It's quite fun, but flawed. Sometimes it all works great, the elements of F1 are there, such as deciding whether to use the pit lane now and lose some time, or take the hit and try to get ahead anyway. There's also a fuel mode where picking up fuel slows you down, another interesting addition. There are also famous bits of the tracks thrown in, KERS boosts, and of course all the teams and drivers (and the F1 pink Girlie team everyone has heard of). I'm also fine with no powersliding, this if F1 Race Stars, not Rally Race Stars. Then on the other hand you have the chaos that really detracts from the experience. Powerups are too frequent, especially for the AI drivers, who use them constantly and you see yourself losing several places within a few seconds, and being stuck with a malfunctioning car and limping to the pits only to lose a few more places. Not to mention the powerups someone should have been fired over, like the "teleport to first place" one, which will sometimes see someone just materialize in front of you before the finish line. There's also a boost at the start if you power your engine at the right time, but all the AI drivers seem to get it anyway as I never make up any places with the boost at the start, so what's the point? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the game but it really needs some kind of patching or a re-think if they're going for Race Stars 2. The tracks are fun and colourful, the drivers look good and the racing, when it works, is great. Something needs to be done about the balance and randomness of it all, though.…Full Review »
Race, karting, fun. All these elements are in this game. I can't understand people complaining of the power-ups. They're "mostly" well-balanced except that rocket power-up that flies you to first place. I just love the challenge in this game and play again and again if I fail. Because it's FUN. And fun is what I look for in a karting game. The graphics are alright (it's good that they're not better otherwise the frame wouldn't be that good). I'd give it something like 8 but due to the ridiculous animosity, I prefer a 9).…Full Review »
So this is what all that experience in the field has lead to? Codemasters should surely know better. Not only is this game a blatant copy of Mario Kart, but it makes absolutely no innovations at all. The tracks are dull and uninspiring, the controls are too simple (can't even get manual you get that on MARIO KART the noobiest of the noobiest racing games!) and the driving physics are non-existent. No handbrake, no gears. Just accelerate and brake. Sure it's simple and easy to grasp but we're talking about a supposed F1 game. What's the point of having real F1 drivers (which look horrible in this game) and different teams when all cars are the same, there are no driving mechanics or any depth whatsoever and the powerups are straight copies from other games? The graphics are nice and I suppose it is a fairly simple and harmless party game but I really don't see the point in it. On one extreme we have F1 2012 a very dull, boring, unintuitive and unfriendly welcome to those unfamiliar with F1 (despite the fabulous driving physics) but on the other hand we have something so noob-friendly it's laughably pointless. Get it right Codemasters! We want something in between. Not a load of F1 jargon and having to cope with 24 badly programmed AI cars and not Mario Kart. Make an F1 game where all you do is drive round the track trying to get good times. That would work in both arcade and simulation style of racing.…Full Review »
