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Available on: Xbox 360, PC, PS3

F1 2012 review

Slicker than a fresh set of dry tyres

Words: on September 17, 2012
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17 comments

  • TJP75 - October 15, 2012 3:32 p.m.

    A brief update on F1 2012. Codemasters have released 7 patches for the PC version thus far with patch #2 containing 'in excess of 200 fixes and improvements" to quote Codemasters (http://community.codemasters.com/t5/F1-2012-General-Discussion/Patch-News-2-27-09-12/td-p/94434). Abridged release notes can be found on the CM forums: http://community.codemasters.com/t5/F1-2012-Technical-Assistance/F1-2012-Patches-So-Far/m-p/115284#U115284 http://community.codemasters.com/t5/F1-2012-General-Discussion/F1-2012-Latest-Patch-PC-7/m-p/120320#U120320 PC appears to be CM's testing ground for console F1 2012 players; Xbox owners are awaiting patch(es) whilst PS3 owners have received one patch.

  • TJP75 - November 1, 2012 5:47 p.m.

    Latest patch from Codemasters arrived yesterday making it 11 patches in one month for the PC version! Is that great support from CM or a horrid state to ship a game in and fix post release?

  • GamingBear - September 23, 2012 1:05 p.m.

    Hey if Justin or anyone else could confirm for me this following question that would be great; does f1 2012 have online co-op career mode? I agree with your comments about 2011 on ps3, I could not get into it to me it seemed visually quite poor.

  • TJP75 - September 18, 2012 4:16 a.m.

    Good review Justin; glad to see you are excited for the newest F1 game from Codemasters. I was too until recently when other websites started to review the game. I have a few concerns though as it appears reading other reviews that the dreaded save game corruption has returned along with hidden walls that cause the car to crash (check YouTube for videos of F1 2011 having this issue). Just recently Steve Hood announced via Twitter that tyre scaling is non-existent. This means no whatever the track, the temperature or conditions you can put options tyres on and run them for the entire race and pit for primes on the penultimate lap to satisfy the tyre rule. Codemasters also announced no Q2 and Q3 sessions either: http://community.codemasters.com/t5/F1-2012-General-Discussion/No-more-FP2-and-FP3-Check-twitter/td-p/64600 Oh well. F1 2012 has gone from a must buy (I loved the demo) to a Steam sale purchase for me.

  • SebastianMcChuff - September 18, 2012 8:07 a.m.

    Iv played multiple seasons on F1 2010 & 2011 & iv never come across invisible walls & Iv never had any save games issues either. Not saying they don't happen, just never had them myself. I remember reading the Batman Arkham forums & folk complaining about save game issues with that, never had a problem with that either. Think most games have a small percentage of people who have save game issues. Also iv read the tyre scaling is set 100% & doesn't downscale to 50% races etc. So you will have to do 100% races to get most out of it, so it is in there but not scaling down to other races modes is disappointing.

  • TJP75 - September 19, 2012 2:02 a.m.

    I'm taking a more positive approach as the lads posting in the NeoGAF F1 2012 thread are starting to change their opinion now they've gotten access to the full game. The tyre change still sucks though.

  • GamesRadarJustinTowell - September 19, 2012 3:49 a.m.

    They absolutely haven't got rid of Q2 and Q3. You're either talking about the new, optional one-lap qualifying, or a single practice session. I have no idea what you're talking about with invisible walls. Tyre scaling was broken last year, this year they wear out early if you use them badly, like they should. My save game is fine, so I can't comment on that. I suggest (and wholeheartedly recommend) you play the game, then come back and discuss it.

  • TJP75 - September 19, 2012 5:08 p.m.

