Heart and console

Whether you want to toy around with the latest F1 cars or race as an F2 driver, F1 22 for PlayStation, Xbox and Windows has plenty to offer. With US video game giant Electronic Arts (EA) and its recently purchased UK based developer Codemasters collaborating for the first time, F1 22 is the motor sport equivalent of FIFA.

F1 22 does an excellent job in the graphics and sound department. The new cars have lower-profile tyres and bigger wheels, and compared to its predecessors the drivers look more life-like, especially when celebrating on the podium. The cars sound just like they do in real life, and David Croft’s and Alex Jacques’ commentary akin to Sky Sports’ coverage sets the game apart from F1 21.

EA succeeds in providing an immersive experience by offering manual pitstops where players have to follow on-screen instructions to ensure they get the cleanest entry, stop, and exit. It also includes virtual reality support which could trigger motion sickness for some but makes the game feel more real.

But it’s not all rosy. Playing it on PS4 I experienced four crashes, and I don’t mean due to my inexperienced driving. The newly introduced split-screen feature, although brilliant if you want to go head-to-head with a friend, has issues. And for me, the mini map and speedometer kept disappearing.

The game also suffers from EA’s trademark: microtransactions. The ‘F1 Life’ mode allows players to collect trophies and purchase clothes and furniture, and these are purely cosmetic additions. It feels gimmicky and has received backlash for having replaced last year’s successful story mode ‘Braking Point’.

There is some room for improvement. F1 22 introduced supercars inspired by Pirelli Hot Laps – where manufacturers showcase their machines at F1 circuits – but it feels like a wasted opportunity. Instead, the game should perhaps have had cars from past F1 eras. Imagine taking Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari for a spin in today’s graphics.

If you’ve grown up playing Need for Speed, F1 22 is a shock to the system given how technologically advanced these cars are. A few updates down the line could make this the best racing game yet. And although it feels real, porpoising doesn’t exist in the world of F1 22, and perhaps that is for the best. NA

F1 22   PlayStation, Xbox, Windows Codemasters/EA, from £54.99

October 2022 book reviews in brief

GT40 uncovered

Claude Nahum with Steve Rendle

If you’re fond of engineering drawings, here’s a feast. Claude Nahum, already a GT40 owner, bought a chestful of GT40 drawings to enable him to build a tool-room replica of the prototype; having done that he decided to compile them into this vast volume, assisted by Steve Rendle. Here are 180 technical drawings for the GT, with fine cutaways and multiple photographs. But I’m not sure why some of these photos are here – I am as interested as anyone in suspension and steering mechanisms, but why two of these beautifully reproduced pages are given to an engine valley cover which is nothing more than a blanking plate with no performance effect whatsoever puzzles me. Still, the whole package is fabulously presented, with a great deal of informative text. But I have to say I dislike Porter’s EasyJet pricing mode, which sees the cost double between the first and last copies.
GC

Porter Press, £500 (final copies)
ISBN 9781913089351

Bugatti in Denmark

Frank Studstrup

One tends to think of a luxury car like a Bugatti going to customers in France, Italy, Britain or the USA. This book reminds us not to be so parochial as pre-WWII a number found their way to Denmark too. Actually only 22 cars, but Frank Studstrup followed them all up, though one has had to be omitted as the owner disagrees with Studstrup’s history. There are photos of 1914 speed trials on a frozen lake, sand racing at Fanø, and some sad photos of an engineless T23 used as a children’s plaything. Many cars were privately imported, and Studstrup used customs documents to track them. Personal memories include a tale from a man who visited Molsheim in 1931 and recalled that Ettore Bugatti bicycled to the factory wearing a bowler hat, and that when the staff met him they bowed their heads. Plenty of unsuspected interest here – did you know 95kph equals 13 Danish miles per hour?
GC

Editocar, £55 £115
ISBN 9788797335413