First post, Be Gentle
Game is, well, OK. Think you will enjoy it more as a F1 fan than a driving fan as such as the lack of features and options is a slight kick in the teeth despite it being, as others have said, par for the course on many 'New-Gen' titles being released in their first iteration. More polish needed for 2016 and, much Like FIFA, will be the main focus I'm sure for CM.
Graphically, on PS4 at least, It's pretty. Not overwhelming, but nice. Great use of shading and lighting and the atmosphere is there. Colours don't really 'pop' and are a more of a pastel shade at times but it doesn't take away from the looks.
Sounds are good and authentic including nice touches like hearing the rain bounce off the garage roof while in parc-ferme and other background engine noises coming over the team radio. Anthony Davidson and David Croft couldnt be MORE scripted if they tried. Really adds nothing to the presentation at all (Think Early WWE/F games)
I've been playing strictly with a DS4 and the steering is the best of a fairly good bunch of games. You can (Seemingly) notice when tyres get to temperature and likewise, when they drop off the cliff you will struggle to get traction coming off corners. I have traction control and ABS on medium, and spinning off the track is a real possibility, especially towards the end of tyre life. Driving in the wet is a different game altogether, real attention will be needed on strategy and tyre choice/Aero choices as they will make a noticable difference during a race. Finally, some depth to a race day. AI Drivers are smart this year and there seems to be a 'Fairer' feel to driving as the mad scramble for corners where everyone plows into each other, damage and penalty free, for position seems to be replaced by drivers that will hang back and avoid a collision
Not all good news as expected though. In my opinion there are 5 main issues from me that drag the game down slightly.
*The 'TV Presentation' isn't all its cracked up to be. No more in-depth than many sports titles and, as before, might as well have Davidson and Croft on mute.
*Very few Retirements in a single race. In 6 Races I only saw 2-3 retirements
*Likewise, Penalties. So far seen 2 in Quali and that's it.
*Corners might as well not be there as you can go off the track and not really be penalised in any way, shape or form.
*No Safety Car/VSC (Not a massive issue, but would top the immersion off nicely)
Had a real F1 moment when. leading by 5 seconds with 6 laps to go, my tyres went off. Had to make a choice to go hell for leather and risk it, Lift and coast to stay on the track, or risk a pit and hope to make up the time with fresh tyres. Stayed out, played it cautious, upped the fuel mix and got caught by Rosberg after back and forth battle through Yas Marina with a few corners left, but I felt part of F1 for a few seconds, I believed it and gave me that feeling when you snap out of life for a few seconds and get involved rather then 'playing a game'. F1 does that and its great
That's my 2p worth after 2-3 hours on it. Not a bad game at all, Immersive enough to please F1 fans and casual driving fans but Hardcore fans looking for a full driving experience might feel let down, but that's purely down to a lack of features and polish, certainly not through the driving experience.