    Justin, having bought and played both F1 2010 and F1 2011 & having played the 2012 demo on Xbox and PC for hours, I know what to expect with F1 2012. Invisible walls do exist, they were a part of both the 2010 and 2011 game. A quick search on YouTube will show you videos such as: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZomLu7wNfQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNTokuZSRuc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0OZJUcfdxo There are plently more but 3 is enough... The save game issue was mentioned in the F1 2012 review published by RaceDepartment ( http://www.racedepartment.com/2012/09/f1-2012-the-game-review/ ). There were one of the first websites to publish a F1 2012 review. The only point of my original post that was incorrect was that practice sessions 2 and 3 have been removed and NOT qualifying as I had erroneously stated (my link to the CM forums mentions FP 2 & 3). Steve Hood on tyre ear, lack of practice options etc: http://community.codemasters.com/t5/F1-2012-General-Discussion/Allow-me-to-explain/m-p/69630#U69630 I am not here to troll or undermine your review, I am simply pointing out what others have found when reviewing F1 2012. Cheers.

  • GamesRadarJustinTowell - September 20, 2012 2:09 a.m.

    Ah, I see what you mean about the 'invisible walls' bug. It was actually really frequent in the early, preview code of F1 2010, before the game was finished. I thought it had been eradicated, as I've never seen it happen in a retail version of the game (and I've played them a LOT), but I guess a few instances remain. As for the tyre thing, I read Steve Hood's reply and I have to say, I agree with him. Drive badly and you'll wear out your tyres. Drive properly and you can stick to your strategy - unlike in last year's game where I was lucky to ever reach the pits without a spin thanks to over-zealous scaling. I'd much rather be able to stay on the track. I'm much happier with this year's system (even if it isn't 100% realistic) - hence my approval in the review. I agree, you're not trolling. Thanks for talking about it sensibly :P

  • TJP75 - September 20, 2012 3:47 a.m.

    Hello. I'm glad we can have a sensible chat about F1 2012 Justin. Steve Hood explained the situation rather well I think and as such I've put my money where my mouth is as I've bought F1 2012 on Steam 8) Cheers! PS: Any chance of covering Project CARS in the future? It's coming too all current platforms in 2013 and is being made (mostly) in the UK by Slighly Mad Studios. You'll be blown away by the graphics.

  • avantguardian - September 17, 2012 4:48 p.m.

    oh man super monaco gp! still my favorite format for racers. can't believe that was, like, twenty years ago...

  • mikeylawson - September 17, 2012 10:34 a.m.

    I'm something of an F1 die hard, (seriously dude, I spent a huge part of my student loan on Silverstone tickets.) It is nice then to see the game dramatically improving. I have to admit that F1 2011 was not as great as I had hoped, it felt completely sterile at times. Codies really are amazing and passionate about the sport I love.

  • Kartman013 - September 17, 2012 10:18 a.m.

    So refreshing to read a(nother) review where the reviewer knows what he's talking about. Justin clearly knows the "under the hood" improvements made to this years version - that most reviewers won't have a clue about. Judging from the demo alone, this game is already a vast improvement on it's predecessor, which I loved. I can't wait. Thanks for confirming the details. Kart,

  • crazor89 - September 17, 2012 6:46 a.m.

    Haven't bought an F1 game in a long time (think it was F1 2000 on the PS1) but I might go for this one. Been playing a lot of Forza 4 recently and this seems to be another great racing game!

  • BaraChat - September 17, 2012 6:13 a.m.

    I tried the demo for 30 minutes or so and I was basically sold. And now you come up with this gleaming review? Must-buy for me.

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Excellent
YOU'LL LOVE
  • Beating your rival in Season Challenge
  • The new, more realistic handling model
  • Bite-sized race options for quick bursts of play
YOU'LL HATE
  • Young Drivers' Test is boring
  • The new presentation lacks personality
  • The damage is still slightly understated
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More Info

Release date: US
Sep 18 2012 (Xbox 360, PC, PS3)
Available Platforms: Xbox 360, PC, PS3
Genre: Racing
Published by: Codemasters
Developed by: Codemasters
Franchise: F1
ESRB Rating:
Everyone
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