Genre: Racing
Platform: XBOX 360
Cert: 3+
Watch the trailer

Formula One games have been something completely missing from the XBox 360 library until very recently. Sony held an exclusive licence and only released games for their own system. All that changed in 2009 when Codemasters released F1 2009 (Primarily for the Wii & PSP) and then F1 2010 for XBox 360, Windows and PS3. F1 2011 follows on from that series and is available from XBox 360, Windows, PS3 and 3DS. A PS Vita port is also due.

Graphics wise the cars are ultra-realistic and the finest details are lovingly displayed, but the environments are dead. The detailing on the cars is as exacting as anyone could hope for and there are moments when it looks amazing, especially in the rain but you're normally moving so fast there's no time to take in the backgrounds. The crowds are static and lifeless, they look more scarecrows than actual people. The only audio to speak of is the headache-causing scream of engines. Realistic yes, but also boring. An F1 game without a good amount Fleetwood Mac needs to try harder. Crashes are commonly underwhelming and sometimes just plain bad and in massive pile ups you’ll sometimes spot the game just not know where to put a car and just have it fade out briefly while the mess is sorted out. In a game priding itself on realism it’s a moment of unintentional comedy.

The controls are perfectly usable and the realism the game sells itself on means there's a lot more to do than just hold down the go button and try to not slam into a wall. New features added in-line with real life 2011 season are KERS (a mild speed boost you charge up between uses) and DRS (changing the angle of the rear spoiler to increase speed) but neither add enough speed to make a real difference most of the time.

There’s a real disconnect in the game’s difficulty. When I first started the game the cars changed gears on their own and the correct racing line and speed are shown on the track but I still had to worry about setting up the car correctly for perfect performance. There are presets but it still feels like I shouldn't be thinking about the downforce being generated by the rear spoiler or the size of the the brake pads when my car is changing gear on its own and all I’m really doing is trying to follow a track and keep the racing line showing green.

Where F1 2010 was difficult, the AI in this game is plain out to get you. This isn't a game that rewards you doing well, it punishes every single mistake you make. The difficulty means that it’s a long way into the game when you have even the tiniest chance in hell of actually doing well in a race. The incredible levels of detail hurt as much as help here. To the expert I’m sure it provides the kind of detail that makes this game stand out, but to most it will just be too much to handle.

There is a career mode, but there’s really not a lot to it. You start off in a crap car and slowly grind your way through the seasons, beating sponsor challenges to gain points to get a better car. But you start off in such a crap car you’ll spend forever getting to the point where you might actually win a race. And even if by some miracle you actually do well the best you’re going to get is a half hearted congratulations from your engineer and then it’s back to your office to read your in-game email, check the weather reports and decide what colour helmet you want to barely see from most camera angles. Again I’m sure it’s realistic for F1 drivers to put time and preparation into what they do, but that doesn’t make for an exciting game.

The straight forward Grand Prix mode lets the game shine a little. Pick a decent car and race. Nice and simple and even without getting into the minute tweaking of the car careful driving will see you do well. I recommend racing in the rain, sure it makes an already difficult game even harder but the game looks its best after a lot of rain.

All these problems won’t matter to a hardcore F1 fan though, if anything the realism in the driving and tweaking a cars performance just so will be selling points. But for the average player or even the casual F1 fan be prepared to put in an awful lot of practice before you get anywhere.

Buy or Rent: Buy

Graphics: 4/5
Gameplay: 2/5
Replay Value: 2/5
Overall: 2/5

Reviewed by: Tony O'Hare