After a complicated Formula 1 championship – due to the Covid-19 pandemic – things are more or less “back to normal” in the paddock this year... and it's more in the world of video games that there was "movement". Indeed, still in charge of the official license, the British Codemasters is no longer independent and now drives for a much more muscular team, Electronic Arts. Should we expect a revolution on the side of this F1 2021?
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See the priceRead the conclusionF1 2021
- Full 2021 season
- Variety of playing styles, level of realism
- Very correct technical realization
- Countless single-player game modes (Braking Point, My Stable, Career, Grand Prix, Time Trial, etc.)
- Two player mode to enrich
- Braking Point Phone Scenario
- AI aggressiveness needs tweaking
- CGI that accuse the blow
On paper, things are placed under the sign of optimizations and the introduction of a scripted mode called Braking Point – or Point de Rupture in Spanish, but the pun has disappeared – which should allow a significantly different approach to Formula 1. For the rest, Codemasters did not seem to benefit from particular means in order to offer a more complete overhaul of its flagship game. The graphics engine remains the EGO Engine 4.0 and if PlayStation 5 / Xbox Series X|S versions are indeed on the menu, there is really no question of putting our eyes on it… in any case, not really more than last year.
Aileron Peredhel
At first glance, F1 2021 looks like two drops of water to its predecessor which, itself, was already very close to F1 2019 and so on. It must be said that in the manner of what EA Sports can do on FIFA, Codemasters goes there every year in small successive touches... and we immediately understand better the takeover by Electronic Arts! On the first launch of the game, we therefore discover familiar modes such as these championship, grand prix or time trial events with, each time, multiple customization options and, in particular, the presence of the single-seaters of the current or previous season.
Like last year, F1 2021 skilfully mixes single-player and multiplayer through its many game modes. In single-player, you can obviously opt for Driver or My Team modes. The first invites us to take a single-seater to become the new number one while My Stable offers a more complete gaming experience. As its name suggests, it effectively allows you to take control of a team as a whole: this goes from the management of sponsorship contracts to research and development options, including the choice of co-driver, knowing that we are still the main driver of the team. Necessarily.
On the content side, on one or the other of these modes, there is not much to complain about, but not much to add either compared to what we found last year. It's of course a very personal feeling, but the Pilot mode always seems a little bland compared to the ambition of My Stable. Still, the objectives are significantly different from one mode to another. However, there is still one point that is a little disappointing, although we understand Codemasters' decision: indeed, if the studio has introduced a two-player career mode, it does not allow you to play My Stable .
This is to revise the prospects of the Pilot mode a little by adding the spice of a second player, online. The latter can then be our rival – this famous concept introduced a long time ago to the F1 franchise – or the second driver from the same team. This last option brings some gameplay elements that are not uninteresting. You can actually consider your racing strategies together and above all implement them on the track. We're not going to say that it upsets our perception of F1 2021, but it's undeniably an interesting novelty... even if we would have liked it locally too.
Codemasters has always been a fan of multiplayer options on a single machine, but F1 2021 therefore does not allow two people to pursue Career, on the same position. The split-screen game is on the program, it remains quite practicable without the animation speed having to suffer, but it is limited to "small" events, challenges piecemeal in a way . Idea for next year Mr. Codemasters: Take advantage of the power of our modern PCs and next-gen consoles to further expand split-screen gaming options. Perhaps offer a career mode for example, but also offer – as in the good old days of the PC Engine – more players simultaneously, three or four for example.
Going back to the two single-player modes, there's not much to fault Codemasters for. We said it, the mode My Stable has our preference because of the greater impact of all our decisions on the future of the team. Negotiating sponsorship contracts based on signing bonuses, but also long-term bonuses, allows you to set goals while offering the right means to achieve them. We invest in R&D on the points considered to be the most sensitive and we answer journalists' questions between (almost) each race in order to put a little pressure on or praise the work of the engineers, bonuses to be had.
Still, all this is nothing really new and to find something new, it's to the Braking Point mode that you have to turn. The idea here is to resume the system of the Career, but by scripting it more. A technique that could be compared to the solo mode of some FPS. We embody a certain Aiden Jackson, a young driver who has just arrived in the Racing Point team for his first season in Formula 1. He joins the team boss of course – Brian Doyle – but also and above all Casper Ackermann, an experienced pilot who values ​​his number one status and with whom everything will not necessarily be rosy.
