F1 2014
Drive a fast Formula One car along several courses
- Category Racing games
- Program license Paid
- Works under: Windows 8.1
- Program available in English
- Program by Codemasters
F1 2014 is a motor racing sim released on the Windows platform by Codemasters. It is the sixth edition of a franchise which began with F1 2009 on the Nintendo Wii before becoming available as a PC download a year later.
The concept of the game is quite simple. If you think you are the next Vettel, Button or Hamilton, you can test yourself on a number of virtual tracks. In a career mode, you can also join one of the many fully licensed teams and show your mettle over the course of a full season.
While reviews for the game have been mixed to say the least, the driving mode and graphics are quite exceptional. Cars are simple to control without the game becoming over easy, but if you want a real challenge, you can turn off guides and get a more realistic feel where you'll have to think carefully about your vehicle's road position as well as use your mirrors to full effect.
A frustrating thing with past editions was the ease in which cars spun out of control when accelerating but Codemasters has rectified that issue by giving vehicles more grip to the track, even when racing on slicks. Breaking has also been made more powerful, meaning you can get right into the corners before having to slam on. For those used to tearing around the track on the 2013 version, this can a bit of getting used to. As with last year, you really need to get into a car's slipstream to overtake.
Another new introduction is hybrid engines. This does not make much of difference in reality, but the engine note can become tiresome due to the turbo making a whistling noise.
Other updates? Err, that's pretty much it. It seems that Codemaster's view is 'if it's not broken don't fix it' as this game differs little from 2013's offering. The Red Bull Ring in Austria is new, but that's only because it has only just returned to Formula 1 in real life.
All in all, this is a very playable game that can border on addictive, especially when using a force feedback wheel.
The game will work on a PC with a Core Duo 2 processor, and 2GB of RAM, but for best results a Core i7 processor and at least 4GB RAM is advised.
Pros
- Great playability
- Good graphics
- New tracks
- Properly licensed teams and racers
- Improved handling
Cons
- Very few improvements on F1 2013
