There are only 20 drivers on the grid in Formula One this season. Plus another dozen or so test drivers, and dozens, maybe hundreds more chomping at the proverbial bit to make their way into the big leagues. That means, in short, that the vast majority of us will never get a chance to ever drive an F1 car, let alone compete in the top series. But the latest simulator looks pretty darn close – as far as video games go at least.
Just watch this video. It’s the first official gameplay clip for F1 2018, the newest game from Codemasters. And it looks pretty darn realistic. The game features all the latest cars on the grid from the ten teams currently competing, plus 20 classic single-seaters, and all the tracks that form part of this year’s championship – including the return of Hockenheim in Germany and the addition of Paul Ricard in France. But more than that, it looks like an even more immersive experience than previous installments of the franchise.
“This is the most complete F1® experience that Codemasters has ever created,” said game director Lee Mather. “The Career mode is the central point of the game and has been greatly expanded with the inclusion of pressurised press interviews that will directly affect your path through the sport. There is also far more flexibility for the player, including the ability to select your own rival and negotiate team moves during the season.”
Along with the new cars, tracks, and career mode, F1 2018 features more realistic environments, a new Superlicense system (to match gamers in multiplayer competition according to their skill levels and driving style), and deeper involvement in the engineering that goes into it all.
“The game’s handling has also been reworked using real world F1® data to give us new suspension and chassis physics, as well as the introduction of manually deployed ERS,” adds Mather. “This all means that the cars feel great to drive and you can really feel the difference between the modern cars and the 20 classics there are in the game. There is a huge contrast between the low aero, low grip cars from the 1970s compared to the 2018 cars.”
Sounds good to us. The new game hits shelves for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PCs on August 24.