Madeleine de Prost
The developers wanted to cut their scenario into sixteen chapters over two seasons with what that implies of tensions and twists. We take the opportunity to experience the switch from the Racing Point team to Aston Martin and what seems to be the twilight of Casper Ackermann's career. Each chapter is an opportunity for a small cinematic introduction, a few exchanges in the paddock and a portion of the race before a kind of debriefing. Each race is therefore not played in full – with a few exceptions – and the objective is rather to put us in front of a specific situation with a given goal.
Depending on the case, it will be a question, for example, of taking advantage of the intervention of the safety car to gain a few places or of holding the end of the race when our gearbox is defective. Other situations involve the arrival of rain, gaining the best lap time, tire changes or the fight with a given rival. In this mode, Codemasters has taken care to put us in the middle of the paddock that we see on television with its real teams, its real drivers... with the exception of three therefore since neither Aiden Jackson, nor Casper Ackermann, nor Devon Butler n actually exist. The latter is also the "big bad" of the story.
JVFR
Alas, we actually fall very quickly into the stereotypes specific to bad films related to motorsports. The relationships between the characters chain the clichés and the missed lip synchronization as well as the rather ridiculous acting do not help to make the thing more immersive. We can't say that we're having a bad time in this Braking Point and the idea of ​​offering specific challenges to each race is interesting. Moreover, by spreading the thing over two seasons, but limiting themselves to sixteen chapters, the developers avoid repetitions.
On the other hand, they do not avoid inconsistencies, the lack of logic in certain situations. This is particularly the case when discussing with the famous Devon Butler just after winning the race, therefore finishing ahead of Hamilton, Verstappen and other Bottas. The idiot still manages to look down on us without even bothering to underline our victory by putting, at least, that on the account of luck?! No, the dialogues do not seem to have to change according to the performances achieved... or only at the margin. And we will not talk about the "voice-over" interventions of commentators completely on the street.
JVFR
Fortunately, this Braking Point mode is ultimately only a kind of supplement and its introduction to the game is not done on the back of any other section. The thing should rather be perceived as an additional delicacy to an already very rich menu. A treat that is digested in a large handful of hours depending on the level of difficulty chosen because, of course, F1 2021 still gives pride of place to adjusting the driving challenge. In the case of Braking Point, it is a question of choosing between easy, medium and difficult with, in addition, three riding styles: relaxed, standard and expert. The first choice is rather related to the talent of the other drivers while the second focuses on the level of aids.
Of course, this distinction is a bit schematic and we will especially remember the very wide range of options in order to adjust things to your level of play and your desire to progress in mastering single-seaters. Among the innumerable aids in play that can be activated / deactivated, we note in particular the presence of the ideal trajectory or aids for the use of ERS / DRS. To begin serenely, it is also possible to rely on braking assistance, steering assistance or anti-skid. Of course, Codemasters still offers its triple option of manual, suggested gear, or automatic.
JVFR
This very wide range of options is a credit to Codemasters, which thus achieves a kind of squaring of the circle by offering a game that can be enjoyed by being a fan of arcade-type races where you don't care much about damage. or transfers of force, but also by being a fan of pure and hard simulation. The realism options are also always in order with these race start aids, this more or less punitive management of track exits and the inevitable flashback which authorizes the "rewind" of the race over ten seconds in order to resume at the best time and, for example, to avoid a suspicious overtaking. Yes, it feels lived.
Curie in the stable
To be completely honest, we haven't felt the slightest change on the driving side between F1 2020 and this 2021 version. The arrival of the three driving styles mentioned above is likely to make things more easily configurable, but that does not obviously has no bearing on actual gameplay. It must be said that at this level, F1 2020 had already set the bar very high and we therefore still benefit from Codemasters excellence in this area with this very fair balance between rigorous driving and a more relaxed attitude, this impression of always playing very just no matter which orientations are chosen.
