodynamic phenomenon is very difficult to simulate, as we can see from the fact that none of the teams that encountered the problem noticed it during their own extensive computational fluid dynamics simulations while designing their cars.
I have less positive things to say about adding supercars. Based on the supercar hot laps offered to VIPs at an F1 race, they add nothing to the experience. In particular, the controls and feedback you get from the in-game supercars is far from anything like Gran Turismo 7. They are slow to respond and it is tedious to have to complete them between driving F1 cars.
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I know it looks like I’m sending Lewis Hamilton in here, but we’ve both just come through a left turn.
EA Sports
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EA Sports
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The cars look great, they just don’t drive great. But I don’t think that’s the game’s fault.
EA Sports
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Microtransactions are a turn off.
EA Sports
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The practice sessions are a bit stripped down. This makes the game less friendly to new players or to players new to a track.
EA Sports
You can still run your own F1 team, or play as one of the 10 real-life teams, but this year there won’t be a return of story mode or Devon Butler, the fictional F1 driver we all love to hate. If you want to develop your car throughout the season, there is a big advantage to participate in all the practice sessions to test things with your engineers. But it’s been stripped down a bit over the years. In particular, the track acclimation test program is lacking in action, making it more difficult for players to learn new tracks, or new players to learn one of the tracks, without relying on the driving line assist. Working hours makes it doubly frustrating when all your R&D fails and upgrades have to be redeveloped.
All this is a shame. The game looks great on the PS5 in cutscenes, transitions, and gameplay, and as mentioned, there’s a damn good game engine under the hood, something that’s easily noticeable in the slower F2 cars. But as you knock out assists and increase the realism, the main event starts to feel more and more like a chore, and for someone with a limited amount of time to game, that’s a real turn-off. (Unlike bus drivers, F1 drivers get paid a lot, so don’t feel sorry for having tough jobs.)
The good:
- Still brilliant physics
- Looks good, especially on PS5
- F2 cars are fun to drive
The bad:
- 2022 spec F1 cars are pigs to drive
- The Incentives to Buy XP Microtransactions
- The addition of supercars, which are even worse to drive than the 2022-spec F1 cars, adds nothing to the game
The Ugly:
- It’s starting to look more like an EA game than a Codemasters game
verdict: Skip unless you are a hardcore F1 fan.
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