F1 2011 on the Vita is an exciting prospect. The idea of the entire F1 world being accessible in the palms of your hands whilst on the move makes this so. However, sadly it hasn’t reached the potential it should of.
From my initial impressions I was critical of the visuals – rightly so. After continuous playing of the game the visuals just become worse and worse. The cars look jagged and flat in terms of detail and the tracks look empty. Considering the visual capabilities of Uncharted Golden Abyss and Rayman Origins on the Vita I’m shocked how F1 2011 could not even come close to the achievements of these games. The difference of the visuals for the Vita version compared to the console counterpart is massive in terms of quality. It’s a huge disappointment at how bad the game looks.
Luckily, as somewhat a consolation to the game’s presentation, the sound is brilliant. It’s very authentic and really helps put you into the F1 car when you have headphones in. The engine echoes through the famous tunnel at Monte Carlo and the revving sounds at the beginning of a Grand Prix are like music to my ears. It certainly makes the game more exciting.
Not pretty at all
F1 2011 doesn’t play well. You might be thinking this is game over for F1 2011 now. However, it’s not, the driving although it handles awfully is a joy to play. First of all from my experience of the game I don’t think it can be classed as a simulator. It’s far too inaccurate and sluggish as the handling goes. For example, the car slides all the time. On the straights it is like driving on an ice rink (as expressed in my initial impressions) and turning a corner is far too easy. It requires little braking which is a contrast to the console versions, and a large margin for errors, again a contrary to the console counterpart. This makes for a bad simulator but it does make for a good F1 arcade racer. It probably didn’t set out to achieve this but it does it well. As a result the driving looses all it’s seriousness and you can simply just enjoy it.
The AI of the game is appalling; this is one thing the game shares in common with console counterpart. It’s unaware of your presence on the track and the skill of the drivers is poor, even on harder difficulties. Codemasters never seem to get this right. Expect to be given unfair penalties or even hit off the track due to the poor AI driving.
I wouldn’t be surprised if that Ferrari slammed you into a wall at the next turn
Although F1 2011 doesn’t shine in its gameplay or presentation it does so in the amount of content it offers. There is a great variety of game modes to try out. The modes from the console versions such as career, grand prix and time trial all feature. On top of that there is now quick race, championship and challenges – all new game modes. All these new modes add a lot more depth and longevity to the game. The challenge mode is extensive and very much different to anything you have seen on an F1 game before. It’s refreshing in a way.
Multiplayer does feature. However, I have only been able to find one other player other than myself. It’s empty to say the least. When you do find a player though it is great fun and becomes very competitive. I cannot comment on the quality of the connection or breadth of the multiplayer due to my limited experience.
Pros/+
- Wide range of content
- New game modes
- Sound is authentic
Cons/-
- Terrible visuals
- Poor AI
- Handling is a messy affair
Overall F1 2011 is an average game at best. The terrible visuals and messy handling are its biggest downfalls. However, it still remains enjoyable to play as an arcade racer. It offers a lot of content and new unique modes which are worth divulging into, but don’t expect much from its multiplayer feature.
6/10
Tested on PlayStation Vita
