Keeping it real
Getting back to the features in F1 22 that I actually like, the overall presentation of F1 22 has been overhauled to a decent degree. There are now options to enable a broadcast style presentation method. This will see sequences like pitlane entry, safety car deployment, and even formation laps displayed in a format that’s very similar to how you’d see on the TV. For more casual fans that are just here for the F1 experience, this new presentation style goes a long way to make the game feel more authentic.
On the flip side, the immersive presentation style lets players get even more involved with the race weekend action. When selected, it’s now possible for players to take part in interactive formation laps, pit stops, and safety cars. Should you like, you can now position your car on the grid either defensively or offensively, which we regularly see F1 drivers do on the track.
Another change that fans may appreciate is the retiring of Jeff, the often useless race engineer that would previously feed condescending remarks through your radio. He’s been replaced with Marc Priestly, an ex-McLaren race engineer who’s lent his voice to a completely re-recorded arsenal of voice lines for the race engineer. They’ve been recorded on an actual F1 pitwall headset, too, so he sounds way less sarcy and far more genuine than Jeff ever did.
If you really want to make your driving experience feel as real as possible, then you’ll be pleased to hear that VR support has made its way into F1 22 for the very first time. I sadly wasn’t able to test out this functionality during my review period, but it’s great to see that this functionality is at least here in principle.
Is F1 22 worth your time?
I said at the top of this review that I had always wondered how sports games could justify a yearly release. With the 2022 F1 seasons seeing so many drastic changes to the sport, F1 22 feels like a necessary exception to my apprehension.
The regulation changes make racing feel like the best it ever has in an F1 game, which at its core is what I care about most in any racing game. If it doesn’t feel good to put in quick lap times and overtake rivals, what are we even here for?
The fan-favourite career modes are both still here and just as good as before, letting you follow a yearlong championship either from a driver or team management perspective. While the racing experience is fantastic, it will be interesting to see how Codemaster’s management sim mechanics stack up against F1 Manager 22 when it launches later this year.
However, a few of the innovations in F1 22 feel a little half baked. Supercars have the potential to be more exciting if given more ways to race, and I’m not totally sold on the idea of F1 Life. When you consider that features like the single player Braking Point mode were scrapped in favour of these new developments, it makes you wonder whether the sacrifice was worth it.
However, if the core F1 racing experience is what you care about most, then you likely won’t be disappointed by this year’s latest instalment.
For our F1 22 review, a PC copy was provided by EA for review purposes only.
Tested on a PC featuring:
Intel i9 10900K Processor
16GB 3600MHz Corsair Vengeance RAM
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Video Card
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Featured Image Credit: EA/Codemasters