F1 2018: The official game – first impressions

No beating around the bush here, I’ve had the game for three hours – not an ideal period of time to give you a genuine first impression of what is the latest in a long line of F1 franchise games which are released annually.

F1 2018 is what it says on the box, it’s the 2018 version, with 2018 everything – from tracks, to cars, and – the Halo.

First impressions – man, that thing gets in the way.  I think more for me than a real driver because I like to look into then through a corner, and while looking through a corner its not in your way, when looking into a corner you don’t get the 3D phase out effect the human eye gets from the seat of an F1 car – you just get a bar in your way.

I jumped straight into the car at Albert Park, set a 1.25 around there, which put me 6th out of the 15 people who had done likewise.

Setup adjustments seem very similar to previous years with some tweaks to the types of adjustments available.

Gameplay – sensational.  Realistic as hell, and when you start switching off those assists you get a real feel for the cars, and when you start playing with setup you get an amazing sense of the speed you can now carry through a corner.

Graphics are a marginal step up as always, and we’re told Career Mode is greatly enhanced, but anyone that tries to review that based on a few hours is just taking the piss.

Bottom line – it looks great, feels great, and my weekend is shot now – if you need me, I’ll be in the Aston Martin Red Bull F1 car:)