F1 2015 by Codemasters reviewed

Review

Posted on

| Written by

How realistic do you want your virtual F1 racing experience to be?

Do you want to be nursing your tyres from lap two, lifting and coasting your way around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and cursing your Honda power unit when it fails in qualifying, guaranteeing a 20-place grid drop and drive-through penalty?

Or would you rather be able to get your foot down, ricochet off your rivals and take Manor to world championship glory in your first season?

Things were rather simpler for Codemasters when they produced their first F1 game for major platforms in 2010, back when there was no DRS, no KERS and more conventional tyres. We also heard a lot less from the team radios back then – would you really want to play a game where your race engineer periodically told you not to race the car which was looming large in your mirrors, as to do so would risk destroying your tyres?

The latest instalment of the franchise is the first to be produced for the new generation PlayStation 4 and Xbox One formats, as well as PC. As with recent editions of the game, what you get is a somewhat idealised interpretation of F1 racing, where tyre wear and so on feature but are not allowed to get in the way of the enjoyment of racing.

Go ad-free for just £1 per month

>> Find out more and sign up

In terms of sheer driving fun, F1 2015 absolutely nails it. The V6 hybrid turbos are lairy but controllable, and even in time trial mode you can easily lose an evening.

Career mode has gone, which some seem to consider the greatest injustice since Suzuka 1989. Frankly I’m here for the racing, not virtual press conferences and sifting through emails. In its place a new Pro Season Mode has been added to challenge top players. This is a worthwhile addition which gives you something to shoot for, locking you into full-length races with maximum difficulty, cockpit view only and no flashback button cheats.

But it’s the graphics where F1 2015 really shines. Running on a revamped engine, the vehicle and track models are richer in detail and texture, and under night lights the cars sparkle and shimmer. It runs smoothly too, even when splashing about a soaked Singapore or charging towards Massenet at the back of the Monaco Grand Prix grid.

Outside of the cockpit the new “broadcast presentation” promises to “immerse you in the unique race day atmosphere”. The TV-style presentation, accompanied by introductions from Sky’s commentary duo David Croft and Anthony Davidson, adds a nice touch, though at times the visuals get a bit washed out.

In-race replays remain very short but you can review a lot more once the race has finished. You can now switch between cars as well, allowing you to find out what happened elsewhere during the race. As in previous games the post-crash special effects are ugly and there’s no obvious way to disable them.

The popular online mode has been enhanced by the addition of practice sessions and a new Feature Race in which, according to the developers, “as Formula One moves on from circuit to circuit so does the feature race in F1 2015 to recreate the real world championship”.

F1 2015 was originally supposed to feature updates which “will deliver 2015 content into the game as the season unfolds, ensuring you’ll be competing against the same drivers and teams you watch week in and week out”. The first of those was intended to add the Manor team, however they are already present.

So is McLaren’s post-Spanish Grand Prix livery, although the original one is still visible in the in-game videos. For the sake of authenticity, it would have been nice to see them in the silver colours for the first four races. Hopefully if there are any mid-season driver switches Codemasters will come good on their promise to include them, however there’s no sign of Kevin Magnussen at the Australian Grand Prix. And don’t expect to be allowed to drive the Williams in anything other than its left-out-in-the-sun-too long livery, due to alcohol advertising restrictions.

Not for the first time, market realities mean the game hits the shelves long before the constructions work at F1’s newest venues has finished. The revised Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez looks convincing for the most part, however turn ten appears to have been tightened up since Codemasters were shown the track plans.

Among the game’s other shortcomings are the occasionally simplistic artificial intelligence and banal, useless radio chatter. The latter is a real bugbear: your engineer will waffle on with vague information about the track but won’t remind you when you forget to hit your DRS button. My reckless driving incurred several penalties, most of which seemed reasonable, though I was irked at being disqualified for reversing out of a run-off area because the game decided I had driven too far against the direction of traffic.

Most disappointingly, some features which were introduced for previous editions have now disappeared, such as the Safety Car and the brilliant Classic Mode from F1 2013. And then there is the usual roster of things Codemasters can’t add because of the restrictions of the F1 game licence such as a more spectacular damage model or customisable drivers, cars and tracks.

Codemasters’ F1 game series has rarely failed to entertain but has also never quite managed to satisfy enough to merit a full five stars. That hasn’t changed this year, but with just one F1 race over the next six weekends, I expect to get a lot of mileage out of F1 2015.

