F1 2011 (video game)

F1 2011 (video game)
F1 2011 is a video game developed by Codemasters based on the 2011 Formula One season. The game was released in 2011 on Microsoft Windows, the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, with a 2012 release on the PlayStation Vita as a launch title for the system. The game engine is based on EGO 2.0 engine.
Details
All twelve teams and twenty-four drivers that started the 2011 season are featured in the game, though mid-season driver changes did not take place due to licensing restrictions. The entire calendar of nineteen circuits from the 2011 season is present, including the new Buddh International Circuit in India. Certain circuits also feature day-to-night transitions.
The focus of F1 2011 is to "Be the Driver, Live the Life, Go Compete" and that multiplayer aspects of the game are being emphasized as a part of this. Online multiplayer has a maximum of sixteen players in a race with the option to include an additional eight AI-controlled cars. Objectives are also included in multiplayer. A split-screen multiplayer mode is implemented, as is an online co-operative championship. The safety car was implemented in the game following its absence in F1 2010, and is available in races that are 20% of real race distance or longer. Red flags are also included for situations where the safety car cannot get around the track, but not for extreme weather conditions. Rule changes for the 2011 season, including KERS, DRS and Pirelli tyres are also featured in the game.
Just like F1 2010, all the drivers are from the initial line-up from the 2011 season. Sub drivers (Bruno Senna, Karun Chandhok, Pedro de la Rosa and Daniel Ricciardo) are not included in the game.
Features
Features of the game include a career mode in which the player makes a driver and simulates the driving experience. Another mode is the Grand Prix in which one picks a professional driver and create a Formula 1 season. There is also a "Proving Grounds" mode in which is a time trial to compete against other players around the world. There is also a Multiplayer option in which one can race with other players in a variety of gaming modes.
Reception
The PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions received "favorable" reviews, while the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS versions received "mixed or average reviews", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.
Early critical response was positive, with reviews praised improvements in handling and AI and the way new rule changes - in particular KERS and DRS - added an additional layer of strategy to the game. IGN remarked that the differences in using these features helped separate qualifying and racing into two separate gameplay modes. In Japan, where the game was ported for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS, Famitsu gave the game a score of one nine, one eight, one seven and one eight for the first two console versions; and one eight, two sevens and one six for the final two handheld versions.
The Guardian gave the Xbox 360 version a score of four stars out of five and said it was "pretty much an essential purchase for any self-respecting petrol-head, and a lot more compelling and enticing than those who don't dream about lap times might imagine". The Daily Telegraph similarly gave the same console version four stars out of five, saying that "Codemasters have made a plethora of improvements under the bonnet, polishing an engine that should prove a fantastic basis for the planned yearly iterations of their F1 franchise". The Digital Fix gave the PlayStation 3 version a score of eight out of ten, calling it "a great racer but only a nearly-great game".
Digital Spy gave said PlayStation 3 version a similar score of four stars out of five, saying that "it's not a wholesale reinvention, but rather a confident leap forward from a publisher in tune with its sport. The career mode lacks a bit of personality, but it's still a good frame for what is most important - the racing". The website also gave the PlayStation Vita version three stars out of five and called it "a laudable attempt at scaling down a sophisticated simulation racer for a handheld platform, but it would have benefited from stronger AI and more challenge. In its defense, it caters well for newcomers due to its casual Challenges mode and forgiving level of difficulty, but still falls marginally short of expectations". However, the same website also gave the Nintendo 3DS version two stars out of five and said "Sumo Digital should be commended for its attempts to pack as much as humanely possible into a Nintendo 3DS game. Despite its wealth of options, game modes and extras, F1 2011 fails where it counts most, on the race track".
F1 2011 has sold 3.5 million units worldwide.
See also
2011 Formula One World Championship
Ambisonics, the audio technology used
References
External links
2011 video games
Codemasters games
Ego (game engine) games
F1 (video game series)
Games for Windows
IOS games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Nintendo 3DS games
PlayStation 3 games
PlayStation Vita games
Racing video games
Split-screen multiplayer games
Sumo Digital games
Video games developed in the United Kingdom
Video games set in 2011
Video games set in Australia
Video games set in Belgium
Video games set in England
Sports video games set in Germany
Video games set in Hungary
Video games set in India
Sports video games set in Italy
Sports video games set in Japan
Video games set in Malaysia
Video games set in Monaco
Video games set in Montreal
Video games set in São Paulo
Video games set in Shanghai
Video games set in Singapore
Video games set in South Korea
Video games set in Spain
Video games set in Turkey
Video games set in the United Arab Emirates
Windows games
Xbox 360 games