F1: 2012 - Playstation 3

Let me start this off by saying that i've put a lot of time into the first two games (2010 and 2011) and this probably the best so far. I'll be breaking down the review into sections with a run down of the basic parts of the game.First off, when you start the game you run into the Young Drivers Test which is smartly disguised as a tutorial for beginners to the series. Since I already knew how the games played, it felt quite tedious having the game telling me what button to press to activate KERS since i've already done it hundreds of times, but it was a great time to use to get used to the game. I had just bought a new wheel to play this game it with and it certainly helped me come to grips with it.Once you finish the drivers test, you get to choose a team to drive for in your career. Which teams are available depends on your performance in the YDT so be sure to try your best. After that, the game drops you off in the main menu and you can choose to do what you wish.Quick Race - is what the name says. You choose a driver, track, conditions/settings, and off you go.Multiplayer - Honestly, I've only done one online race in the last two/three years and was not impressed at all. There are too many variables that you can't control that I don't think it's worth the frustration. I don't want to turn away anyone from this component of the game though, so you'll have to read other reviews if you want an insight on multiplayer since I have zero experience with this part.Career - Same as before. You start with a low to mid level team (depending on the YDT) and work your way up the chain. This years Career mode has been greatly improved, starting with a complete overhaul of the menu from previous games. Everything this year feels so much more streamlined and intuitive. The teammate challenge is focused on more this year as well, as the first page you come upon when you enter the Career menu is a comparison of how you and your teammate have performed so far. You also have less selection in terms of race distances, I forget what the smaller distances were, but the longer ones were only 25%, 50%, or 100%(where as in 2011 you had more choices). This isn't necessarily a bad thing for me, I already did 50% races in 2011, but it may make it tough for people who liked to choose the distances that have been removed.Proving Grounds - The Time Attack and Time Trial modes are back. Time Attack puts you in the seat of a pre-selected car in tracks with varying conditions with a target time to beat, it's really fun trying to find how to beat the Gold time. Time Trial is just you in a car and track you selected with your quickest time(you can also choose someone else's time from the Leaderboards) and you just try to beat the times. New this year is the Champions Mode which puts you up against the six world champions that participated in the 2012 season. Each champion has their own individual challenge (that plays to their strengths) and has a final challenge where you have to beat them all in a shootout. This is a really fun mode and trying to get Gold in every challenge is not that easy.The game was filled with glitches that were very frustrating at times, but they have all been repaired as of the writing of this review and the game works great.Smaller things to touch on:-Cars handle great. It may vary with different setups, but the cars feel so great when you have a great setup on.-Engines sound amazing as usual.-You can now adjust brake bias when you're on track, a feature missing from the last two games.Overall, it's a great game and certainly one that an F1 fan(new or old) will enjoy.Edit: I see that some reviews say to try out the demo first and then decide whether to buy or not, I would not suggest this. The demo has not seen any of the patches that have gone into the current game and there is a considerable difference in how the cars handle between both versions.

I'm a long time F1 fan. I love racing games. I also have a modest amount of experience driving real, open wheeled, race cars (but certainly not anything as advanced or as powerful as a F1).This game seems to have been developed with ONE criteria in mind. First and foremost was to INCLUDE EVERY POSSIBLE NUANCE OF F1 RACING within the game. It seems it was only an afterthought to create a realistic (or fun) driving experience. The game features such nuances as: choosing a team, having a good pit stop strategy, making wise tire choices, setting up your car correctly, and even how you handle press interviews (to improve your standing within the team). Even behind the wheel you have such nuances as DRS and KERS which you can activate if you happen to know what they are. But good luck if aren't already familiar with these driving options unique to F1 although in the Young Driver tutorials you'll get some help. But generally - you won't find much in the way of a clear explanation.So in the end you have a "driving" game heavily focused on ALL of the nuances of F1 racing yet features a simplistic and poor racing experience. The physics are very poor and far from realistic. The documentation is almost no existent. The bottom line: the racing simply isn't a lot of fun or very realistic.I'm not interested in role playing and/or advancing my career within a racing game. I just want to drive and also race on-line. I found the physics so SIMPLISTIC it was frustrating. But simplistic physics might make the game more playable for some.More Details on the Physics: You will experience basic under-steer (meaning the car fails to respond to your steering if you apply too much brake as you attempt to steer or simply enter a turn too fast). The game also exhibits a crude and basic form of over-steer (meaning the rear tires loose grip and the car wants to spin) but this seems to be limited to when you are too aggressive with the throttle - aka - power over-steer. But the power over-steer is severe and abrupt. Far from realistic. Unfortunately all the subtleties of balance or the ability to pivot (aka rotate) the car, or drift it in a balanced manner are simply not there. That is a key point - on every turn - a F1 car (or any other race car) is drifted into a turn. The physics in this game are so simplistic that they seem almost like an after thought. Yet I assume, those who like the game will not notice these deficiencies. Simplistic physics probably makes the game more playable particularly on a controller. This game offers NONE of the subtitles of driving a real car at the limit, even a low powered one! As noted, I don't necessary mean this as a criticism. Very few gamers would want a true simulation. Cars, driven at their true limits, are very difficult to control. However ---- if you want a true DRIVING simulation - this game offers little approaching that lofty goal!I can drive the game with all aids off and beyond picking an appropriate braking point and guessing about throttle application it is not very difficult and certainly far from realistic. You can get away with any number of mistakes that would cost you dearly in the real world but, and this important to remember, Gran Turismo is not any better. That critique does not mean the game is easy! For a great lap time you need precise braking points, precise throttle application and precise steering. Yet real driving/racing requires far more but actually, with a bit of experience, the real world gives you far better feedback.Other problems: getting a steering wheel to work well with this game is difficult. There are many forum posts complaining about this. Sadly and this is a major criticism of Codemasters - there is NO manual that explains the overall game, or F1 in general or their confusing wheel settings. Let me repeat that again: There is no meaningful manual/user guide available within the game or on the internet (and the tiny brochure included in the packaging just covers the bare basics of playing a game on a PS3). For a game so immersed in the details of Formula One it amazes me there is no real manual. I know the sport extremely well but will everyone?Still, why not drive it yourself, before making a purchase? Why use my criteria or anyone else's to determine if you want to buy this game?????If you own a PS3 ------ you should download the very playable, demo version of this game!To download the demo -----Go to the "Playstation Store" on the main menu of your PS3.Then select "Demos"Then select "New PS3 demos"You will see a number of different demos here yet it is pretty easy to find this game and then download it.Once downloaded you must install it.You will now have a very playable version of this game and will get a true sense of whether you like this game or not. You can try to adjust your wheel or play with just a standard PS3 controller. You can start a career mode and undergo a few driving tests. The demo version gives you a very fair chance to experience the game firsthand but, of course, many features are not available. Yet, the "demo" certainly gives you a fair chance to see if you like this game or not.Why struggle with reviews when you can experience the game first hand?FYI: I have a PS3 and it is connected to an HDTV monitor via an HDMI cable. I also have a Logitech driving force wheel/pedal assembly

Arrived in only an envelope and not in its case - scratched and wouldn't load ! Complete waste of my time and money. Ruined my son's bithday gift. Now trying to get my money back.

Came exactly as advertised

If you want a play a good racing sim game ... then thats what you are looking for ! You get the chance to drive for some of the most prestigious team of F1 racing including Ferrari / Redbull / MClaren ....worth the price !Waiting for next franchise

love f1 and this game with its career mode is fantastic still racing around the globe and loving it! Would buy again in a second

A+