F1 2018

Since Codemasters were granted the official license for Formula 1 and released their first title in 2009 they’ve slowly, but surely, built things up year on year. All this hard work came to fruition and made last year’s F1 2017 the best F1 title to date. It also showed that building things up over time can result in a solid title as opposed to one that rests on laurels given no other developer will be releasing an F1 game. There’s been the occasional misstep along the way whether it be AI problems or the filler that was F1 2014 but generally each year has been an improvement bringing in changes that would continue into the next. So, the question is, is F1 2018 enough of an improvement over its predecessor to warrant another year’s worth of time and money?

Those of you who have played one of Codemasters titles over the last few years will feel right at home from the get-go. The menus have stayed the same and all the same game modes are present and correct. Many will instantly flock to the career mode in an effort to carve their own name into the annals of F1 history but if that’s not your bag or, if you’re like me you want to get to grips with this year’s handling model, time-trial is there if you just want to run hot-laps of your favourite track in your favourite car. Alternatively, you could have a one-off race or, if you’re wanting something a bit different, there’s also the challenge mode which features different racing series with a specific rule or feature. For example, there’s a whole classic series but with the hot-lap qualifying mode being the default or another where all the cars are spec so it’s down to your skill as a driver to make the difference.

However, it’s the career mode where the real meat of F1 2018 resides and much of what made last year’s entry fun to play and work your way through is still there with one major addition, the press. Right from the off you’re introduced to Claire who will appear at fairly regular intervals during the race weekend to ask you questions about your performance, good or bad. Then, depending on how you answer these questions the various areas of your R&D Department will take note or, in some instances, the team’s opinion of you will rise or fall depending on how you respond. Each team has a driver preference, some will want a straight-shooter who’s a team player, others prefer the more flamboyant and outspoken drivers. This, in conjunction to your on-track performances, will now influence each teams opinion of you and thus your ability to move between teams or, if you want, a better contract at the team you’re in. It’s a lovely little touch and very much reflects the cut-throat and dynamic world of F1 driver contracts, one only needs to look at the recent summer break where Ricciardo announced he was ditching Red Bull for Renault for an example of this.

There’s been a visual uplift and running this on an Xbox One X treats you to a wonderful 4K experience with little to no graphical issues to speak of. I’m also glad to report that the hair on my engineer friend now looks part of his head, something I could never be too sure of last year. Mind you, those of you out there who love realism and therefore the cockpit view are going to have to get used to the halo. It’s not too distracting and I found that I could still easily spot my breaking points and turn-ins but it definitely took some time and eventually, I barely noticed it. The new-look F1 logo is also everywhere the could find an excuse to put it, a stark reminder that F1 is now in the hands of Liberty Media and that the Ecclestone era is now firmly in the rear-view mirror. Other than that though, most of last year’s cut-scenes for victories and championship wins have been reused which is a shame really and it’d be nice to see a few more to give things a bit more of a variation. The sound department is still on point with today’s V6 hybrids sounding as dull and uninteresting as they do in real life. Thankfully though, if you wish to relive the glory days of F1 engines all the historic cars from F1 2017 are carried through and are joined by James Hunt’s McLaren M23 and Nikki Lauda’s Ferrari 312T as well as the Brawn BGP 001 which guided Jenson Button to his only F1 title alongside Juan Pablo Montoya’s FW25 Williams.

Racing any one of these classic cars around any of the twenty-one tracks on offer (we lose Sepang but gain Hockenheimring and Paul Ricard this year) is an exhilarating experience both through the handling but most of all audibly. Hearing the high-pitch screams of the Mercedes V8 in the back of the Brawn BGP-001 is fantastic and while today’s cars and engines are lapping circuits faster than anything in F1’s history they just don’t sound like they’re going fast. They also handle vastly different and it’s a testament to the excellent handling model present in F1 2018 that every car feels distinct. The grip from the Brawn, thanks to its controversial double-diffuser, is amazing but its weak at the top-end. In contrast, the brutal power of the MP4/4 thunders you down man straights but, for me, can be a pig to handle and keep under control when powering out of the corners. The modern cars too have personalities as my Williams, beset by horrific aerodynamic issues this season, loves to be twitchy mid-corner and is generally a letdown but hey, thanks to the in-game R&D I’m slowly but surely returning them to glory.

So, for the most part, F1 2018 improves on pretty much everything that’s come before it and whilst this does include the AI I still find myself in disbelief and some of the bold and blind manoeuvres they pull off into turn one. Sure, we had a wonderfully terrifying incident involving Fernando Alonso and an airborne McLaren at this years Belgium GP but for the most part, F1 drivers know and realise that a race is about the long game and that you most certainly can’t win a race going into turn one. Despite this fact, I still found myself avoiding kamakazee dives from deep and being turned around just because I wasn’t flying through turns eleven and twelve at Australia’s Albert Park circuit fast enough. It’s definitely been improved and tweaks to the difficulty level yield even more improvement but it’s an area I still feel could be better given the number of years behind the series. I am glad though that I’m now afforded room when battling and, if the corner’s mine, they’ll mostly yield.

My only other complaint is the press and that’s not because Claire didn’t like the fact that I refused to answer a couple of questions. It’s mostly because that, after about half a season, you start to get bored of answering them and they’re often repeated. There are only so many ways I can tell you how twitchy this year’s Williams is and so not answering them is the quickest way through the interview. It’s an interesting addition and the dynamic it plays with your team and your wider appeal is pretty cool but their frequency and lack of variation really lessens their impact after a while.  Hopefully, they can patch in some extra questions or, more likely, expand this area in next year’s inevitable entry.

So where does this leave us? F1 2018 is a great game and it expands on 2017’s entry just enough to warrant a purchase, especially if you’re a fan of the sport. However, I fear it’s starting to rest on a few of its laurels and, just like FIFA of yore, is starting to become mere updates of the previous with a few changes here and there to reflect rule changes and so forth. Whilst this may be my pessimism talking the fact that many of the assets in use have been around for at least the past three games is a worry. While re-using assets isn’t a crime it certainly points to what happens when a studio is under pressure to deliver the same game every year to satisfy its license. Hopefully, Codemasters are well underway with 2019’s development and I look forward to eating humble pie when they announce a raft of new features and updates. Until then F1 2018 is worthy of a spot in your library and takes on the mantel of the best ever official F1 to date.