The three stage knock out session is still an option, however the single 20-minute session is no longer available in career mode. The One-Shot Qualifying is included in Quick Race, Season Challenge and Career Mode.
In this mode the player will start as a team lower down the field, and over a ten race season the player will move teams mid-season, depending on their ability to beat rival drivers and objectives.Ĭodemasters also introduced "One-Shot Qualifying", whereby a player has a single lap to qualify for the race. In response, Codemasters brought in this mode so that players could simply play for a short amount of time. Feedback given to Codemasters was that players only played the game when they had a few hours to play.
The sound system has been modified, and players can now hear other cars around them.Īs well as the new young driver test mode, F1 2012 features a new "Champions Mode", in which the six World Champions competing in the 2012 season - Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher - are styled after traditional end-of-level video gaming bosses, with the player challenged to beat them while racing in conditions that suit each driver.Īnother new mode introduced in F1 2012, is the "Season Challenge" mode. The game also presents a new main menu, with Codemasters saying it is now easier to navigate around the video game. All of the drivers who played the game reported that the game was realistic enough for them to learn the circuit to the point where they were confident enough to set competitive lap times.
As a demonstration, Codemasters approached several drivers - including Mercedes test driver Sam Bird and GP2 Series driver Stefano Coletti - at the real-life Young Driver Tests (for drivers who have never started a Grand Prix) in Abu Dhabi in November 2011, and asked them to drive the Yas Marina Circuit in F1 2012 instead of using the team simulators they would traditionally use to learn the circuit. The game also features a brand-new "Young Driver Test" mode, a tutorial mode designed to introduce new players to the handling characteristics of Formula One cars as a prologue to the career mode. It’s an enjoyable mode for all types of players.The game features all twelve teams and twenty-four drivers competing in the 2012 season (except for mid-season changes), as well as the twenty circuits and Grands Prix - including the brand new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas - included in the championship. The progression is more palpable than anywhere else in the game, and you gain a refreshing sense of freedom as you jump from team to team. This different approach adds a new aspect to proceedings and alters the race dynamic from just aiming for the podium. Season Challenge is a 10 race mode with an emphasis on beating your chosen rival and claiming their car. It won’t be the mode where you spend most of your time though, and there’s a new mode bridging the gap between quick play sessions and the mammoth Career Mode. It may not sound like much, but having to battle from 13th to overtake Niko Rosberg in 7th is a real challenge, and offers a neat change of pace from the standard races.
Alongside the usual time trial mode there’s a Champions Mode which pits you against top drivers, such as Hamilton or Schumacher, in different conditions having to fulfil certain requirements. If you’re in any way new to the series, you’re going to need it.īeyond the tutorial, there are a few more options to consider on the main menu this year. It’s at least half an hour long and well presented at the Yas Marina track, really drawing you in to the game.
The test leads you through the basics of the gameplay while also teaching the fundamental aspects of F1 racing, such as how to hit the apex of a bend and when to use KERS. Though optional, it comes highly recommended. The inch-perfect and reflex-heavy nature of the sport may act as a barrier even to some more experienced players, let alone fans of F1 whose interest in racing games might not stretch beyond Mario Kart.Ĭodemasters have attempted to address this issue with a new mode that accompanies you the first time you start up the game - the ‘Young Driver Test’. Even Forza fan will struggle with the power that’s on offer here. Yet it will be daunting to those used to more traditional racing games. When you time an overtake just right, or when a risky line on the last corner of the race pays off, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience. The pace and agility of the cars are well judged, and the speed is as thrilling as ever. It’s lucky then that the racing was so well constructed from the off in 2010.