F1 Fanatic rating

F1 2015 by Codemasters

Publisher: Codemasters
Published: 2015
Price: £39/£30

Buy F1 2015

Buy F1 2015 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or PC from Amazon using the links below you will also be helping to contribute to F1 Fanatic:

F1 Fanatic earns a commission on products sold via the links to our affiliate partners above, however you are not charged any extra. See here for more information.

Win the Ultimate Codemasters F1 2015 gaming experience with NVidia

This year’s F1 Fanatic Predictions Champion will win a copy of Codemasters F1 2015 plus a stunning £1,600 gaming system from NVidia to play it on. The top 20 players overall will also win copies of F1 2015. Enter here for your chance to win:

Reviews

Browse all Reviews

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

77 comments on “F1 2015 by Codemasters reviewed”

  1. Bjornar Simonsen
    10th July 2015, 13:51

    I’ll probably buy this, but for now (and later), Project CARS is what does it for me.

    Codemasters’ F1 series have always been plagued by poor FFB in my view, and most notably with input lag being too great. Have this changed?

    1. It’s a bit TOL but if you use a KLA and recalibrate your HRQs it’s not a problem. Of course you could just give it the old DRP if you’re into that sort of thing!

      1. Hahaha. FFB means force feedback (the difference forces/effects the game sends to your wheel). And I agree with him. It’s very, very flat. Under braking you get a nice feeling when you’re about to lock up, but aside from that it’s very poor. There’s no surface definition so bombing it down the straight yields literally no feedback through the wheel whatsoever. It would make the game so much more convincing as I genuinely believe the handling model this year is a humungous step forward.

        1. Thank you. I suspected it might be that but a quick search didn’t throw anything up and I have a chip on my shoulder about pointless acronyms :-)

          Whatever game I’m playing I prefer to deaden the effect of force feedback because it always seems very artificial to me and I like to be able to turn the wheel quickly and have it very responsive and twitchy. I had it to my liking pretty quickly (this was using a Logitech G27).

  2. Good review, thanks

  3. It’s really just too barebones. I know this is a racing website and all, but IMO a review judges the whole product, and right now F1 2015 doesn’t stock up. No career mode, no co-op, the new online system is a mess (but the game just came out so it’s fair to give this one a pass), the loss of the safety car, etc.

    Just right now it doesn’t justify the full cost of the game IMO. To each his own though.

  4. As someone who has been racing online on several platforms I can tell you you should not buy this.

    You’re get better value for money if you buy a brand new PS3 + F1 2014.

    1. 4/5 is just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to much for this game.

      Unless Project CARS would be 15/5…

      1. @xtwl This is pretty typical of most of the negative comments I see about Codemasters’ games. There’s no detail here, no suggestion of what it lacks or what it should have, just un-constructive criticism which I don’t find persuasive in the least.

        1. @keithcollantine That’s because there are plenty of reviews out there who give plenty of reasons why not to buy it. The reviewers job is to talk sense so we commoners who will most likely play the game on end can form a one sentenced opinion.

          I’ve been around racing games long enough to form the conclusion that this game very simply lacks everything they tried to built from 2010 to 2014, everything people like about the game. Then they want us to believe the new handling is superb which it isn’t, it’s a small step in the right direction, not at all worth £36. With F1 2014 they basically robbed everyone and now they are trying it again with this game all whilst this game has zero content compared to last year.

          Codemasters have always tried to bring F1 to the common gamer and not the F1 sim driver. Now they want to sell us the handling because they so called started from the ground up saying it is their best ever work. Well, hard work doesn’t reward if the result is nothing better than for example Rocket League (A game you should try, it’s free).

          I don’t know about you’re gaming history but this is next gen and next gen games usually take a step forward. Yes they have 60fps but that’s hardly a thing to be proud of these days. I’ve been with them since ’10 and every year again they make their games a dissapointment refusing to listen to it’s fans. (where have I read that before). I’ve got over 500 league races on F1 ’10-’14, GT4-6 and have had my fair share of good competition online but I also like to play offline in my own career. I understand game developpers have been focussing on online as it is a common misconception everyone wants to play online but just simply neglecting the offline part is complete rubbish.

          In the end they deliver a game not even worth mentioning in the same breath as the words ‘race’ or ‘fun’ as the games are always unfinished, bugged and glitched all over the place lacking vital content. Then they don’t even support it after the first two patches to bring you promising news about the next game which will most likely be more of the same utter crap.

