8 Reasons Why F1 2015 Is The New-Gen Racer You Hoped It Would Be

F1 2015, the latest game in Codemasters’ Formula 1 franchise, will go on sale later this month for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. But just how good is the first new-gen game in the franchise? I was invited to Codemasters HQ to test a near-final version of the game and see if it lives up to the hype. I was certainly impressed, and here’s why:

1. Graphics

The game has been completely rebuilt from scratch, and it definitely shows. Visuals in the old-gen F1 titles were pretty decent, and progress was made with each version, but F1 2015 takes it up several notches. The attention to detail is great and the lighting is much better, as are the reflections, replay camera shots and the beautifully recreated digital versions of the cars.

There’s still room for improvement, but with games like Project Cars and Drive Club driving graphics standards up, it’s a welcome upgrade. However, it’s when you switch to wet weather when the game really comes into its own. The spray, rain droplets on the car and puddles on the circuit look much more realistic.

Whilst Career Mode may be gone, there are some strong new additions to the game that will cater for everyone. Quick Race remains, while Championship Season allows players to compete in a full year of F1 action as their favourite driver. Pro Season takes off all the assists, adds a full Grand Prix weekend format and will really test your race craft. You can also race the 2014 season; it’s a nice idea for extra content, but I doubt it’ll get much love.

Multiplayer hasn’t been left untouched either; practice sessions can now be completed online and new options make it easier to set up leagues and play against fellow F1 fans.

I mostly stuck to Quick Race, but the Championship Season mode looks promising, with a more immersive and live-action feel including commentary and off-track clips.

3. Handling

I played the game on a PlayStation 4, using a controller rather than a wheel. The force feedback was instantly better and you can feel what is going on a bit more. The high torque levels make putting the power down trickier and it is fairly easy for the rear to step out, even with full traction control. However, the front end feels more responsive with the higher downforce levels compared to 2014.

Bumps, trips over the grass and contact is all felt much more through vibrations through the pad, and increased audio sounds. You feel much more involved and you can see a lot of effort has gone into the handling model, thanks to the new game engine. The cars feel different when compared – the Manor I sampled was difficult to control compared to the front-running Mercedes. Handling definitely feels like a major improvement over last year’s effort.

4. The little things

There are some great new, smaller details that help to add some shine and polish to F1 2015. The mirrors are much better - not that F1 gamers use them much - the radio commands are much more informative, the sparks look spectacular and the cars have different steering wheels, unlike 2014 where they were all the same. You can also see the heat haze from the exhausts, which is a nice touch.

5. Better AI

The AI had come under criticism in past games, but I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised in F1 2015. The computer-controlled drivers actually run side-by-side with you, overtake each other, make mistakes and do try overtakes. They are also more forceful and it takes more for them to back off. It definitely makes things much more fun.

6. Cinematic and broadcast style

You may well have seen some of the cinematic shots and broadcast-style clips in the game trailers. These are mainly featured in Championship Season but some appear in other modes too. Drivers spraying champagne on the podium, their teams celebrating and close-ups of the cars in parc ferme are all nice touches, as are the pre-race track shots – like they have before real F1 sessions – and commentary.

In practice and qualifying there is even a live feed on the TV station to view other cars on track, and there is more life in the pit garage and the crowds – these small details help to add more realism to the game.

7. Replay shots

Whilst I’ll admit that the replay footage in the game still isn’t up to the standard I would like, it is another good step in the right direction for the franchise and there is a new feature that I have wanted to be included for quite some time: the ability to switch cars during replays. It isn’t a big addition but still a useful one, so you can see what’s going on further down the grid while you battle for victory.

8. Voice command

I didn’t get to try this feature out, however others who were also at Codemasters sampling the game said it worked quite well. You have the ability to communicate with your race engineer through voice commands via Kinect for Xbox One, the PlayStation Camera and compatible headsets for PlayStation 4; it’s a bit of a gimmick, but adds to the more immersive feel so many gamers crave.

F1 2015 is released for PS4, Xbox One and PC on July 10 in Europe, July 21 in North America and July 24 in Brazil. Will you be buying the game?