The fourth entry in Codemaster's officially-licensed series of Formula One racing games. So if ever you thought racing cars were cool as a kid, you need to play F1 2013. It’s a touching ode to an era when Formula One was truly magical. It's a fitting way to conclude current-gen F1, polishing the contemporary and reflecting on the old before the next-gen version inevitably brings in the new in 2014. The F1 2013 package is extremely slick, whichever mode you play, and all the classic content feels like a labour of love. And when Mansell’s iconic 1992 FW14B is included in that bracket, that’s something any true F1 fan is going to need to do. You either need to buy the Classic Edition of the boxed release, or purchase extra DLC. There is also 1990s content, but it doesn’t actually come with the main game. There's a big catch with all of this great classic content, too. Best example? Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ is in the game (yes!), but only over the end credits (sigh). It’s so close to the perfect F1 racer yet so painfully far away. Prost isn’t feuding with Senna he’s driving a 1980 Williams behind thought-we’d-seen-the-last-of-him Michael Schumacher in a 1988 Ferrari. Mansell isn’t dummying Piquet down Hanger Straight-it’s an anachronistic Damon Hill. So you’re left with a sort of halfway house between the best fan-pleasing content ever seen in a racer and the most disappointing. "There is also 1990s content, but you either need to buy the Classic Edition, or purchase extra DLC" The most notable omission is classic McLarens, which are not present anywhere in the game. Sure, you can have a 1980s Grand Prix, but this pits cars almost a decade apart in time against each other, as no one year’s license has been replicated in full. There’s nothing else like it on current-gen.īut while individual replications of classic cars are superb, unfortunately the same can’t be said for the collective. Grip the wheel, grit your teeth, and hurtle around those flat-out right-handers around the back of the track and feel like a real F1 driver. But with a steering wheel and pedals, it’s something else entirely. With a pad it’s a compulsive obsession hunting for the best line. You get online leaderboards, graded medals with ghost laps to beat, and some devilish corners to master. Taking the 1988 Williams out around Jerez in Time Attack is a microcosm of not just everything that makes F1 so great, but racing games too. The result is raw, powerful, malleable, and responsive. In trying to make these cars feel as exciting as your mind is telling you they should feel, a delicious arcade/sim hybrid has been created. Codemasters has had to take an educated guess at how these machines feel to drive in the modern day, but the result is exceptional. And yes, that means no Senna either."īut the real joy is in driving them. "The most notable omission is classic McLarens, which are not present anywhere in the game. Understandably, the old cigarette advertising is gone, but that aside, the cars all look incredibly authentic. Racing cars with big fat tyres, massive front and rear wings, and cockpits that show the drivers’ heads and shoulders. Firstly, modern F1 cars can’t hold a candle to some of the machines on offer here. The value of this retrotastic bonus material cannot be emphasised enough. Perhaps the most defining characteristic of this year's F1 racer is its inclusion of some of the best fan-pleasing content out there, in the shape of 1980s classic cars. Your lap times will decrease, you’ll look more professional, and-above all-you’ll feel the benefits as you soar out of the turn on the other side. Instead, you’ll set your car up for the turn, place it on the racing line and ease the car through. No longer will you feel like chucking the car hard over raised kerbs on corner apexes on full lock at 150mph. Not only will your tyres last longer if you look after them (a theme all-too prevalent in real F1 this year), but you’ll learn to respect corners more. As a result, you’re constantly taught how to be a more successful driver.
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