Stops Cheats
Numerous times on racing games there is that one player that cuts corners and rams other racers of the track. While it isn’t always cheating in more it can be described by unsporting behavior. F1 2013 counters this perfectly slammer penalties onto these racers for things such as an illegal overtake. Cutting corners is stopped with grass and gravel massively hampering the speed of drivers. A nice feature is that gravel is also collected on tyres while driving over it, visibly showing you mistake or a cheat’s failed attempt to cut a corner. Players can even be completely disqualified from a race if they cause multiple crashes or are deemed to be driving dangerously.
Game Types
F1 2013 gives players plenty of choice of what game modes to play. There is the regular Grind Prix mode, where players can determine the regular things such as weather conditions and AI difficulty but gamers can also choose to race over 3 and 5 laps, or 25% 50% or 100% of the full 60-70 lap races. There is also a Career mode where players must make it as an F1 driver themselves. Time trials and time attack modes to enjoy although the second best after the Grand Prix mode has to be Scenario mode. Scenario mode lets gamers recreate experiences from throughout a Formula 1 racing driver’s career and via Classic mode there are also a few extra scenarios to enjoy on Brands Hatch and Jerez De La Frontera.
NOTs
Classic Collisions
When driving this year’s cars, they scratch and the nose cone can be smashed off and the damage is generally in keeping with the high standard of F1 2013’s presentation. Alas, when it comes to the Classic cars whilst they are designed incredibly well they don’t seem to damage more than the odd wing mirror falling off and some scratches – even after head on collisions. Tyres are still damaged which makes it harder to comprehend why the Classic cars do not damage. Hopefully this is something that could be added in a patch as it does detract from the realism that is prevalent throughout the rest of the game.
Unforgiving
It is a fine line between ‘nice and difficult’ and unfair. While F1 2013 isn’t unfair, it is a game that will punish you for making a tiny error. This comes from the levels of realism in the game, so it cannot be taken as too much of a bad thing. Despite this, if you slide off the track in the middle of a 60 lap race you are almost certainly condemned to finish last. It is exactly the same in real life so for hardcore fans it is great but some many think the game is perhaps overly harsh.
Verdict
F1 2013 does a fantastic job of recreating the Formula 1 experience in a videogame. From the speed and thrills of modern racing to the despair at losing a race on the final corner, the good and bad things are all there. Some many think the game is too hard to enjoy but persevere to find an around solid gameplay experience full of fun to be had. The presentation is fantastic and the weather conditions, especially the rain, are almost enough of a reason to buy the game. For Formula 1 fans, this is a great purchase and I would recommend the Classic edition with the bonus Classic content. For those that wish to just jump in some the fats cars on the planet and race F1 2013 will still tick all the boxes for you.
[Editor’s Note: F1 2013 was reviewed on the PC. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