          1. @xtwl

            In the end they deliver a game not even worth mentioning in the same breath as the words ‘race’ or ‘fun’ as the games are always unfinished, bugged and glitched all over the place lacking vital content.

            That doesn’t even come close to describing the game I’ve just played.

            An earlier draft of this review had a line in it about how some people take these things far too seriously and forget they’re supposed to be fun. I should have left it in, because the game is a huge amount of fun, and it seems to me there are a lot of people out there who aren’t willing to be open minded about that fairly simple point.

            Whenever the new F1 game comes out I always end up feeling grateful I’m not a game publisher. There is surely no other form of entertainment where products are received with such ill-considered negativity, hostility, and utter lack of grace.

          2. @keithcollantine Well, I can’t remember another one where you spent 300 euro on a wheel, 60 euro on a game and when your cars come close you are catapulted towards the wall. I can’t think of another one where you buy promises that will never be true. I can’t think of another one where every single time developers treat you like a little child thinking they can get away with once again giving you some breadcrumbles after they promised you some perfect toast.

            I already had chatter with a lot of friends who I’ve known for years from online racing and not a single one is even remotely optimistic.

            Ususally we start opening leagues for people to get in before the game is on sale to see how much people we can expect. Never seen so many people withdraw on the very first say.

            I’m really wondering, how long did you play? Do note I’m not at all suggesting you did not do this review wrong or bad in any way. It was a good read. I’m sure if you do some races the bugs don’t bother you and they seem funny for once but when I hear things like; (none of these are my own) I don’t want to spend any money on it.

            Rosberg did the entire race at 70kph

            Driver pushed me over to the grass on the straight

            Drivers are not pitting during 100% races.

            Driver is driving into the wall entire race.

            You cannot adjust brightness settings

            framerate is hardly stable

            Graphics are not on par with PS4

            Still no proper penalty system.

            Corner cutting still possible on almost all tracks.

          3. @xtwl Well, have F1 games ever been for anything more than pick up and play? In that respect, I think it’s a good review @keithcollantine.

            pCars is mentioned, yet that is also seen as quite ‘arcade’ by users of iRacing and AC – it’s all a continuum. Is there any other official licenced F1 car for 2015 due this year apart from the iRacing McLaren-Honda MP4-30?

        2. @keithcollantine I have calmed down a bit now. Took the time to watch some gameplay and do even more reading. Now I’m filled with joy my supplier allows me to cancel pre-orders without cost.

          This guy though;

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taKlM_avX5Q

          1. @xtwl, or this one:
            http://www.carthrottle.com/post/lVgQAJ/

            lol poor Maldonado :)

        3. If you have thrustmaster tx with t3pa pedals you can’t play properly because you can’t brake beyond 50% due to the conical brake mod. On the Xbox version there is nothing you can do at the moment because there is no calibration tool and the brake saturation settings slider is non existent, be warned

  5. Ben (@dirtyscarab)
    10th July 2015, 14:21

    Also worth noting that you should avoid the PC version like the plague until the various bugs have been fixed.

    1. @dirtyscarab Ran fine for me on PC.

      1. Ben (@dirtyscarab)
        10th July 2015, 16:32

        The reviews on Steam are horrendous though.

  6. i always liked f1 2006 championship edition.

    1. Bjornar Simonsen
      10th July 2015, 14:57

      Me too! I played that game so much that my PS3 wouldn’t accept other discs eventually. Had to send it in :)

      All the later versions have been poor.

    2. @pcxmerc
      For general gaming fun I’ve yet to find a better F1 game than F1 ’97. It may not be the most realistic game and the Sim racing crowd would probably laugh it out of the room, but I loved it and used to spend entire weekends playing it.
      The graphics and options on modern games are much better, but I find myself getting bored very quickly whenever I play them as they appear to have lost the fun factor.

      I feel quite sorry for Codemasters, imagine having to make a racing game based on the current F1 with its ugly cars, DRS, clown tires and all of the other things that have robbed the sport of its fun.

    3. @pcxmerc I never really liked the Sony F1 games, They generally played well with a pad but always felt like crap when playing with a FFB wheel (Which is what I play these games with).

      Think the problem was that the handling model was geared more towards the arcade side than I’d have liked so when you tried to play them with a wheel they just didn’t feel right. The PS3 one you mention (f1 championship edition) wasn’t as bad in that regard but it still wasn’t as good as it could have been.

