PS3 Games Review

F1 2010 is a fun and faithful re-creation of the most challenging series in motorsports, and while it has some minor issues, it's a good start for Codemasters' new franchise. The racing is appropriately challenging, the sense of speed is impressive, and both the cars and the circuits that they race around are re-created realistically. If you're a fan of Formula One you're sure to get a lot of enjoyment out of the game, and with challenges that include time trials, individual races, and a time-consuming seven-year career mode, you're unlikely to tire of it anytime soon.

All of the cars, teams and tracks of the current Formula One season are represented in F1 2010, and it's hard to find fault with the re-creation of any of them. The way that cloud cover, grandstands, and over-hanging track markers are accurately reflected on the car chassis when playing in the cockpit view serves to heighten the sense of immersion, even if you're too focused on the track to fully appreciate them. The tracks are just as impressively rendered, though ironically it's when things become slightly obscured by rain that the game's graphics start to shine. The visibility changes as cars spray standing water into the air, the racing line starts to dry realistically as a result, and the spatters of rain on the camera mimic what you might see from inside a racing helmet. Details like these really show off F1 2010's visuals at their best, and they have a noticeable impact on gameplay as well. What audio there is also works well; you only have the impressive roar of your engine and a little dialog on the radio to keep you company during races, but given the amount of concentration required to make it around the tracks, this is no bad thing.

F1 2010 is a racer set very firmly in the simulation camp. Fully customisable difficulty settings let you turn on a range of assists and aids, but the lack of tutorials makes launching into a season a daunting task for newcomers to the world of simulation racing. The believable modelling of things like rainfall, tyre degradation, and even the drying and rubbering in of tracks add a great deal to this deep and enjoyable simulation, and the damage modelling is generally impressive too. Break a front wing and you not only see realistic impact on your vehicle as you lose sections of chassis, but you immediately feel a loss of grip. The damage modelling can be seen at its best when two racers in front of you collide and you see parts from both cars explode across the track--something that's fairly common as you head into the first corner, or when less-experienced drivers are over-ambitious in the wet.

If all you want to do is get into a car and race, F1 2010 has you covered. You can create custom races individually or as part of a series, and each can last as little as one lap. Alternatively, taking part in time trials is a great way to both familiarize yourself with the game's 19 tracks and to see how your times compare to other players' on online leaderboards. If you want a meatier challenge, then custom Grands Prix can be set up to follow whole race weekends with full-length races, or you can dive into the game's extensive career mode.

The simulation of F1 isn't quite complete, however. There are no safety cars deployed even in full-length races; the only mechanical failures in races other than tyre wear are those caused by impacts; and poor AI in overcrowded pit lanes can lead to much longer stops than are realistic as AI-controlled vehicles seemingly taking priority. The way the game presents information and the amount of information shown in-game are likely to disappoint many sim fans. Telemetry information is almost nonexistent, except for colour indications on car parts that alert you to damage or non-optimal temperatures, and there's no actual fuel gauge--just an indicator when you're running low which appears when you have three or fewer laps left.

When setting up custom matchups online, race lengths can be anything from one-lap wonders to multiple Grands Prix strung together in a mini championship. These can include qualifying sessions to determine grid position, or you can set grid position to be decided randomly or based on results of previous races or online ranking. As well as being random or user-selected, car choice can also be enforced based on rankings--and both can be set up by the host to distribute cars and grid places in reverse order as well, which adds a nice range of variety among friends with mixed skill levels. The one downside is that there are no options for teams to race online. Grids are also limited to 12 drivers online, with only one driver from each team taking part.

Whether you're skidding around the Bus Stop at Spa in the rain or tearing out of the Parabolica preparing to hit the pit straight in Monza, F1 2010 does a good job of re-creating the excitement and action of driving a Formula One car. Clearly there is still room for improvement, but despite its occasional quirks, F1 2010 is a game that any fan of Formula One or simulation racing would do well to take for a spin.