F1 Race Stars Review

Like in other popular karting games, the probability of picking up a certain weapon directly relates to how well you're doing in the race. Safety cars tend to appear only when you're at the back of the pack, for example, while trap bubbles are common when you're out in front. This creates a rubber band effect that keeps racers close, but rather than adding extra tension, it often just creates frustration. 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.

Of course, this is the game's way of keeping everybody together and keeping the action flowing. But it doesn't work. 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. Everyone is so close together on the first lap that it's impossible to plan your attacks wisely or avoid the onslaught of others. 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. Not that that person is racing too quickly for you to catch up. It's more a case of his being far enough ahead not to have to worry about the smorgasbord of weapons being unleashed behind him.

Other game modes work a little better by taking the focus away from simply finishing first, and towards something that makes less sense but is a whole lot more fun. 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. There are other alternative modes, but those three are the most fun and offer the best opportunities to play as the bad guy and ruin someone's race with a single act.

Like all games of this type, F1 Race Stars is much improved when played in multiplayer. 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. Playing with others removes many of the annoying traits exhibited by the AI racers, not least their remarkable aggression and skill with the weapon set. 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.

Hope you've equipped your cobblestone-rated tyres.

Your enjoyment is not helped by the visuals, which, while perfectly satisfactory, do little to enrich the experience. The sharp edges and cheerful colour palette stand at odds with the V-Power, Santander, and Etihad product placements that litter various portions of most tracks, while the Pixar-like filter the F1 cars have gone through is hardly the most inventive, or interesting of treatments.

It's a bit of a shame, really. 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. Once you see past the charming bobble-headed drivers and nods to F1, there's little here to hold your attention for long.