F1 is back, this time with its little brother F2 along for the ride
Now before we even begin to discuss the Formula 1, can we please just take a second to acknowledge something that CodeMasters have done that fans have been requesting for ages? FORMULA 2! That's right, Formula 2 is now in this game and it's so fun! If you have ever watched an F2 race and then an F1 race on TV, you'll immediately notice one thing. More wheel to wheel, which is one of the reasons why people consider Formula 1 being unfair because you have the major teams like Mercedes Petronas, RedBull and Ferrari always claiming the podium and then the smaller teams like Williams never leaving the back of the pack at the finish line.
However, with Formula 2 each team has a similar budget and similar engine, meaning more wheel to wheel action that all the fans always want, consider it like Formula E but with actual racetracks and not sounding like Dyson Vacuum Cleaners. When you play the F2 championship you can immediately tell the difference in performance compared to the normal F1 car but at the same time it's a great way for new players to get a handle on the tracks, pitting strategies, racing lines and how to handle road rage.
In the career mode you start off halfway during an F2 championship as a rising champion. Each race is a different situation halfway through such as getting damage on your wing, close call with another rival and so on. It is a shame that you don't do the full calendar for the F2 season as it adds more playtime and brings more achievement for ranking up to the F1 roster.
Once you complete the scenarios, you've done it. You are then offered a few contracts with the F1 teams, each team has a different expectation of you, for example Ferrari and Mercedes expect podium finishes, Toro Rosso expect middle field and Williams... well to just finish basically.
Now this is where my pet peeve kicks in. You meet your team of engineers and they are the exact same as F1 2018, now of course its only 1 year but I mean it's the exact same and its stuff like that that really defers me. You can do amazing graphics, beautiful cars but you can't do a new character or even new pit crew recordings.
However, when you are taking part in the championships you tend to forget all of that as you are surrounded by drivers who are being paid way more than you and know what they are doing, except for me even though I've played each F1 title since 2010.
Shall we move onto the multiplayer? Let me sum it up in one word for you. Toxic. Yes, nothing but toxic, people hitting you off the track, purposely being an absolute buzz kill when they are in last, you are very lucky if you join a game where everyone abides by the rules. Still a few glitches going around but there are constant patches being delivered, which is a good sign from a developer. If you want a pure championship with real players you are better off looking for a website that specialises in F1 game nights.
So overall I love this game, simulation of pure racing is insane, keeping the drivers on high difficulty with simulation damage really gives you the feeling of anxiety and pressure, especially when you deactivate the rewind feature meaning you make a mistake, you'd better hope you can recover quickly if not that could be your championship ruined. The multiplayer aspect? I'd just stick to single player for the time being or look up websites for professional leagues as they are quite popular.