      I’ve generally liked the Codemasters games, I think 2010 was an OK starting point but still by far the worst in the series, 2011/2013 were probably the best 2 in terms of the handling/physics feel when played with a FFB wheel followed by 2014 with 2012 probbaly been the worst of the bunch in terms of how it felt to play it with a FFB wheel (I could just never get that one to feel right).

      I think Codemasters have got the sim/arcade balance about right. They play well with a pad & the handling/physics models when played like that make it playable for the more casual gamers who just want to have some fun, But they also play very well with a wheel & the handling/physics have enough depth to them to make it fun for those who tend to enjoy the more sim based titles.

  7. Awesome, can’t wait. Keith, is there the option to play a two player split-screen championship? Can’t believe they took that option out a few years ago – all you can do know is select each track one by one which is time consuming and does not show you a running points tally. Me and my mate have had to produce a print-out that we use every time we play to note our results and points – it’s so daft that we’ve had to resort to pen and paper! I didn’t even have to do that in the days of ‘F1 World Grand Prix’ on the N64!

    1. @unicron2002

      is there the option to play a two player split-screen championship

      No there isn’t.

      1. Cheers Keith, I’ll keep my print outs!

        1. I can’t find a split screen option at all.
          I have it on xbox one and the only multiplayer option seems to be to play on xbox live.
          For me this is a major loss, I can’t race against my son any more. Very disappointing.

  8. Wait, so there won’t be any in-season updates?

    1. @mashiat Have tried to get a line on this from Codemasters but at present can’t add anything to what’s in the review. I find out anything of course I’ll pass it on.

      1. In the review you said the first update was supposed to add Manor but they were already present.
        When I started it up it asked to update the game straight away so I assume this is still correct, Manor were added in the first update, like the McLaren livery, Mercedes cameras, Toro Rosso nose etc. If you look at most screenshots they were pre-season spec cars before.

  9. Is this game still arcadey? I’ve played only 2010. Was so excited to try that game, but after playing it, I didn’t even bother to get any of the sequels.
    Way too contrived. The game treats you as if you don’t own your computer. The whole interface and the menus feel like you are on an arcade machine, not on your own PC. When you crash it’s always some cutscene and that’s that. Race over. No questions about what you want to do further. Keep the race going, watch other cars etc… No, just here’s the menu, pick one of 3-4 options and all the same again.

    1. @brace I wouldn’t base opinions on the codemasters F1 games on 2010 as that was by far the worst game in the series.

      2011 was a significant improvement & purely in terms of the handing/physics my favorite in the series, Closely followed by 2013 with 2014 behind that.
      2010 was as I say the worst in the series followed by 2012 because I simply could never get a good feeling for it using my DFGT wheel.

  10. Bjornar Simonsen
    10th July 2015, 15:03

    The problem with this game is that FOM (I believe) wants a new version every year. That forces the developers to focus on the many changes that occur every year and reduces the overall quality. It gets a kind of production line quality.

    Codemasters know and have accepted this when other developers turned it down due to the annual requirement, and that means they are more interested in the profit, rather than quality.

  11. OmarR-Pepper - Vettel 40 victories!!! (@)
    10th July 2015, 15:08

    Is the game realistic in the way that if you aren’t driving a Mercedes you can’t get pole or win, @keithcollantine (or maybe they added a Malaysia update?)

    1. @omarr-pepper I haven’t seen anything besides a Mercedes on pole or winning yet. In one race I notice Hamilton slipped to third, then passed Vettel and Rosberg. That might have been with the 2014 data, though.

    2. Er…that’s a bit of a odd question. If you’re in a Manor and you’re quick enough, of course you’ll beat even the Mercedes.

  12. Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
    10th July 2015, 15:29

    How is the AI @keithcollantine?

    Since 2009 I think I have yet to have an AI opponent take a lunge up the inside of me, leading to very predicable racing. I could catch the grass on exit and be slower all along the main straight and the AI will just line up politely behind me like I’m Jarno Trulli.

    This has been by far the biggest bugbear of this series for me so far. Please tell me they’ve sorted it out?

    1. @fullcoursecaution See the link in the review…

      On other occasions it was better than that, but as I say I think it can still be fooled a bit too easily.

