F1 2012 PlayStation 3
Metascore
81 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
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  1. IGN
    Sep 17, 2012
    90
    For those willing to play by the rules, there's an amazing wealth of content to be found here – easily Codemasters' finest Formula One outing.
  2. Machinima
    Sep 17, 2012
    90
    But if you're a big fan of F1 – or motorsports in general – and you're up for a challenge, you can't go wrong. F1 2012 feels like it comes from a developer that truly gets the sport and has tried not just to simulate the handling of an F1 car, but capture an insider glimpse of what its like to have an F1 career. And it totally nails both.
  3. Multiplayer.it
    Sep 25, 2012
    90
    F1 2012 is what the fans of the circus are waiting for. Refined handling, new contents and above all the ultimate F1 experience.
  4. PSX-Sense.nl
    Oct 1, 2012
    90
    Everything except for the audience and a lack of punishment for crashing in multiplayer has been improved, which makes F1 2012 the best Formula One game yet.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 33 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 2 out of 8
  1. x420Raptor
    9
    Codemasters have yet again delivered us a fantastic racing game for all types of gamers. Notoriously this is a fans game, much like other sports games, if you`re a fan of the sport, you will love this game and be able to comprehend the technical side of things (Limited as they may be in the game). Theres a definite equalisation between wheel users and controller users, unlike the last game, where anyone with a wheel had an automatic 3 second per lap advantage over controller users.

    This time, we controller users can really take the fight to them!

    The graphics are a great improvement over the last version, with the cars and environment looking especially nice. Wet weather has had a BIG improvement, the graphics on track and off the rain heading towards the track is very immersive and wet weather has become very tricky to drive on now.

    The major changes to the game are important to note as of course they match real life changes in the sport:

    - No blown diffuser, this is the big change in the game, you will notice a huge difference in traction at low speed corners and mid speed corners without this diffuser. In 2012, you really have to apply the throttle gradually coming out of any hairpins, or even chicanes otherwise because of the reduced downforce given from the BD, you will spin out. This is noticeable in the mid-speed corners too if you try and turn in a little bit too early or correct in the middle of a sweeping corner youll find the car a lot more twitchy on the steering and will risk spinning. Lots more car control required, just what we like!

    braking bias - Although i havent tested the braking bias extensively yet, ive had a few stabs at it here and there, you can get through most corners on all tracks without switching your brake bias to the front or rear while out on track, However ive noticed a few lock ups when trying to brake a bit later and gain lap time. So it will definitely aid in eeking out those final tengths.

    -A.I. Finally the computer are worth racing, theyve really amped up the difficulty on the computer. I know for most of us the computer SUCKED in previous games, it was normal to be faster than the computer by 3 seconds a lap on legend difficulty. Not now though, in multiplayer ive seen legend difficulty destroy some people on the wheels. I myself havent struggled overly with the A.I but they are definitely more competitive, and will hound you especially with the huge DRS boost. In single player they were a lot mor challenging, especially when in a force india, Im not sure if its because i didnt have setups yet, but Paul di resta was beating my ass in qualifying which was a big surprise, Im pretty sure he outqualified me by over a second. Some of that may be down to the lack of a full setup, some the difficulty increase in the A.I

