Nov 13, 2012 10:05am Player Reviews What else was it ever going to be? We race around the world on minature F1 cars in this video review of F1 Race Stars. It's a bit of a shame, really. F1 Race Stars isn’t (nor does it claim to be) the most innovative kart racing game ever created, yet it does have its charm. Like all games of this type, F1 Race Stars is much improved when played in multiplayer. Everyone is so close together on the first lap that it's impossible to plan your attacks wisely or avoid the onslaught of others. But F1 Race Stars rarely achieves this. Not that that person is racing too quickly for you to catch up. F1 Race Stars is a cartoonified version of Formula One motor racing, fusing real-life locations, teams and drivers with Mario Kart’s combat and F-Zero’s crazy racetracks. The aggression of the AI leads to frustration, Tracks lack the necessary elements to make them memorable, Product placement sits uncomfortably within the cartoon world. DRS increases your speed and makes you invulnerable for a limited time, and rainy weather opens the heavens but also gives you a pair of deep-tread wet tyres. The drivers are fantastic likenesses of the genuine article. The aggression levels of the AI, and the fact that there are 12 cars on the track, mean that it's all but impossible to avoid being wiped out by some weapon or other when you're anywhere near another opponent. Seeing these motor racing superstars inhabit a cartoon world that staunchly defies the rules of physics and fair play is, initially, equal parts bizarre and enticing. Accessibility is absolutely key here. No one is ever seriously injured and the power-ups are both wacky and fun. There are racing games, and then there are racing … Facebook Twitter. F1 Race Stars Review (PS3, Xbox 360) nofi 13/11/12 11. Product placement is expected in a Formula One game, but it sits at odds with the cartoon-like visuals. F1 Race Stars is great in short bursts but probably won’t sustain your interest long term. Charming but not enough to forgive its frustrating gameplay. © 2021 GAMESPOT, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. F1 Race Stars is a limp caricature of a kart racer. https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/13/f1-race-stars-review Sometimes nice games finish in last place. Richard Walker. That hasn’t stopped Codemasters from changing the serious into the silly in their latest racer, F1 Race Stars. A fun, light-hearted take on Formula 1, F1 Race Stars offers a great opportunity to beat any of well-known drivers, including the current champion of the world. Codemasters Racing is one of the best and most dependable developers of racing games out there, but F1 Race Stars simply doesn't live up to the high standard defined by F1 games of the past. F1 Race Stars: Powered Up Edition is full of bright ideas, but at times struggles to bring together its over-the-top karting side with its real-world influences. We encourage you to read our updated PRIVACY POLICY and COOKIE POLICY. It's a game of luck on that opening lap; the racer who winds up with the least damage gains enough of an advantage to never be seen again. F1 Race Stars is a game that makes clever use of its license. Formula One is a pretty serious sport, so the cartoon stylings of F1 Race Stars is something that's surprisingly out of … F1 Race Stars gets a lot of things right - with full split-screen support for four players, a decent mix of power-ups, and some pretty fantastical track design, there's certainly plenty of appeal here - and you can play through all of the cups without having to worry about unlocking any first. F1 Race Stars Review Great F1 Race Stars is a quality karting experience that fans of the sport will appreciate, especially since it retails with an affordable forty-dollar price tag. F1 Race Stars (PS3) Review My enjoyment of racing games skews more towards the more realistic end of the spectrum. F1 Race Stars is certainly not unique, but it is bright, colorful, and entertaining. F1 Race Stars is hindered by a lack of courses, while the omission of drifting and lack of customisation ensures that it doesn't have the same longevity and levels of … Page 1 – F1 Race Stars Review As a fan of both kart racing video games and Formula 1, it felt like a dream come true when Codemasters announced F1 Race Stars . It takes all of the sport's real-world teams and drivers, and slaps them into a colourful karting game. Not only is it harder than transforming an apple into an orange, the result might not end up pleasing anyone at all. There's Codemasters, a publisher with a racing pedigree, sat on a licensing deal that includes (arguably) the world's most recognisable race stars. Who knew F1 had the formula for a decent kart racer? F1 Race Stars is a fast-to-the-fun arcade racing game for all ages featuring official Formula One cars, teams and circuits as they've never been seen before. GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers. If