Codemasters is known for making authentic and often times realistic driving simulations that may have a touch of arcade feeling to it which makes it totally surprising to see a cartoonized version of Formula 1 mixed with Mario Kart features and insane tracks from the British developer. F1 Race Stars takes the official Formula 1 license and builds an insane and charming Kart Racer on top of it.
Codies usually makes sure that every detail of its racing games is up to snuff with its real life counterparts but throws it out of the window to make something equally awesome as an authentic rally game or Formula 1 simulation. F1 Race Stars sees the sports biggest names like Alonso, Vettel or Schumacher morphed into cute and big headed drivers of tiny F1 cars that zip around real locations like Monaco or Germany.
The cool thing about F1 Race Stars is that it takes elements from real aspects of race tracks like the Eau Rouge at Spa or the Abu Dhabi pit exit tunnel and mixes it with complete fantasy track features that remind of F-Zero such as flyovers, speed pads or loops that tickle the 10 year old inside of me as much as the Formula 1 enthusiast.
The game looks beautiful and runs smooth in single player and online multiplayer modes as well as 4 player local split screen which is a basic requirement for a good Kart Racer as much as the actual driving and power ups. While there isn’t any drifting in F1 Race Stars it actually works well since some finesse is required during turns and hair pins which is reminiscent of a real F1 race.
Winning races isn’t easy and will require some serious attention to speed pad usage as well as damage management and using the carefully placed short cuts across the various tracks. Regardless whether you are competing with real players online or on the couch or simply driving against the AI, F1 Race Stars can be a real battle.
Throughout the races you will need to manage your power ups to slow down drivers in front of you and avoid being taken down by someone chasing you down. There is a constant feel of things possibly going bad. Another neat element carried over from the Formula 1 is the use of the KERS system which has players power up in designated zones which releases a burst of speed once you return back on the regular asphalt portion of the track.
It becomes very clear after playing only a few hours of F1 Race Stars that this Kart Racer from an unlikely publisher in Codemasters is an absolute blast. The game really does a nice job in presenting the F1 license and blending it with gameplay from Mario Kart and elements of F-Zero. F1 Race Stars is such a polished, charming game that it’s hard not to love it, regardless of your age.
Score: 8 / 10
F1 Race Stars was developed by Codemasters Birmingham and published by Codemasters for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on November 13th. A copy of the Xbox 360 version was provided to us by Codemasters for reviewing purposes.