    All in all a very enjoyable game for a fan especially, the car sounds have been vastly improve, the graphics are good, the racing is fantastic and i love racing the game so far. Possible improvements: - More interaction with interviewers
    - More technical analysis for us true fans    … Full Review »
  2. darkwraith
    8
    F1 2012 is a great improvement over last years game graphically but only because last year they dropped the ball and the graphics sucked. F1 2012 is the game we should have got last year but saying that this years annual outing is the best yet. with an improved menu system quicker load times and a weather system that now looks even better. The cars look pristine as well . as do the tracks themselves .
    as well as career mode there are a few extra modes this year, with the young drivers test to complete before the career mode begins. young drivers test is basically a tutorial for new players/ refresher for pro racers a fun but throw away mode that is over as quick as it started getting gold in all challenges does unlock extra teams for use in career as well. there is time trial, and the new time attack were you are challenged to beat a pro official racers time or complete certain objectives. there is also a kind of mini career grandprix mode set over ten races. Online seems quicker this year and the leaderboards update quickly . choices are quick race, race weekend ,and the 25%,50% endurance races. my only bad point is that in online races, if people join or leave the lobby it appears in a big white box right in the centre of the screen and covers your car while active this can be annoying when its happening every few minutes. unbelievable that this wasnt brought up when testing. And a new social racing site for stats and race community racenet adds even more. over-all a good release this year and the best F1 game to date.    … Full Review »
  3. Mega_Killer969
    9
    Codemasters, A genius in the driving genre. Their latest attempt at the F1 racing game franchise has been pretty impressive to say the least. The improvements upon their last release in 2011 was amazing. The way in which the handling of the car can change suddenly will catch the best of drivers out at sometime in the game. Legends of the previous game in 2011 will be put back into the seat of a rookie. GOOD POINTS
    The new addition of the young drivers test in November before the career starts helps to get the new players of the games into the race seat faster and better than before. You get to drive for 1 of 3 teams where you will be put through the basics of driving a formula one car. These will be from acceleration to braking and turning a corner to activating the DRS (Drag Reduction System, A small flap in the rear wing will open allowing air through to reduce the drag on the car making it go faster.) After you have completed the basics of tests you can then burn through as many laps of Abu Dhabi as you wish in dry or wet conditions. Depending on how you perform at the test will limit what teams offer you a contract to drive for. The Career is now started and the career is not as immersive as last year as the developers pulled first and second practice days before the game was released to shops. This leaves you with only 1 hour of practice to set the car up. The plus side this year is the parc-ferme. Last year you were able to change the set up of the car during and after the qualifying session. This year the only thing you can change is the front wing angle. The handling as said earlier is vastly improved so the players with a steering wheel do not have a 3 second advantage over the controller. With this the restriction from last year’s blow diffuser has also made the cars more loose in the corners, Now you cannot full throttle out of the hairpins as the cars step out. The wet weather simulation has also been improved to a great extent where it can be raining on one corner of the track or 50% wet on the track, This makes decision making for you to switch to the intermediate a race winning or losing decision, If you are brave enough you will stay out until you lose grip. But then if you have a high speed set up with little or near no down force then a little rain can cause you to spin off and you can damage a wing or puncture a tyre. This means you limp back to the pits slowly and that can ruin a whole race weekend. The other new thing that is great is the improved penalty system, Not only do you get penalties but the AI also get them, You can also never gain an advantage from running over the pit exit line. BAD POINTS
    The bad things about the new game is. When you drive off the track the developers have put a speed limiter on the cars so you cannot gain an advantage, This in fact makes you very disadvantaged as in Germany the hairpin turn where Vettel ran off and overtook Button in 2012 made a controversy and this allows the AI who is on the track to get a 4-7 second advantage depending on the under steer you suffered. The biggest part of the game is the fact that you cannot still see where the AI are behind you until they are within a metre of your rear wheels and this means if you pull a defence move then you get the penalty. The other bad part is when you pull into some pit lanes it says you cut the corner and penalises you. OVERALL
    Overall the game left me feeling like a real Formula One Driver as when I crashed the car from a silly mistake I felt like I let the team down, If I got penalised for something that I did not do I was annoyed and when I won I felt like I did the easy part. The only 2 things I feel the game is missing are 1, The formation lap at the beginning of the race to pre-warm the tyres, 2, The trophy collection, I feel like I am in the dark at which races I won and which season they were won in. Personally I liked the new menus, They are faster and show the best car in the back ground (The one you race most in) The fact that they include a new mode where you get to challenge people from around the world with their Race Net connection is a nice feature, This allows you to check on specific details of your career online. Other than that I think this game is a little better than the previous version.    … Full Review »
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