Codemasters is back at it again with the latest iteration of the F1 racing franchise. F1 2016 is scheduled to launch later this year and it looks to bring back some fan favorite features while adding some of the most interesting new gameplay ideas in years. One item on the docket for a return is the Safety Car, the F1 staple that can dramatically affect the outcome of a real race was absent from the 2015 title. Along with its return, F1 2016 will also see an implementation of the new Virtual Safety Car rules currently employed by the FIA.
But really, that is just a simple and ultimately boring addition to the franchise. What is really going to make F1 2016 a must-have title for F1 fans is the new features for career mode.
If you want to feel like a true F1 champion, F1 2016 is promising its deepest and most involved career progression system ever, including a driving length that will last for 10(!) seasons. Now you truly can start with a low-tier team and feel like you are really working your way up to the top, securing a drive with a team like Red Bull or Mercedes AMG Petronas.
Cranking up the immersion factor, and replacing what has continually been a pretty awful and disappointing part of the race experience for F1 games, you now have an agent and race engineer that are fully motion captured and voice acted. No more boring canned engineer chatter from the man with a rubber face that we have had for the last few iterations.
Players are also supposed to get some quality of life improvements like the ability to change the time of day for races, and there is a new practice program for each circuit to help players learn their lines, braking points, and get acquainted with new circuits.
Some of the other expect additions for a new yearly iteration are present as well. We get the full 21-race calendar including the new tracks like the Baku circuit, and every new driver and team is represented as well. That means that you can kick Romain Grosjean out of his seat and drive for the American-owned Haas F1 racing team if you want.
We will have to wait until we get some play time with the new game, but after the rather disappointing outing of last year’s title, F1 2016 looks to have the goods that make it worth the upgrade.
F1 2016 will launch later this summer on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