    2. @fullcoursecaution Although serious improvement on the AI had been done for 2014 I don’t think they’ll come anywhere near those in Project CARS. In PC they are a tad to aggressive on occasions but rather that that exactly knowing where everyone will be because they will push you off the track to get on the racing line.

      1. I find the AI in PCars really bad. They dive bomb you every single time you reach a braking zone. When trying to overtake them, they ignore you and take the racing line even if that means ramming you off the track. And let’s not forget how slow they are. The AI in F1 games is GLaDOS compared to the AI in PCars. They race around you not the track. Up until this years game they were a bit too conservative but at least you knew that after T1 you wouldn’t be facing backwards almost every time. And from the videos I have seen (I cannot buy the game where I am) from this year’s game they seem to have improved a lot as far as overtaking is concerned. They will defend their position quite hard, and don’t just pull out of an overtaking move as soon as you veer a bit towards them. Honestly the only way I could get a bit of enjoyment out of PCars was to be as conservative as possible and take position whenever two AI cars took each other out.

        1. @papalotis I can tell you the PC AI is both challenging and brilliant. Sure they have flaws but I have yet to meet a smarter AI in any racing game than those in PC.

          The problem more often than not is the player who thinks it’s normal to go from 15th to 1st in one lap. And when that does not happen it is the AI its fault. In GT3 the average gain on L1 is almost nothing and cars often stay in their starting position. Also if you place your car correctly you’ll find the AI react accodingly. If you are on the inside they will take the outside line and vice versa. Happens all to often people complain about the AI when they divebomb the player but it’s all fine when the player does it, because then the AI ‘closes the door’ unfairly…

          1. I don’t if we are playing the same game, or maybe your expectations from AI are very low, but I just can’t see your point. I would consider myself a clean driver (doesn’t say much but I am an A class driver in iR) and therefore do not expect to go from last to first in just one lap, or dive bomb every single car from two seconds behind. One of the best examples is T1 in Oschersleben. I’ve done many races there with the FR car and there hasn’t been a single time were there hasn’t been at least three cars involved in an accident on L1. And all that is if I don’t qualify, because with 15 minutes of practice and basic setup changes I am two seconds faster than the fastest AI car. And even then it’s more likely than not that you will be taken out by a super late braking car, which without my car stopping it wouldn’t even dream to stay on the road. In general I find that the AI have less spacial awareness than Grosjean did in 2012 and that their only tactic for both defending and overtaking is to brake super late and as a result either take our another car, or being overtaken in the next straight because they got a very bad exit out of the corner. Plus even if I manage to get alongside and stay alongside (on the inside line) during braking (by also braking super late) the AI will just go for the apex as if I am a ghost car.

            Up until last year CM’s AI tactic was to try to get the inside line, and if you closed the door the would try anything to just stay in the race (by going 50 mph lower than usual at the apex). As far as I am concerned if I had to choose between too aggressive or too conservative AI I would always take the conservative AI, as it might not be as fun or exciting but at least I know I won’t be restarting the race 5 times until I can get out of T1 without suspension damage, or a car on my roof.

            Finally it’s important to say that PCars and F1 games, attempt to offer a different experience. PCars claims to be racing simulator whereas Codemasters try to make and authentic F1 experience with reasonable realism, so that both pad and wheel users are left satisfied.

  13. @keithcollantine Is the damage simulation better in this cause i saw some gameplay footages with damage turned off. And what about reliability realism, eg McLaren Honda engine problem.

  14. If there is no career mode, does that mean you have to play as one of the current drivers only? If so, it’s a no go for me.

    1. i used to be sceptical about this point, too. but having played it, it’s really not much of a difference, the only thing is that you don’t see your own name which is a bit of a negative but still, it’s a career mode nontheless.

    2. @irejag Yup, and even then there is no progress towards a second season, it’s just reset after that.

      1. As the career mode was pretty much the only thing I played the other games for, this was the most disappointing news for me and means I’ve lost interest in buying this game, which is a shame because F1 2010-13 were my most played games of the last few years. If I want to play one race at a time or a single season at a time I’ll play Forza or Project Cars, I loved the F1 games for the sense of immersion and continuity they had, but this “Live The Life” aspect has been systematically taken away one game at a time.

        1. Totally agree.

  15. I personally don’t recommend it!

    The graphics is a big improvement from F1 2014, but for a game that recommends 8Gb RAM and GTX970 (I think) I have to say I expected more. And even though I have a quite strong computer, I still experience FPS glitches here and there within the game.

