Most hot-blooded males will confess to having fostered dreams of being an F1 pilot at some point in their lives, and F1 2010 seems to have been crafted with the sole purpose of fulfilling that obsession. Does it triumph, or is the career mode merely extraneous window-dressing? We hold an exclusive post-race press conference to find out: read all about the mode in this part of our F1 2010 review.
Read the rest of our F1 2010 review
F1 2010 review
F1 2010 review: Hitting the track
F1 2010 review: Presentation
F1 2010’s career mode is at the very centre of the game, so much so that you can’t even get onto the track until you’ve created a virtual alias. As well as registering your name, nationality and gender – all of which is achieved in a clever press conference environment – you’ll get to pick the team you’ll be racing for.
Naturally the top-tier squads such as McLaren and Ferrari are out of your reach at this stage – you’re an untested rookie, after all – so instead you’ll have to choose from the back-row minnows, such as Virgin Racing, Team Lotus and the once-proud Williams.
With the formalities out of the way, F1 2010 really opens up. Once in the paddock you can speak to your agent, who keeps you abreast of internal developments as well as advances from rival teams. You can also check to see what your current employer thinks of your performance, and identify areas where improvement is required. It’s even possible to pick a unique helmet design to ensure you stand out on telly.
To push your career forward in F1 2010 you naturally need to participate in races. As in any F1 squad, your main rival is your team mate, and your on-track performance is measured against him. If you consistently out-pace your fellow driver then you’re rewarded with number one status within the garage, and that brings other, more tangible benefits. For example, performance-enhancing upgrades will be fitted to your car first, and you’ll also be able to influence the Research and Development path the team chooses to take.
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Even though F1 2010 allows you to limit the race distance to 20% of the full lap quota, race weekends can still take a considerable amount of time to complete. Practice sessions may initially seem like something you can skip, but doing so costs your team crucial development time – just as it would in the real world. Practice also allows you to familiarise yourself with the circuit layout before progressing to Qualifying.
In F1 2010, your team naturally has expectations and will give you an objective for both qualifying and the final race. If you meet these aims – and out-pace your team mate – then your standing within the garage will rise, which not only helps you get first dibs on car enhancements but also increases your reputation in the paddock, leading to interest from rival teams.
Should you be lucky enough to grab a podium spot – and in F1 2010, that’s easier said than done to begin with – then you’ll be called upon to answer questions from the press in the post-race conference. Here your replies carry tremendous weight and can have a considerable impact on your career. If you support your current team with your comments then they will be more likely to keep you around. However, should you choose to boast of your ability then you’re likely to gain admiring glances from rival squads.
Despite the immersive nature of F1 2010’s career mode, there are elements which could do with improvement. Codemasters has succeeded in putting you in the hot seat like never before, but it stopped short of including key elements of an F1 race weekend. For example, it would have been nice to plan some of your race strategy from the comfort of the starting line as your driver is given much-needed shade by a luscious brolly girl. And not being able to pull the car into Parc fermé and soak up the adulation after scoring a victory is disappointing.
We also couldn’t help but notice that F1 2010’s chief mechanics all have the same thick Geordie accent, regardless of which team you happen to be racing for. It’s little things like this that have a negative impact on the other good work Codemasters has achieved when it comes to creating a truly believable racing world.
We imagine that the minor shortcomings of F1 2010’s career mode will be addressed in the sequel, but to be brutally honest they’re hardly game-breaking problems and won’t impinge on your enjoyment of the on-track action.
Read the rest of our F1 2010 review
F1 2010 review
F1 2010 review: Hitting the track
F1 2010 review: Presentation
