With F1 2021, Codemasters are not revolutionizing their licensing. It must be said that the foundations of this game for the general public with limited requirements but far from being an arcade game, laid out in the 2016 authorship, has a lot to do with its recipe for success.
Let’s start this test with the cool novelty of this version: the “Braking Point” mode (or “Point de rupture” in the French version). We were able I told you about the first hour just a few days ago We will make sure not to reveal the development of the story to let you discover it. As mentioned, the dynamics of this written game mode consists of a random sequence of scenes that will present the story (during races and/or between races), pieces of races and complete races, with goals that must be achieved or else they will not be. able to continue the game.
Everyone will judge the history and interest of this mode according to their own expectations, and there is no doubt that it will particularly appeal to a new audience who has become interested in F1 through the series. Formula 1 from Netflix. The fact remains that this is always an amazing exercise when the results obtained by the player greatly exceed expectations but at the same time the story does not really take it into account, not deviating from one point of view. A speck of bars on which it is installed. You will in any case have about four hours to get to the end of the plot, in a situation where the customization of game options is reduced to their simplest and the difficulty is very limited, even at the highest level.
Screenshot F1 2021
Photo: Codemasters
Screenshot F1 2021
Photo: Codemasters
To stay in the game modes, My Team and Career, the confirmed values of the series, do not change much. It benefits, like most other game modes, from the greater customization of game options allowed by the “Expert” mode, which matches the “Normal” and “Normal” driving styles that were already in place last year. This gives the player control over a number of parameters that range from how quickly your driver gains popularity, to the ability to skip interviews or leave development to the team alone. But in general, the game mechanics remain the same as in previous games.
The Research and Development portion is revised and the skill tree is abandoned in favor of a card system that provides an overview of upcoming developments. The free coaching sessions see their programs as streamlined but still with goals to be achieved both to better prepare for the event but also to get the rewards of development through secondary goals. The advent of a Quick Workout mode allows you to set session goals without having to ride yourself if only it interests you to qualify/race. From now on, it will also be possible to play two players, either in cooperation or in two separate teams in career mode.
Screenshot F1 2021
Photo: Codemasters
Screenshot F1 2021
Photo: Codemasters
Apart from that, there are the classic game modes which are Grand Prix and Time Trial. On the other hand, we note the disappearance of the Championship mode: there is already a format that allows competition, except for career modes, the entire 2021 season of F1, but it is now classified in the “Grand Prix”.
This disappearance of championships, which previously had a variety of interesting possibilities, is linked to an element that has been slightly emphasized in Codemasters connections, the elimination of classic cars. In fact, even if it was mentioned publicly in some interviews, a number of players would undoubtedly be surprised. A situation for which we can only regret even if, in the end, this is just a logical continuation of the recall of the very old cars that were run in F1 2020. We all note that one of the selling points of the previous authorship was to take advantage of the Deluxe Edition giving access, among other things , to many of Michael Schumacher’s emblematic cars and even that many legendary drivers can be accessed by hiring in the My Team mode in F1 2021. In short, if we understand that a lot of resources have been directed towards the braking point, one wonders if these three hours or The four truly deserve to erase one of the official game’s rare nods to the discipline’s past…
Screenshot F1 2021
Photo: Codemasters
Screenshot F1 2021
Photo: Codemasters
It remains to be seen if EA Sport’s arrival at the helm and players’ appetite for the old single seat, this will not be an opportunity to access, later, additional content that is clearly paying off… Content, it must be remembered that not all of the 2021 season circuits will be there. When the game is released: In fact, Imola, Portimao and Jeddah for free will be added later via the update. The same goes for the 2021 F2 season which will happen after the game is released.
These ignition delays, while temporary, necessarily leave a bitter aftertaste, especially since some of the tracks in the game have not been developed at all to take into account recent changes (Barcelona turning 10, Melbourne adjustments) or frequent revisions (SPA). If most of the plots have been reworked graphically as part of this version’s improvement, which marks the arrival of the license on new generation consoles, we can still expect more…
As for the online multiplayer mode, even if it is very difficult to navigate due to the lack of players available, it finally allows (on PC only) to record its own race (only, it is impossible to follow that of other players on these videos) in complete with Accessibility via the “drop room”. For the rest, apart from the different design of the lobbies to allow adaptation to the different levels of the players, we stay on the classic style. It remains to be seen whether the game will finally take the measure of interest in highlight quality, particularly across eSports competitions, for spectator mode, which has been sorely missing in recent years.
We’ve talked about customizing the game options but obviously the player’s appearance in the game remains essential with the return of the Boutique and the Podium Pass which will allow players, with the help of the many hours they spend facing the challenges offered and/or buying packages of bitcoins, to afford something that gives their creativity freedom, in Framework models offered by the game of course. Finally, on the shelf, a welcome but widely documented novelty for several weeks: the damage to many parts of the car clearly adds realism to the whole.
Screenshot F1 2021
Photo: Codemasters
Screenshot F1 2021
Photo: Codemasters
In conclusion, F1 2021 remains a benchmark in its field, that is, presenting a Formula 1 game to the widest possible audience. In addition to graphic as in sensations and single-player modes, the game is faithful to the line drawn for five and only takes advantage of what works by adding touches of modernity. We’ll leave Braking Point to the discretion of each of us, with each breath determining that those hours of gameplay were unforgettable for us.
We also welcome efforts to further personalize the game options which will allow everyone to tailor their own gaming experience, be it solo or online. The license should still be available and everything is done so that most novice or casual players will find their happiness, without it being done at the expense of more experienced or hardcore players.
On the other hand, even if the game is well-made, it still isn’t a good idea to let it go by cutting it off from a portion of the content one can legitimately expect. We still think that for a license that releases one title per year, the failure to deliver all 23 planned tracks in the initial calendar as well as updated versions of some of the other 20 is disappointing. It gets even worse when classic cars disappear on top of all this.
F1 2021 will be available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC on July 16, three days before the Deluxe Edition pre-orders.
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