    Game modes are still a big let down for me. I wished they included Classic Mode like in F1 2013. Can’t say I missed the boring “Career Mode” from F1 2014, but a proper Career Mode like many other games, which incudes storylines, fueds,… You start your career from Manor, and work your way to Mercedes and win the Championship. And true car development, helping your team improves the car from time to time to be competitve, etc…

    Also, like this year’s Renault engine, I think CM rushed through the developments of the game. Little bugs here and there, crashes here and there that can make your experience crappy. But CM has already released its first patch, so bugs should all be fixed if players are patient enough.

    I’d say wait out a few days for futher reviews for those that haven’t bought it.

  16. @keithcollantine Which system did you get the game for? Ive only got a PC out of the options so I might have to sit this one out for while unfortunately If the requirements are too much :(

  17. Amazing, the Safety Car appears on the grid…

    https://twitter.com/f1fanatic_co_uk/status/619437165777321988

    …but never appears in the race! What a cock up!

  18. From what it seems, more of the same then. They’ve fixed replays (which should’ve been done years ago) and improved the graphics yet again, but other than that, if anything, it seems to have gone backwards.

    The only serious improvement this game promised was continuous updates, and rather predictably, they seem to have failed to do that too.

  19. How’s the handling, @keithcollantine?

    Full-on, brainless arcade, or is there some real feel to it?

    (Also how does it dampen for switch controllers, such as keyboards and Xbox One keypads?)

  20. I would love to play it but for the past two years I’ve discovered the cruel reality that once you get out of school, get a job and finally have enough money to buy the console or PC and games you want there’s no time to play them! :(
    I can’t remember the last time I finished a game lol, even though they are shorter nowadays.

  21. Cancelled my preorder based on this article. Career mode was the only bit that really interested me.

    1. @ksturd Again, I just don’t get this point of view. It’s a perfectly fine racing game and you’re complaining about not getting to do the bit where you answer fake emails?

    2. @ksturd Career mode was always highly flawed anyway. What with no driver changes other than your own, and teams hiring you as “number two” driver, then rehiring the driver you replaced, if you beat the “number one” driver.

      1. @david-a All has to do with licenses. Nothing Codies can help with.

        @keithcollantine Career is everything in this game come offline. Racing in a low car, earning your reputation and getting a drive in a top car to become champion. Not just clicking Ferrari ‘imagining’ you’re Vettel and go without any progress over seasons…

        1. Couldn’t agree more. Career mode is all about the fantasy of creating your own story and forging your own path and that’s what made the games so addictive for me. Still, each to their own.

        2. This. It’s fun to drive for a season but I like the aspect of starting with a car where the goal is to be mid-pack and working up to championships. The mode is (was) certainly flawed, but I was hoping for improvements, not chucking it out.

  22. Robert McKay
    10th July 2015, 18:24

    I’ve read the review (and don’t have the game) but I’m not sure I understand what the “Feature Race” mode is? I know I’m probably being dense.

  23. Its simple ive been mugged the online dont work the ai is blasting past me on the straights im doing 190 down pit straight in melbourne and they over taking me like im standing still

    1. Are you driving a McLaren? I definitely noticed the gutlessness of the Honda…

  24. “My wreckless driving incurred several penalties…” That sucks. Clean racing should be rewarded! Reckless driving, on the other hand, often results in wrecks. :D

  25. Will not be buying until they solve the thousands of glitches that people have reported on youtube. Also I am hugely disappointed by the lack of co-op championship and the safety car. Fundamental areas that Codemasters have ignored, but don’t worry, we now have a sickening amount of motion blur for you to enjoy!

    Can’t wait until Codemasters’ contract runs out because each game has been a disappointment so far

  26. I’m sorry but this game is a joke. I’m furious that I took the packaging off. Graphics are okay but the gameplay is a joke. I don’t expect a full racing sim but this is taking the michael. Clearly geared to people who don’t play very much or to a higher standard, and as soon as they get enough practice in it’ll soon be too easy for them too. Far too predictable. 2/5

  27. I hope they bring the Classic Mode back next year, and include the 2000s decade and McLarens.

    It’s nice that they have both 2015 and 2014 seasons. I know it would be very difficult, but in an ideal world all the seasons from 2009 to 20XX (the seasons Codemasters have made F1 games) would be included in the game and in career you would actually progress through those years. I would play Career Mode through until the end then. That would just be brilliant in my opinion.

