F1 2017 review

8 years on from the first Codemasters Formula 1 title and F1 2017 might just be the one to put Formula 1 back on the map. It’s depth, precision, and overall presentation is the best I have ever played and I keep going back for more.

I’m not going to deny that in F1 I am more single player today than multiplayer for me and wow what a game they have made!

For now I’ve just got to step back and take in all the subtle differences that 2017 offers.

A online comment from Alex Gillon that for me summed it up completely,

Just finished playing the #F12017 beta and I have to say this is by far the best game yet, but not for reasons you’ll find in any trailer

https://twitter.com/Alex_Gillon/status/895340282539118597

I’m on the full release of the game now and I can definitely back his statement up.

Every aspect of Formula 1 2017 has been improved, areas you would expect a leap such as graphics are there but not just on the cars but in people, scenery tyres, buildings crowds it’s a great leap forward and details appear sharper too.

Sounds are much of a muchness but different engines obviously sound different and all the expected revs, screeches, and sadly I admit to a few collisions are also spot on either on surround sound or headphones.

But all of this is expected, frankly once you in the groove you miss some of this the game itself is where extras have really been added.

Here is an overview of what’s on offer to start with:

F1 2017 Game modes:

Career:

10 seasons on offer to take the worst and rise to the top, or take the top and make it unreachable for others. I’ll go into details on this later but it’s really in-depth.

Grand Prix:

1 race weekend? Or are you looking to create your own series. Jump in and practice tracks and setups perhaps.

Multiplayer:

Test your skills against the other F1 fans, compete in singe races and championships

Time Trials:

Modern or one of 12 Classic Cars? Your choice Both have 24 tracks to practice and improve your times and ultimately beat your friends to the top of the leaderboard

Event:

Specific content provided by Codemasters, I’m currently leading this one (but don’t worry there are only 5 people who have done it as yet)

Challenges must be done to pass these events Currently you must pit for a wing change on Spa and finish the race in 1st place (depending on how well you get back to the pits you exit in 5th with 11 laps to go) But things might take a twist before the end, that’s all i’ll say

Championships:

20 different championships with varied number of races to test yourself including some different race types and scoring criteria, double points etc to make it interesting till the end of each one.

Invitational Events

Another 20 events to compete in where you must meet the criteria to pass the event, the first two are overtake and a PURSUIT CHALLENGE, Varied cars and tracks let alone conditions will hamper your ability to do these first try but it all depends how difficult you have things set to i suppose.

So all this could keep even a committed driver going for months but it’s the variety I like here. Not restricted to just an event or two, more content to follow and unlock, a huge 10 season career that you can make as interesting as you are in F1 and for as much time as you have available.

Career Mode:

There is so much to talk about and without it all sounding like a list I’m going to cover my top 5 items in carer beside the obvious races themselves and teams etc.

Firstly I love the new development tree.

It is split into 4 sections: Powertrain, Chassis Durability and Aerodynamics

As you can see from the image each branch offers varied routes to the best car on the grid, but not only do you have to balance your points to spend on these parts and improvements but the efficiency and the quality control. No point in making a great part that don’t work or that takes a year to develop.

Second which is a simple follow on from the development tree is the practice programs.

Set across 5 areas, the track acclimatization, Fuel saving, Tyre saving qualification practice and race pace they all accumulate along with some side objectives to get the most points for your development tree to spend as you wish.

Needless to say some of them are far too easy and others are a little challenging but this will depend on your own difficulty settings. Make it challenging but not impossible.

Next will be the engine and gearbox management.

As in the real Formula 1 you have a limited supply of power units and gearboxes. Burn them out too fast and you’ll be taking grid penalties by the end of the season. Something I have learned the hard way, despite far exceeding my car’s capabilities I have burned my first internal combustion engine out in just 3 races. At this rate i’ll be 12 races in and need ing new engine parts. Something I’ll be addressing over the next few races by choosing my upgrades carefully.

Next is the in-car adjustments and features on offer. Press your B button to access information about the car’s status and the possible changes you can do mid race along with in your pit stops. A great addition but it could be a bit bigger as even on a 49 inch screen I’m struggling to read it easily.

And finally are the pit crew communications. LB brings up a huge list of discussions that can take place over your mic to get more race information without looking at your screen but also things like weather and overall race status.

All the usual parts are there and i haven’t even touched on safety cars and VSC, another couple of nicely worked additions.

SUMMARY

There is no doubt in my mind that this is the most complete F1 game made ever, so much depth on offer if you want it, flexibility of difficulty is just right and most importantly play-ability is there. Whilst you don’t have to do full races or race weekends, you can, but if you fancy a quick season you can also do this. They have thought of just about everything and for me, I can see many nights lost on F1 2017 and this is without the multiplayer aspect.