EA and Codemasters are about to launch their officially licensed annual F1 game that tackles the new era of F1. PlanetF1 had full access to the latest title to give you the detail before the July release.
Codemasters are a good hand at F1 games with over a decade of experience in bringing the highest level of motor sport to your living room. It is a merit of the team that has had more hits than mistakes over the years.
The new game will be released on July 1 and it’s clear that EA’s influence is consolidating with sleek, fluid menus as well as a custom soundtrack in the background. It’s something that has been a staple in EA Sports titles like FIFA and bringing it to F1 would always happen.
Here are songs from artists like Deadmau5, James Bay, Charli XCX and Chase and Status. But if the music is not to your liking, there is the option to switch to a more traditional style of menu music.
In addition to musically, the new audio options in the comment delivery make David Croft and Alex Jacques available separately to choose from. Your racing engineer, Jeff, has also given way to an F1 celebrity in Marc Priestley – he only has the same lines as the previous engineer, but using someone who has actually been to F1 is a nice touch.
Mirroring the new era of F1 that sees cars redesigned from scratch, the game has received a similar overhaul. The handling and tire models have been reworked to fit the new ground effect aerodynamics and the 18-inch Pirelli tires.
Cars feel crisp and sensitive and only when you get to speed will you be able to really appreciate the grip on the curves. However, they are a bit awkward on the slower turns; I found myself doing more laps on forks or slow chicanes than with long turns at places like Spa and Barcelona.
A big criticism of the previous title, F1 2021, was that the sidewalks really couldn’t be attacked. Even thinking about touching them would send you to throw yourself against the barriers. In F1 22, you can throw the car over and be confident that the car will hit.
However, be careful not to run over them too much. With full simulation damage turned on, I actually damaged the bottom of my car by running too aggressively down a curb.
There are three driving modes available for players to select from. Beginner to expert mode seems like a natural progression for players new to the F1 game series to those who have been running for years.
F1 Life: lives like a driver
In front and in the center of the game presentation is F1 Life. The new social game center feature allows players to have a place to display everything they have unlocked. You can customize your living space as well as the look of your driver, so you can now look as stylish as Pierre Gasly at a fraction of the price.
It’s a weird diversion from the presentation in previous F1 games, and those who want to go compete may not care about this feature or will use it again. It seems to have developed as a way to attract new players who may want more of the game in an accessible way and most importantly, it is successful in that regard.
Part of the F1 Life feature is the ability to unlock supercars and drive them in various scenarios. Throughout my game, I received Super Car tokens that allowed me to unlock a road car made by some of the teams. Aston Martins, McLaren and Ferrari are available for purchase and storage in your F1 Life garage.
Driving them is really fun! Codemasters have experience in developing runners in other categories and the pedigree is there. They’re powerful cars that don’t have the grip of F1 machines, so you can get caught up a bit trying to get the Eau Rouge out of a Mercedes AMG! But they are a fun addition, but perhaps not as fun as the classic F1 cars that were missing a couple of years ago.
New circuits, new drivers, new rules
Since the F1 game is an annual release, there is always something for developers to consider and tweak their new game.
The F1 22 includes the new Miami Street track which is a wonderfully challenging experience that needs a few laps to hit. The circuit is faithfully recreated from turns 14 and 15, as well as the definitely not fake marina of turn 7.
The game also includes circuit changes at Albert Park in Australia, Barcelona in Spain and the redesigned Abu Dhabi circuit. Each is a fun and different challenge and it takes a few passes to achieve it. The desire to twist left in the first sector of Abu Dhabi was very strong!
New tire rules are in place that allow any driver to freely choose tires before the race, regardless of which tire they have marked their fastest lap in Q2. This gives you a lot of freedom before the race, but AI drivers tend to follow a similar formula.
They also include sprints, which were tested in 2021 and are still being evaluated in 2022. There is an option to turn any Grand Prix weekend into a Sprint and the number of laps will be reduced depending on the length of the race you choose.
Professional adjustments and new initial budgets
Now an unconditional feature of F1 games is the race mode. These modes have not received much revision here; if it’s not broken, don’t fix it!
My team and driver career options are present, as well as the two-player race for those who want to be teammates with their friends (this ALWAYS comes out well, right?).
Some changes have been made to the internship programs with the ways in which your progress is presented in a more visual way. The game gives you a lot more information to choose from in general with new telemetry options available in the pits. This opens up a world of possibilities as you chase the lap time.
The most important change in My Team is the option to set an initial budget. There are three different points to choose from, the scoreboard, the midfield and the front challenger. As the options progress, each offers you a larger initial cash pot and better facilities.
The delivery options of the previous titles left a lot to be desired, but the new designs available are much cleaner and look like they appeared in a real world car. The options here have been expanded to include different paint finishes as well. Bright, matte and even satin wraps can be added to your car, which can lead to some interesting designs.
F2 is also present in the game (although the 2021 list of cars and drivers) allows you to start your racing career there before moving on to F1.
General impressions
F1 22 is a solid entry in the annual list of titles. It will be a relief that cars are one step ahead in driving compared to F1 2021, but they are still as difficult as you expect F1 cars to be.
The game looks great. Night driving is an exciting experience as rays of light pass through the trees during the day. The models and finishes of the cars are impressive and the adaptive activators and haptic feedback (on Playstation 5) have been used to great effect.
Adaptive AI makes racing a challenge at any level. I was usually slowed down by a CPU opponent and should try to find creative ways to overcome them.
The addition of the F1 Life and Pirelli Hot Laps may not be to everyone’s liking and it certainly looks like something people will try once or twice before giving it up. It’s an F1 game in the background and adding the new social center seems like a weird step. It’s especially weird considering the content of the classic car makes two games missing.
However, the presentation and global delivery of the world’s fastest sport is solid. The new transmission-style Safety Car is a skillful touch, as are the new immersive stops. The pit stops themselves are just a button, but they do build a good foundation for the team to try out next year’s title.
F1 22 is a must-buy for F1 fans and an essential runner for more casual players. Some new features seem like bragging, but many other tweaks here and there are based on an experience that is already fun and immersive.