F1 2016 Review

Don’t. Cut. Corners.

Fans of auto-racing can be found throughout the globe. Whether it be Nascar, Rallycross, dirt track, or classic trails, there are plenty of different racing disciplines to give fans their favorite experience when it comes to these mechanical beasts. Of course each type has its own unique style and all can boast about their legion of followers. But there’s always been something about Formula 1 racing we all can’t ignore.

First off, these aren’t the kind of cars sitting in your uncle’s garage collecting dust. At least not my uncle; he has a worn out, yet still smooth ’64 Chevy Impala SS. Next, the costs of F1 racers are astronomical. The average price will run somewhere in the range of two-million dollars and that’s low-balling. Further, the technical skill and awareness a driver must possess to pilot one of these bad boys must be on point. And so F1 2016 speeds its way through the crowd in hopes of not only satisfying the truest of hardcore F1 fans but newcomers as well.

Just at first glance, it’s a delight to see such detail with each individual car and driver. Outfitted with custom logos and sponsorships, the vehicles tremendously resemble their real-to-life counterparts. Beyond the cars, tracks have been mimicked almost flawlessly, giving that feeling of what it's like to be at such historic and magical places from around the world.

There are a handful of countries whose tracks are currently available to visit: USA, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Spain, of course Monaco, and a few other spots. Each city and track is highlighted by a pre-race presentation, showing the surrounding area with commentators giving specific stats about past races, and all the hoopla that goes on around the drivers. Of course, F1 2016 will be challenging even if you have the skill, knowledge, and preparation. I of course attempted to forget the help and assists, ticked the legend setting, and got going. Safe to say, I highly overestimated my abilities and ended destroying my right axle.

Fear not, though, for there are plenty of teaching modules and other highly useful tools when learning the ropes. One way to begin is to jump right into career mode and start your work early. Selecting either career or pro career, you’ll begin by creating a personal character and picking a race team to join, the aim being to move up the rankings, along with a teammate of your choosing, in hopes of becoming the world's top driver. But there’s very little besides racing that keeps career mode interesting. It’s a fun way to put yourself in the shoes of an F1 racer but Codemasters help us little finding shoes that fit.

Session tutorials are available before actually steeping onto the raceway. When it comes to a successful race, learning how to properly approach turns and when to pass a racer are extremely important. But things like tire management play key roles as well. It’s important to keep an eye on your vitals throughout the race, or it might come back to hurt you in the end. The better your race and finishes, the more points you’re able to earn for engine and player unlocks.

All of the learning guides, tutorials, and overall lead-up, however, almost distracts from the actual racing, which at its core, is exciting and mocks reality fairly well. There are plenty of game modes in F1 2016, but it’s also nice to simply get a race going. Playing multiplayer online is also a great way to gauge where you need to be technically and how far you are from truly mastering the wheel. To ease some frustrations, setting customization sets the bar high, as there are a multitude of ways you can tune your settings to your liking. As it is with racers and their relationship with their head engineers, it’s important to balance your car’s features to a setting that works for you.

A championship season and time trial mode are both accessible and each will push you to your talent limits. Overall, the mix in gameplay and modes are both satisfying and rewarding. Above all, the pure physics system and exact handling of cars are what fans should enjoy the most. Even for those who aren’t quite familiar of the sport or don’t play racing simulators, F1 2016 has a little bit of everything for everyone.