F1 2021 The Game review

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Pros: -The AI is hard as hell. I used to race on 105 in 2020, now I'm around 90 on this game. Even if it's partly because I'm still transitioning to this game, it's still easy to tell that this is definitely harder.

-The AI is also very racy here. They are aggressive and punchy, and it's legitimately fun to compete with them.

-It's great that the kerbs aren't just extra parts of the track now, you will be punished heavily if you abuse them now.

-The game does look somewhat better than its predecessor, though the differences are minor.

-Braking Point is a good first attempt at a story mode, even though there is certainly stuff left on the table for CM to add to in the future.

-Quick Practice is an absolute god-send, and the practice programs, in general, are definitely improved over the last game.

-While the single player career and MyTeam career haven't been changed much, they're still just as fun as last year.

-There are also some minor improvements and cool gimmicks:
-Plenty of the tracks have had minor overhauls (Suzuka is easily the most noticeable overhaul),
-I like the halo stickers and victory calls, they're nice little additions.
-I think it's cool that they have the actual TV intro in the game intro
-Real Season Start is a nice addition.
-The new career options are all good additions and it helps you nail down the experience you want out of the game.
-The belated addition of random (?) mechanical failures is great.
-MAHAVEER RAGHUNATHAN LIVES ON!
Cons: -The team performances are how they were in 2020 and that means that the Mercedes is far too ahead of the Red Bull, while AM is even more out of place as the third-best car.

-The cars are also a lot faster than they are in real life.

-The handling in the high-speed corners is a nightmare.
Silverstone, in particular, is a nightmare. I run a lot of wing angle and I still cannot get one lap without horrendous oversteer. It's kind of weird that in a game where the cars are so much faster than real life I can't take certain corners flat out while the real-life cars can.

-Braking Point is definitely on the easy side.

-It's also really annoying that the kerbs aren't just extra parts of the track now, as you will be punished heavily if you abuse them now.

-The game feels kind of barren content-wise.
It's understandable that the new tracks and F2 2021 are delayed (the new F2 seasons have always been delayed, and it would have been nigh on impossible for CM to make three brand new tracks on short notice).
However, I don't really understand why CM had to remove classic cars and short tracks, especially considering that Canada and China are both in the game despite neither track holding a race in the last two years. I'd be lying if I said that I used the classic cars or short tracks that much, but to remove them just feels pointless.
It's also silly that CM couldn't let us use the 2020 F1 cars outside of Braking Point. It's kind of ridiculous that they took the time to adapt last year's cars, and only used those cars for half of a relatively short story mode.

-The livery editor is still lacking. I do not understand how CM hasn't added something more comprehensive than a glorified paint shop.
While F1 2021 is lacking in some areas, it's generally a well rounded simcade game that's got plenty to offer to people who either liked the last few F1 games or people looking for a competent simcade game.
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puma1968
Sound bad and voices go at rallenty
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Yannik Haustein
OverTake
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Pros: - Graphics: Any way you look at it, the F1 games have been looking fantastic for a few years now, and F1 2021 is no exception. This is particularly noticeable in night races.

- Atmosphere: No other sim or game will come close to the way F1 reproduces the feel of a race weekend or a championship.

- Accessibility: Controller and wheel users alike will feel at home. Complete beginners have a variety of assists to choose from, with everything turned off, the cars are a challenge to drive and extract maximum pace out of them.

- Braking Point: The all-new story mode is very captivating, focusing around the careers of young Aidan Jackson and veteran Casper Akkerman.
MyTeam: Anyone who has ever dreamt of having their own F1 team or has drawn up their own F1 cars as a kid will love this mode. The best part is: You get to decide how deep the you want to dive in - the player can do all the managment and development himself or turn off some parts of the mode to focus on the driving part.

- Multiplayer: A broad base of players means no lack of multiplayer servers.

- AI: If you are looking for an offline experience, the AI helps massively with that. They are very aware of you, defend and attack, and make mistakes as well - I have been turned into pretty blatantly at times, but that happens in real life as well.
Cons: - No mouse steering in menus: A PC exclusive problem - it is impossible to navigate menus using your mouse. Finding out what button on your wheel does what can be infuriating at times.

