''F1 2014'' is a

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific go ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

based on the

2014 Formula One season The 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 68th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 65th Formula One World Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula One cars, recognised by the sport's governing body, ...

developed and published by

Codemasters The Codemasters Software Company Limited (trade name: Codemasters) is a British video game developer based in Southam, England, which is a subsidiary of American corporation Electronic Arts. Founded by brothers Richard and David Darling in Oct ...

. Despite releasing during the lifespan of eighth-generation consoles PlayStation 4 and

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

, the game was released on seventh-generation consoles

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and

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instead, in addition to a release on Microsoft Windows. ''F1 2014'' is the last F1 game to be released in September/October, releasing during the latter month.

Features

The game features the initial driver line-ups from the 2014 season. Substitute drivers

Will Stevens William Stevens (born 28 June 1991) is a British racing driver, who formerly competed in Formula One, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, Toyota Racing Series and the British Formula Renault Championships. In Formula One, he made his debut at the 20 ...

and André Lotterer were not included in the game, as they both only raced once during the 2014 season. Furthermore, all races feature full grids of 22 drivers - in the real-life season, the

Marussia Marussia Motors (russian: Маруся ) was a Russian sports car company founded in 2007. It was the first Russian company to produce a supercar. It designed, and manufactured prototypes of both the B1 and the B2 sport cars. Marussia was led by for ...

team were absent for the final three races of the season due to financial difficulties whilst

Caterham Caterham () is a town in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. The town is administratively divided into two: Caterham on the Hill, and Caterham Valley, which includes the main town centre in the middle of a dry valley but rises to equal ...

also missed two races towards the end of the season due to financial difficulties before returning for the final round in Abu Dhabi. The game features the new turbo-hybrid cars introduced in the 2014 season, as well as the team and driver line-ups. All of the 2014 Formula One tracks are featured, including new additions like the Red Bull Ring, Hockenheimring, the brand-new

Sochi Autodrom The Sochi Autodrom (russian: Сочи Автодром, Sochi Avtodrom), previously known as the Sochi International Street Circuit and the Sochi Olympic Park Circuit, is a permanent race track in the settlement of Sirius next to the Black Sea r ...

, and

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

in night conditions. The game allows players to choose any team to drive for at the start of Career Mode, rather than forcing the player to start at a team lower down the grid, as in previous titles. Also unlike previous titles, the Career Mode allows players to choose from three different season lengths: seven races, 12 races or the full 19 races. The game also features a new driver evaluation test, and the Scenario Mode has been improved. The game does not feature Classic Content, a feature from the game's predecessor which allowed users to drive historic Formula One cars around historic tracks. This was the last game in the series to use red flag mechanics, until it was reintroduced in '' F1 23''.

Reception

''F1 2014'' received "mixed or average" reviews, according to video game

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. Reviewers praised the new feel of the 2014 turbo-hybrid cars, the graphics, the racing action and some new features that made the game more accessible, but criticism of the lack of new major features and the removal of the classic content from the previous game resulted in mixed reviews. Game Revolution gave the game a positive review with a rating of 4.5 out of 5, stating that its "authentic, fun racing balances accessibility and simulation well", and that "a focus shift from history and F1 melodrama to races alone is a welcome change". They also praised the graphics, calling them "superb for PS3/Xbox 360, with impressive weather effects". The game received a mixed review from

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EG ...

, rating it 5 out of 10, citing lack of new features and an uninspiring career mode. They also declared "it's a quantifiable step back for the series, saved only by the fact that what's there remains a satisfactory companion piece to this year's season if you're fortunate enough to have a decent steering wheel". Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4 out of 5, saying "''F1 2014'' plays to its strengths and doesn't get bogged down with clutter. While classic F1 races can't be recreated this year, the career mode is a far more diverse and enjoyable experience. The racing action is more intense than ever before, leading this to be one of most enjoyable F1 games ever created".

PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...

rated the game 67 out of 100, concluding that "with its fundamentals unchanged and last years foray into classic cars removed, ''F1 2014'' provides very little beyond a perfunctory car and track update". They criticised the lack of new major features, sarcastically commenting that "on the back of ''F1 2014'''s box under 'new features', there may as well be a picture of a man shrugging apologetically".

References

External links