Codemasters' F1 2010 fills a yearning chasm, and it jumps its first hurdle brilliantly; this is as visceral a take on the art of threading 600bhp through less than half a tonnes' worth of steel, carbon fibre and rubber as a console's ever seen. Driving these things is every bit as joyous as it should be, and the cars manage to nail the perfect blend of being predictable yet terrifying; bulls-eying apexes is an easy enough exercise thanks to the pounds of downforce generated by the car's wings, but braking and acceleration can prove delightfully skittish as they threaten to spear themselves into the nearest wall – and any worries that the arcade bent of DiRT and GRID would make its way to F1 2010 are extinguished in one run.
Going wheel to wheel is fun and fair in F1 2010.
For those first few laps there'll be more trips to the gravel trap than Kamui Kobayashi manages in the course of a season, and the flashback feature is likely to be leant on often. It's an exacting art, then, and not something that's in-tune with the quick fix sensibilities of some other racers. Tracks must be studied in detail, and quite often there's a lot to learn too – it's not just about the angle and camber of each corner, it's also about that violent bump that awaits at the exit, that run-off area that rapidly encroaches the track or that kerb that can be flat-lined to skim another few precious tenths off a lap-time.
What F1 2010 has inherited from its racing stable-mates is some startling visuals courtesy of the EGO engine. The cars are, as they well should be, objects to be lusted after, and all 12 models are brilliant facsimiles of the real thing. It's a shame, though, that they're not subject to the superlative damage model of Codemasters' other games hasn't made the jump, as a 180mph encounter with a concrete wall never amounts in anything more than a wheel shearing off and a lost nose cone.
Rendering the often lifeless autodromes of the F1 circus can be a thankless task, but there's precision and personality in the depiction of all 19 tracks – and some of the season's idiosyncratic events have been captured handsomely. Monaco's a genre benchmark that F1 2010 rises to confidently, and it's as good to look at as it is fun to drive, with the framerate only dipping when all 24 cars are jostling on the same stretch of tarmac.
From Singapore to Silverstone, the tracks have been brilliantly realised.
Other staples such as Monza, Spa and Silverstone also impress, but it's some of the newer circuits where F1 2010 gets to flex its visual muscle. Singapore's night race is as novel and dynamic as the real thing, while Abu Dhabi's preposterous Yas Marina is a true marvel. True to life the race takes place under a setting sun, and shifting light that's reflected in the colossal and futuristic trackside hotel is a real spectacle. It's indicative of a dynamic weather system that's the best in the genre – at least it is until Gran Turismo 5 launches later this year. Clouds drift across tracks and ambient temperature has a noticeable effect on the on-track action; there's a tangible difference between taking to the circuit for an overcast Friday morning's first practice with cold brakes and fresh rubber to pounding the same course in the blazing heat of a Saturday afternoon, for example.
When those clouds bear rain the effect is more profound. Wet weather driving is both a joy and a nightmare; traction is slashed dramatically - as is vision when caught in the rooster tail of spray of a leading car - and driving in heavy rain for the duration of a race can be a harrowing experience. Thankfully the deluges often subside over time and the track visibly dries. It's here that tactics come into play, and the timing of a decision to shift to slicks can either win or lose a race; either way, finding grip in such conditions is an equally cerebral task.
With such an exhilarating driving model and an attention to the sport's finer details, F1 2010's foundations are fantastic - and it's only in a handful of problems that Codemasters' game prevents itself from joining the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo at the top of class. The career mode offers up the bulk of the experience, and it promises plenty and delivers much. True to the developer's other efforts it's impeccably presented, with a pristine motorhome housing the campaign's options. Day or night F1 2010's a handsome game.
It's the familiar tale of working your way from the back of the grid to the front, and of getting from a Lotus to a McLaren in a career that can take in either three, five or seven seasons, though it's told with a few novel twists. Your team-mates performance is the yardstick by which you're judged, and out-perform them and you'll be party to car upgrades that are developed and introduced throughout the course of a season. It's something that's reflected in the press conferences that await the top three finishers of each race or in the questions of the journalists that dwell outside the player's motorhome. But despite Codemasters' best intentions it falls flat; responses to the questions are limited and universally banal, while the questions themselves soon become repetitive. It is well short of the kind of engagement that both GRID and DiRT 2 offered, and it leaves the actual racing itself to do all the legwork.
The good news is that the races are thoroughly enjoyable affairs. Other drivers show respect for the player as well as a little personality, and wheel to wheel confrontations are both fair and rewarding. Despite the ban on refuelling this year tactics still play a part, and the timing of the one mandatory pitstop can be crucial to getting a good result – while trying to stretch a set of tires beyond their lifespan to eke another place is a test of endurance and concentration.
Wet weather driving's a real challenge.
Other problems are oversights that bare the fact that this is Codemasters' first crack of the official F1 whip. Presentation during the race can be inconsistent, and the bespoke in-game menu can be confusing – which is baffling seeing as the existing one used in broadcasts is perfectly functional. Also the only way to put a driver of your choice through the 2010 season is by setting up a playlist of Grand Prix, an odd omission, and finally there's no real data or telemetry to be mined in between sessions – a gripe for the more dedicated, perhaps, but it's a vital part of a such a technical sport.
CLOSING COMMENTS
But such teething problems don’t obscure the fact that F1 2010 is easily the best Grand Prix game since Geoff Crammond was on the beat. Its driving is second to none and is brought alive by a dynamic weather system, while its racing is as thrilling as the real thing. It’s an exacting take by a team that clearly understands what makes F1 tick, and while a handful of issues hold it back from challenging Forza and Gran Turismo just yet, for now racing fans can rest assured that the world’s fastest sport is in safe hands.
IGN UK RATINGS FOR F1 2010 (X360)
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