- Missing content: Unlike in previous years, no classic cars are present in the game. The 2019 F2 cars are only playable in the very first chapter of Braking Point, the 2020 F1 cars are exclusive to that mode at the moment as well. As of the release, only the 2021 F1 and 2020 F2 cars are available for single player modes, with the 2021 F2 cars set to be added later on. The same goes for tracks like Mugello, Imola and the new street circuit in Jeddah.

- Force Feedback bug: On Thrustmaster wheels, you will have to update your firmware every time you turn on your PC before the game's FFB will work with it. The wheel and pedals itself do work as intended if the firmware remains untouched, but there will be no feedback.

- Kerbs: They seem to be very slippery in a lot of places, so having to find out the hard way where you can and cannot go is a bit of an annoyance.
Having played F1 2021 for about 12 hours at the time of this review, I am positively suprised by the game - before '21, the most recent F1 game I played was 2014. I had seen lots of videos about the series in the meantime but always heard about how it would be too arcade-y, which is not the case. Sure, it is not a full sim, but if you want it to, it can be a real challenge.

The AI know how to race you, the cars need precise input but also quick reflexes when the back steps out (which it will if you're to trigger-happy with the throttle). The atmosphere of an F1 weekend is probably unmatched and will draw any F1 fan right in.

There are a lot of game modes on offer, which will keep players busy for quite a while. The new story mode Braking Point is very interesting and captivating - at least so far, since I am in the middle of the second F1 season. I was sceptical that it might be a bit of a cheesy story, but so far, it has done a great job in keeping me motivated to play.

A bit of a downside are the various oversights like the lack of mouse support in menus on PC, a bug which requires Thrustmaster wheel users to update their firmware each time they boot up their PC if they want their FFB to work and unreasonably slippery kerbs in some places. There is no historic content either, meaning classic cars are scrapped altogehter - which is a shame if you are an F1 history nerd like myself.

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Pros: The AI are the most fun to race they've ever been. They will defend, they will fight, they will attack. They are less afraid to be risky, and sometimes that will pay off for them, sometimes they will end up facing backwards They are good fun to race against.

The Braking Point story mode, if you're interested in that sort of stuff, is very, very well done. The writing is very good, the animations are also done well, and the scenarios they drop you in are good fun.

The sounds are better than ever in my opinion. There are probably still better sims out there, but the engines sound the best they ever have in my opinion.

The new customisation in Career Mode is a very good touch. Things like the rate you or the AI earn resource points or acclaim can now be adjusted (separate toggles for you and the AI, so you can make it easier or harder as you please). You can also increase or reduce the frequency of the safety car and AI engine failures, and random car failures for the player are included for the first time, and can also be adjusted or turned off. If you are a career mode player (like me), I see these as a game changer.
Cons: Braking Point is probably a little bit easy. Even on the hardest of the three settings, I could easily compete against the AI on a controller and complete all but one of the challenges first time.

MyTeam is pretty much the same as last year. If you aren't too bothered about the right branding or new tracks, then you would probably be fine sticking to MyTeam in F1 2020

There is still more to be done on the customisation side of the cars.

No VR. As someone on a controller this doesn't affect me in the slightest, but if it is a deal breaker for others then fair enough.

No mouse support. Again, I use a controller but I can understand why this could be annoying for others. Especially given all the effort they've gone through to refresh the menus this season.

Classic cars are gone. This may be a deal breaker for some, but Codies clearly feel they weren't getting enough engagement. The only reason they would have been worth keeping was if they added new ones. A they didn't, F1 2020 is still available will all the previous classic cars.
I've had the game a few days now as a casual, controller player. These are my first impressions.

I haven't yet tried Multiplayer or driver career so I can't comment on them, and as a controller player I don't feel like I'm in the best place to comment on the physics so I haven't. That said I do find the handling more 'fun' this year, and you can also definitely notice the lack of downforce compared to 2020.

I have given this a 3 out of five rating if you are not someone who plays these games religiously (as one of the games that is easier on a controller than say ACC or PC2, but more realistic than Forza or Dirt 5, I find myself on the F1 games a lot), but has previous versions. I would recommend it if it's on sale for more than about 40% off, for some possibly even more discounted. However, if you haven't played one of the titles in a long time and you are a big F1 fan, I would give this 4 out of 5.
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