F1 2013 Review

Added to that is the sensation that you're racing against mathematics rather than cars. Race events always happen in a depressingly predictable fashion. You know exactly when your race engineer will tell you that the car is low on fuel. You know exactly when the tyres will start to give out and require changing. In a modern grand prix, these things are your true opponents, over and above the other cars on the track.

Of course, this isn't really Codemasters' fault, although it is strange that, when your race engineer informs you you're low on fuel and to pit within two laps, that you run out of fuel before the end of the second lap. It's also important to point out that the simulation and sensation of driving are both excellent, having seen further tweaks to things like the driving model and the dynamic weather systems. There are few experiences more thrilling than starting a race from the cockpit-view in wet weather. As the cars in front of you kick spray up onto your helmet visor, almost completely obscuring your vision, the only visible landmark being the flashing lights of the cars in front of you, rapidly approaching as you brake into the first corner.


Whereas career mode can often be a frustration, Grand Prix mode is considerably more entertaining. The ability to shorten the distance to three laps ensures the race to the finish is actually a race, rather than an endurance test, and track knowledge is less of a problem as you're competing directly against cars instead of trying to shave milliseconds off your lap time. Alongside that is a challenge mode, that sets up specific scenarios for you to overcome, such as recovering from a time penalty.


Yet as we mentioned earlier, the most entertaining mode is "Classics", which allows you to choose from a range of cars and drivers from the eighties, and race on four legendary tracks, including the hilly Brands Hatch or the fearsome Imola. Classic races are stylistically different from their modern counterparts, with a sepia overlay that adds a quite literal warm glow of nostalgia. But it's the difference in how the cars feel that makes the difference. Slightly slower and heavier, but with more grunt under the bonnet, they feel that much more connected to the road, and can be thrown around a corner rather than having to be gently nursed.

The classics mode is fantastic fun. The only problem is there isn't an awful lot of it. There is a 90s classic mode too which is equally brilliant. The cars of Damon hill and Michael Schumacher are truly ferocious, and visually it has its own blueish tint and information displays which ape those of nineties television. But you only get access to this if you fork out another tenner for the Classics edition, which given there isn't a huge amount that's new elsewhere is a bit cheeky on Codemasters' part.


F1 2013 remains a substantial and quality game that caters for both simulation fanatics and those looking for a quick thrill, and the newly included classics mode just about saves it from feeling perfunctory. However, the slightly underdeveloped nature of this mode, and somewhat cynical pricing model, prevent it from achieving greatness.