{"id":47226,"date":"2012-11-13T15:14:12","date_gmt":"2012-11-13T13:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=47226"},"modified":"2012-11-13T15:43:36","modified_gmt":"2012-11-13T13:43:36","slug":"f1-race-stars-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/reviews\/47226-f1-race-stars-review","title":{"rendered":"F1 Race Stars review (PC)"},"content":{"rendered":"

F1 can be terribly dull. Especially with the slew of new rules introduced to make the sport safer and fairer to anyone who isn\u2019t Michael Schumacher or Lewis Hamilton.<\/p>\n

The announcement by Codemasters that they were going to be taking an off-the-wall look at the sport surprised quite a few, and likely ended up in some very huffy conversations around the water cooler.<\/p>\n

All those naysayers can now release their collective breath \u2013 F1 Race Stars is fantastic. Before I delve into the why though, let\u2019s get the elephant out of the room.<\/p>\n

Yes, F1 Race Stars is similar to Mario Kart. And yes, LittleBigPlanet Karting is also very similar. If we\u2019re being really nit-picky, they all owe their ideas to 1994’s Wacky Wheels, anyway. Fortunately, Codemasters have brought their considerable creative flair and produced something that is so much more than the sum of its parts.<\/p>\n

Is\u2026 is that Truckosaurus?<\/h3>\n

Set all over the world, F1 Race Stars has a killer list of amazing raceways featuring some hair-raising tracks from Belgium, Japan, USA, Singapore and a few others. If you fancy flying down a skyscraper hairpin, or plummeting down a Brazilian waterfall, F1 Race Stars is going to be your cup of tea.<\/p>\n

Each race track has particular features, pitfalls, hazards and bonuses which certainly improves the playability of the game. Hazards in particular are creative and stereotypical for each country \u2013 Truckosaurus will flame you in the USA, Sumo wrestlers will crush you in Japan and an entire phalanx of Roman legionaries will run you off the aqueduct in Rome.<\/p>\n

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Power sliding? Bah humbug<\/h3>\n

As with all of the karting games, Race Stars doesn\u2019t require nearly as much finesse and careful manoeuvring as other, more serious F1 titles \u2013 but after all, why should it? That said, Codemasters have worked really hard to keep some of the Formula 1 discipline without intimidating any of us laymen.<\/p>\n

As Chris Gray (Senior Producer for Race Stars) said in an interview with Gametrailers.com, \u201cF1 cars don\u2019t tend to power slide unless something\u2019s gone horribly wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

The track design is very carefully thought up, compensating for the lack of some features and control that we\u2019ve come to recognise as staples of karting games. It\u2019s a little trickier with F1 cars, as they\u2019re not nearly as flexible as the cartoony karts, but the developers have done a great job.<\/p>\n

Corners have been kitted-out with blue bars that build up boost, as slipstreaming plays a major part in how quickly you get around the track. Add in the some of the most unique powerups strewn across the track and you\u2019ve got a winner.<\/p>\n

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There are a lot of little nods to Formula 1 \u2013 the powerups are themed, so there\u2019s a wet weather powerup (you get wet weather tires while everyone else slips) and a safety car powerup that slows down everyone in the group.<\/p>\n

All the tracks are based on the usual gamut you\u2019ve seen on TV, but with extra crazy thrown in all over the place. Rather than simply trying to shove F1 tracks into the game, Codemasters have gone out of their way to make them work. Fans will still spot various famous corners and landmarks along the way, but you won\u2019t have time to care.<\/p>\n

Multiplayer mayhem<\/h3>\n

Everything from the classic multiplayer options all the way up to the always popular 4-way split screen is present and even then, you haven\u2019t been limited to either 4-way split or online play. If you want to play 4-way vs. 4-way, that\u2019s completely open as well.<\/p>\n

Multiplayer functionality wasn\u2019t available at the time of this review, but if the connectivity and matchmaking is smooth, the experience looks to be one which will form a small cult following.<\/p>\n

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Graphically good, slick sounds, musically mundane<\/h3>\n

F1 Race Stars is crisp, clean and cartoony without being overbearing. If I had one criticism, it would be that the graphics in corners and other strategic points tend to blend a little too<\/em> well, so it\u2019s all too easy to plough into a wall or some other obstacle that you didn\u2019t know was there until the last second.<\/p>\n

All your favourite drivers have hilariously large heads and are there for the picking including Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and of course, Michael Schumacher complete with strangely alive helmets.<\/p>\n

Sound effects are cute (as you\u2019d expect from a karting game) while engine noises are rough and scream at just the right pitch to remind you that you\u2019re still in a Formula 1 car. Unfortunately, the music is repetitive and this can get more than a little irritating if you leave the menu open for any extended amount of time.<\/p>\n

Christmas conclusion<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s the festive season \u2013 would this make a great gift for your loved ones? Absolutely.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to find fault with this particular gem and although I\u2019m admittedly not the biggest F1 fan in the world, I\u2019d cheerfully sink a few dollars and hours to play this game into the ground.<\/p>\n\n\t\t