E3 2010 Preview: F1 2010
Formula One racing is one of the biggest, most avidly-followed sports—in Europe. While on the whole, American audiences have yet to jump on board this superfast-moving bandwagon, developer/publisher Codemasters is hoping to change that with its upcoming racing sim, F1 2010.
After languishing in Sony's unimaginative hands for a number of years, the F1 license fell to the boys at Codemasters, who were determined to reinvent the venerable series. Of course, even these ambitious Brits made a few missteps, as seen in their first attempt at reinvention, F1 2009. This mediocre racing title, marred by ugly graphics, poor sound and so-so physics didn't exactly set the gaming world on fire. Still, at this year's E3, Codemasters enthusiastically presented F1 2010 which they say is the game that will take the franchise beyond its European audience bias, making it more global and dare they say...sexier?
For those who don't know, F1 2010 is the official game of the FIA Formula One World Championship—that is, the real-life formula one racing series. F1 2010 marks the first time the franchise appears on Xbox 360 (being free of Sony has its perks) and it's the first time an F1 game has been available for PC in eight years. As you might expect, the game will have all the usual features F1 fans have come to expect: all the official teams, drivers and circuits, game modes like Grand Prix, Time Trial and Championship, and many toggleable driver's aids to help inexperienced drivers learn the ropes. What's different this time is the presentation, the handling and the weather system, which Codemasters says is the most comprehensive of any racing game to date.
The hands-on E3 demo started with a “media scrum” outside my own personal driver's trailer. This showed off the game's UI which has obviously been redesigned with 2009's edgy, yet stylish DiRT 2 firmly in mind, with not only a gaggle of mic-waving media waiting for me, but a handful of saucy race groupies as well. One of the most obvious improvements to the game is the settings which are done by answering a series of questions about what you like and who you want to drive for, rather than paging through menu after boring menu. After turning on the appropriate number of driver's aids for a Formula 1 novice like me, I was set on a sunlit track in Belgium, which with its hairpin turns was unfortunately not made for a novice like me.
That said, the controls were simple enough, despite the team's focus on authentic simulation handling. F1 2010 takes into account not only aerodynamics and tire temperature, but weather as well. In what Codemasters is calling the most comprehensive weather system of any racing game to date, players will have to anticipate the effects of rain by choosing the right tires and knowing how to drive on a wet, dry or mostly-dry-but-puddle-filled track. Having started on a clear, sunny day, I suddenly had to deal with clouds rolling in and big, fat raindrops on my windshield as well as a car that suddenly felt entirely different, especially around corners. The AI drivers seemed to handle the change in weather like champs though, thanks to F1 2010's “Active Track Technology”.
With this system, the Codemasters team has obviously put in a lot of effort toward instilling the AI drivers with personality and unique driving styles, the better for players to get to know them and understand their competition. In general, the AI's had an overhaul as evidenced not only in the drivers but in the pit stops which rather than implying the chaos of a mid-race pit stop, actually create it by featuring fifteen-man mocapped teams. These sequences, as well as the impressive-looking Flashback feature - the ability to rewind mistakes as seen in other racing games - made it plain that the graphics have also had something of an overhaul.
In addition to racing improvements, the biggest change in the F1 series is its new tagline—“Live the life.” which refers to most F1 drivers' jet-set lifestyles. There's huge money in F1 racing; teams spend between $40 and $400 million per season, with top drivers earning up to $50 million per season. In F1 2010, everything—from the simulation to the sexy new UI—is built to support the idea of you getting as close as humanly possible to being a multi-million dollar earning, Pussycat Doll-dating F1 driver like say, Lewis Hamilton.
With only a few months left before release, F1 2010 is looking pretty good. From what was shown at E3, the game appears to be a distinct improvement over the aggressively mediocre F1 2009 in terms of well, pretty much everything. Couple that with its new fiction-heavy career mode and jazzy new presentation, and American audiences just might take notice. F1 2010 comes out this September on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