you're lucky enough to pick up a safety car, it races to the front of the pack and slows everyone down in a bid to help you catch up. F1 Race Stars is a fast-to-the-fun arcade racing game for all ages. I use my control pad and it ok to use.. Codemasters need to make another race kart game. When it gets that core concept right, it excels. The more you charge the battery, the bigger the boost you receive. I enjoy both sim-type racing games and … F1 Race Stars Review. F1 Race Stars isn’t a bad game. F1 Race Stars Review. Submitted on: Dec 12, 2012 by Bishop Tart. Loop-the-loops, boost pads, and red "seeker" missiles are not the kinds of fodder you expect from a game boasting the official Formula One license and featuring the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton on its cover. To be a racing game, F1 Race Stars took a long time to arrive on Wii U. Codemasters are clearly making the most of … Simply put, F1 Race Stars is the kart racing equivalent of a self-help seminar, or of a powerpoint on learning real estate sales. It features real drivers, tracks loosely based on their real-world counterpart, and unlike the games from the developer’s flagship F1 series, it aims to be as unrealistic as possible. on November 13, 2012 at 10:06AM PST. Reviews// F1 Race Stars. Companies: Codemasters Games: F1 Race Stars. Weapons fare somewhat better where memorable events are concerned. … This is a game that is easy to jump into and play, offers a nice variety of tracks, and creates a light, fun, and challenging race experience. Race Stars also features an approximation of the KERS boost system from the sport. F1 Race Stars lets you race with any one of the 24 drivers from the 2012 grid on novelty tracks inspired by the real world circuits. While there's no lack of whimsy and variety in the track design, there are no standout moments either. Weapons such as the safety car help rein in the leading pack. F1 Race Stars Review Kart racing, braking, and (mostly) friendly competition in a land of European comic bobblehead dolls. Aside from the generic inclusion of homing bubbles (read: homing missiles), boosts, and trap bubbles that act as banana skins, there are some neat perversions of more familiar Formula One traits, such as DRS, safety car, and wet weather. There just seems to be so much filler for a game that should shine through simplicity. Up to four players can play in split-screen, with those four all able to compete simultaneously in online races of up to 12 players. F1 Race Stars is above anything else, cute. The problems arise from its lack of creativity in power-ups, and the bland career mode. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The first half lap of every race tends to play out the same way--namely, an explosion of weapons that would make Rambo think twice about entering the fray. Of course, this is the game's way of keeping everybody together and keeping the action flowing. Posted by Tom Cooper on November 26, 2012 - 10:59pm EST. Corners feature sections where you can receive a boost on exit by pumping the right trigger, which fills a battery attached to the rear of your kart. A four-player split-screen race with eight AI drivers set on 3,000cc (the highest of the game's three speed/difficulty levels) is worth your while for a few laps, but with circuits lacking in original ideas, you soon come to the realisation that you could be having much more fun playing Mario Kart. This title exchanges its technical manual for a party popper. ... F1 Race Stars has some similarities while trying something completely different with Codemasters' use of the F1 license. The Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team has won the right to review for the 30-second time penalty that cost Kimi Raikkonen points at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. 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Codemasters somewhat achieves their unique approach with their crazy, over the top course designs. F1 Race Stars Review. F1 RACE STARS™ is a brand new world of FORMULA ONE™ fun as you’ve never seen it before! Elimination Nation removes the last-place driver at regular intervals; in Refuel you need to grab fuel pickups to keep your tank filled; and in Slalom you must drive through coloured gates to score points. Many of the tracks feature famous sections from their real world counterparts, such as the Curva Grande in Monza, and the crazy chicanes of Monaco. Yes, racing with traffic on the autobahn on the Germany track is a fun idea, but it's a familiar trope within the kart racing community, and F1 Race Stars doesn't do anything to set its version apart from the competition. Netflix's 2021 Movie Release Lineup: New Films From Chris Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, and Zack Snyder Revealed. In fact I had a lot of fun playing it, especially offline with friends. 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