  28. No career mode?! Seriously?! I can’t have been the only one who enjoyed starting in a small team and working my way up the career ladder… when you think this is next generation game then they should be adding things not taking away. sounds like they have only improved the graphics. Definitely won’t be buying this. I’ll save the money towards a race next year. Thanks for the review, saved me some money there!

  29. I have already driven my son beyond distraction by playing for more hours than I care to mention. The way the game deliver torque, the silky progression of the steering (whether it is with a wheel or with the pad) and the authenticity of cut-scenes (like scrolling through your cockpit display during qualifying and watching onboard cameras from other drivers) all makes the game immensely addictive. Although I am no racing game fanatic, it feels to me more like Project CARS than Forza, albeit a fraction more forgiving for the novice. I can’t recommend it enough.

    Hang on, my son is walking the dog, F1 2015 here I come…

  30. Looking a bit foolish here Keith. Your expertise is of course F1 and writing about it, communicating it to and with others and one of the finest F1 fan sites on the web.

    4/5 for this!? Across the web this ‘game’ is facing universal criticism – a user score of 3.2 on metacritic, “Mostly Negative” on Steam.

    This release is a travesty and if it didn’t crash on you several times while reviewing then you didn’t spend much time with it.

    When you are looking at things we must potentially spend money on I sincerely believe you should be more careful with your recommendations. Fortunately Steam refunds are in full effect and it is the course of action most people are taking.

    It’s your site, it’s your opinion, but you carry a lot of influence in the F1 fan world and you should recommend that people do not buy this unfinished product.

    1. Robert McKay
      11th July 2015, 17:10

      “It’s your site, it’s your opinion, but you should think what I and other people think” is how that reads, no offence.

    2. @psynrg I don’t trust the userscores on metacritic as digging deeper into the comments/reasons people gave scores just shows a lot of people give a low score just to troll based on biases towards/against other games/consoles.

      Additionally on metacritic this game has only been given 4 user reviews so hardly a sensible thing to measure opinion on.

      I’ve been playing this on PC since Friday & haven’t had it crash on me & have yet to encounter any game breaking bugs/glitches.

      I don’t mind the lack of career mode to be honest & feel that the handling, physics & things like ffb you feel through a ffb wheel is all the best in the series so far so from a pure driving point of view this is easily the best f1 game codemasters have produced.

      if i was scoring it i’d easily give it 8/10 & highly recommend it.

  31. What no one here mentions is that there is no KERS on F1 2015… that’s why I disliked F1 2014 (F1 2013 I never played). F1 2011 and F1 2012 is by far the best for racing tactical and strategic racing online because of KERS. That one simple element makes it 10 times better enjoyment than F1 2014. I just love sneak attacking for an overtake where the online player would never have thought I would…. a small straight just before a corner…. full blown KERS overtake. Sure, I won’t have KERS for the remainder of the lap and the guy who I just overtook can use it in its usual long straight with probably DRS to aid him as well (although I’m usually good enough to pull a 1 second away fairly quickly)…. but its that tactical element what makes F1 2011, 2012 and most probably 2013 so great. Why does no one mention this? No one from the 2014 regular players miss KERS? The racing in 2014 is nothing compared to the 2012 game.

    1. KERS doesn’t work as a push-button power boost in F1 now, nor did it in 2014, so I don’t think there are grounds for complaint that it’s missing from the F1 2014 and F1 2015 games!

      1. Yes I do know it’s not part of F1 now and I’m not complaining that it’s missing in F1 2014 and F1 2015 games as I do understand why they couldn’t include it. I’m saying it’s unfortunate that future editions of the F1 Codemasters series will not include KERS because it made racing so great. For me, any future F1 series can not be as good as F1 2011 – 2013 no matter how good the physics have become because the F1 series should be all about the racing.

        What I don’t understand is, there does not seem to be people like me. F1 2014 got largely positive reviews. Not many people mentioned that they missed KERS in review sites, like they didn’t even notice it in the first place.

        I bought F1 2014 a few months a go in the hope KERS missing did not matter, but it did.

  32. “Career mode has gone, which some seem to consider this the greatest injustice since Suzuka 1989. Frankly I’m here for the racing, not virtual press conferences and sifting through emails.”

    Are you Kimi in disguise? :)

  33. Willem Cecchi (@)
    16th July 2015, 13:56

    I suggest a fan poll to rate the game.

Comments are closed.