JVFR
Thus, the beginner who launches all options of aids activated will undoubtedly take as much pleasure in maneuvering his single-seater as the regular of the franchise who has dragged his gaiters for more than ten years in the universe of Codemasters. On the track, the sensations are quite remarkable with, in particular, an excellent feeling for everything related to vibrations or the nature of the ground. The loss of grip on each acceleration, the slight stall at the slightest drop, everything is perfectly rendered... and above all perfectly transmitted to the player who takes great pleasure in controlling his car better and better.
The most experienced pilots may find fault with it, but on our side, it is always a pleasure to immerse ourselves in the simulation of Codemasters, and this, year after year. F1 2021 confirms all the good that we think of the franchise even if the purely gameplay novelties are, so to speak, zero. Thus, because we have to issue some criticisms, we still regret as much the behavior of an artificial intelligence certainly capable of standing up to us, but which in no way reflects the attitude of real pilots and which also lacks a certain coherence. over time.
JVFR
At this level, it would have been interesting for the developers to be able to develop real profiles here for Hamilton, there for Verstappen and that when approaching this or that single-seater we paid a little more attention to the name of its driver. There, we treat all lifts and overruns in the same way. We lose a little flavor. That said, as soon as we increase the level of difficulty, the artificial intelligence of these pilots knows how to oppose us with an interesting challenge and does not necessarily let itself be overwhelmed at the slightest maneuver that is a little daring. This lack of innovation on a more technical side of the game is perhaps the main criticism that we can make of F1 2021.
Codemasters insisted on the presence – very expected – of damage to other parts of the single-seater on the fins and front / rear axles alone. In fact, we can indeed notice graphic changes at other levels of the car, but we did not necessarily notice any impact on the handling. A remark that will however have to be confirmed after the release of the game. F1 2021 is also based on the same engine – the EGO Engine 4.0 – as its predecessor and we must admit that we have all the trouble in the world to find it better. pace which, moreover, is not necessarily a defect.
JVFR
F1 2020 was already very successful graphically speaking, but it is certain that it is not on this 2021 version that we will be able to judge the next gen work accomplished by Codemasters. F1 2021 is certainly not the most beautiful game in the world, but it does the job very well and we will still note some improvements in the rendering of single-seaters or in certain weather effects. All of this, of course, without the animation speed ever being faulted, whether you're playing solo on the entire screen or opting for split-screen mode. Note however that this test carried out on PC cannot prejudge the behavior on consoles.
Since we are talking about the particular case of the PC, it must once again be emphasized that if the game is playable on the keyboard, it is clearly not an option to be retained. Codemasters is once again distinguished by the very fair score it plays on the steering wheel side: the list of supported hardware is impressive, whether on PC or consoles. To check the behavior of the game, we alternated between Xbox 360 controller, Xbox One X controller and Thrustmaster TMX steering wheel kit. As you can imagine, playing behind the wheel brings additional comfort and realism, but at no time did we feel like a "cheap" game on the controller.
JVFR
F1 2021 : l'avis de JVFR
Year after year, the F1 franchise signed Codemasters has become a benchmark in the field of automotive simulation. Reference by the presence of the official license of course, but also by the richness of its content, its gameplay options or the depth of the driver experience. F1 2021 does not tarnish the reputation of the British studio in the least, which may benefit from additional resources following the acquisition by Electronic Arts.
On this 2021 version, it was probably too late to see any impact from the American giant and we remain on an ultimately very wise evolution of a formula that we see progressing with each version. F1 2021 is undoubtedly the most complete and interesting title in the franchise, but it does not mark the next gen revolution that some may have been expecting. It also lacks a bit of madness while the Braking Point mode does not ultimately bring much, even highlighting the faults – of staging, of CGI – of the franchise even more glaringly.
F1 20218
If novelty is not really the key word for this opus, F1 2021 is in line with its predecessors. It brings a little new blood with this mode Braking Point not necessarily convincing, but above all capitalizes on the qualities of its ancestors that it updates, enriches, completes.Most
- Full 2021 season
- Variety of playing styles, level of realism
- Very correct technical realization
- Countless single-player game modes (Braking Point, My Stable, Career, Grand Prix, Time Trial, etc.)
- Enjoyable two-player career
- The excitement of split-screen play
The lessers
- Two player mode to enrich
- Braking Point Phone Scenario
- AI aggressiveness needs tweaking
- CGI that accuse the blow
Test carried out from a PC code provided by the publisher.
