Seeing as there was a sale on Playstation Network featuring F1 2014 priced at £7.99, I took a quick spin on the fifth instalment of the Formula 1 games by Codemasters released in October on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. 2014 marked the first year the sport switched from normally aspirated V8 engines to the Turbo-Hybrid V6 'power-units' and this has been represented in the game. This caused a huge change to the sport in real life, does the virtual representation have the same effect?
See the trailer here
The only Codemasters Formula 1 game I've played prior to F1 2014 is F1 2012 as this was supposed to mark a turning point in the series with the switch from a paddock based menu to a simpler design and various new gameplay features. The graphics were on par with what I expect from a game by Codemasters and the rain effects were probably the best I've seen in a racing game on this console generation. Overall, a solid package.
As for F1 2014, everything felt familiar. In fact, a little too familiar. Yes, the interface has been revised and the engines howl a different harmony but it felt like an old game with an expansion pack. The Classic cars and tracks which made an appearance in F1 2013 is strangely not present in F1 2014, which is a shame because that would give the game more longevity.
So let's imagine you have never played an Formula 1 game by Codemasters before. You start off by completing a hot lap around Monza and the game will recommend which difficulty you should play the game on. After completing your evaluation, you can start career mode where you can complete a short season (7 races), medium-length season (12 races) or full-length season (19 races) which is new to the series, but consists of a fixed selection of tracks. Shorter seasons would be more exciting if track selections could be randomised to some extent.
Alternatively, you can attempt the season challenge where you aim to win your selected rival's seat and dominate the season by beating them over 10 races. Other game modes include a Grand Prix (custom race), time trial, time attack and scenario mode, where players complete challenges based on real life Formula 1 scenarios. High scores award players with medals and better rankings on the global leader board. You don't have to play alone as there is 2-player split screen available and LAN modes. Online features a co-op championship where you can complete a season with another player as team mates, while public lobbies are very much deserted now.
Unless you really want to try the cars from the 2014 season, it is difficult to recommend this game to players of F1 2012 or 2013 due to how little has changed from those titles. On the other hand, if you are new to the series, there could not be a better time to start playing a Formula 1 game as F1 2014 gives you so much to enjoy for just £7.99.
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