F1 2012

 Xbox 360
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 62 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 62
  3. Negative: 13 out of 62
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  1. clemyeats
    Sep 26, 2012
    8
    If you're new to the franchise and you like Formula 1, go buy this game, you'll love it. If like me you're a dedicated F1 player since the release of F1 2010 and you're wondering how it compares to last year's F1 2011, well as usual, it's greatly improved but there's a few bugs here and there. The new modes and features (driver test, champion mode, localized weather..etc) are nice butIf you're new to the franchise and you like Formula 1, go buy this game, you'll love it. If like me you're a dedicated F1 player since the release of F1 2010 and you're wondering how it compares to last year's F1 2011, well as usual, it's greatly improved but there's a few bugs here and there. The new modes and features (driver test, champion mode, localized weather..etc) are nice but they're only relevant for a short period of time. Nothing much is new also in online multiplayer. Where F1 2012 truly shines is on the improvements Codemasters made to the core part of the game: Handling is much much better (F1 2010 was too strict, F1 2011 too lenient, this year we have the best of both world.. you need to nurse your car, mistakes can cost you big time and the car doesn't feel like it's on rails), engine sounds are fantastic, the game is now using more realistic lighting and the tracks are better detailed than before... you can see that in the demo, for instance at Monza. The AI is much smarter than in the previous games, much more competitive and doesn't back off as easily. It's also more respectful and careful not to make contact. For the first time in this franchise I'm enjoying some real wheel to wheel battles with AI drivers. On the downside, the penalty system is still very unfair and inaccurate, and you can't turn it off. Illegal overtakes give you a couple of seconds to give the position back and the "legal" borders of the tracks are better cut than last year... so it's still an improvement. Tyre wear doesn't scale anymore and engines blow up when you downshift too rapidly... some people consider these to be cons, but I think they improve the realism of the game. Overall, it's still the best F1 game out there and arguably one of the best racing games on consoles. I'm delighted with the improvements made by Codemasters and I'm not going back to F1 2011 :)… Expand
  2. TriNiParty
    Sep 19, 2012
    9
    This game has great tutorials and a load of options for new and experienced F1 players/fans. Career mode has many options that can be changed between each race (including how long each race is). My only issue is that the controls are so sensitive that you can only play with a new controller. Loads of great racing hours ahead for F1 fans.
  3. MatteAce
    Sep 21, 2012
    8
    There are so many things that people were expecting out of this new edition of the game.
    A complete career with pilots market, improved collisions, wheel-to-wheel realistic physics, a better replay engine, a more complete engineer radio messages (like for example updating you on what happens around you in the race, if somebody crashes, etc), more car failures, a proper online championship    There are so many things that people were expecting out of this new edition of the game.
    A complete career with pilots market, improved collisions, wheel-to-wheel realistic physics, a better replay engine, a more complete engineer radio messages (like for example updating you on what happens around you in the race, if somebody crashes, etc), more car failures, a proper online championship (maybe like fifa?), classic cars and tracks, scenarios from the live season, and much more.

    Codemasters chose instead to redesign a new MENU. I mean, I think it's really neat and everything, and now the game loads really fast, but was it really the priority number one??

    Apart from this, we have a new suspension system that works better, we have a better tyre sim, and the AI is finally aggressive enough to feel alive. (if you're fast enough... if you're just 3-4 seconds slower than the car behind you, you'll just see trails of cars behind you as usual.), better graphics, dynamic weather, a scenario mode and an arcade career.

    And driving is just completely fun.

    I totally, completely enjoy speeding my car flying over the kerbs, driving from the **** view with no aids at all and battling against the other cars... it's just so rewarding.

    So Codemasters has improved the game once more, even though it still feels like they could have done much better than that.
    You play it. It's damn fun. DAAMN FUN.
    But it's still not... that... complete experience you would expect from a masterpiece. They are just this far from the best F1 game ever made, yet they still lose focus on what they should really do.

    I'm thinking right now to the rivalry between FIFA and PES that has occurred since the 90's, bringing both companies to improve their games wildly year after year, in a healthy competition that brought us today two of the most complete football simulations. Maybe what F1 lacks today is just the same rough competition.
    But I doubt that good ol' Bernie (Ecclestone) will ever grant it to us.    … Expand
  4. Madvilain
    Sep 30, 2012
    3
    Being a lifelong F1 fan as well as gamer I was very excited by release of F1 2010 by Codemasters. Although the game wasn't as much of a simulation as some wished for, and filled with game glitches upon release I still enjoyed the game to a large degree. Codemasters have a great history of 'sami-simulation' driving games and F1 2010 had little competition since they took over the motorsportBeing a lifelong F1 fan as well as gamer I was very excited by release of F1 2010 by Codemasters. Although the game wasn't as much of a simulation as some wished for, and filled with game glitches upon release I still enjoyed the game to a large degree. Codemasters have a great history of 'sami-simulation' driving games and F1 2010 had little competition since they took over the motorsport license.

    Although there was a worry of 2011 having very worth the buy by games, the new rules changes in F1 sport gave the game hope of second success. Features like KERS and DRS made this instalment of the game feel like a new experience, and even though the game was again released with few bugs and glitches, it received positive reviews from the license games around. Now onto 2012, due to no gameplay effected changes in the real sport, little new was expected in the game itself. Upon release the main drastic difference were visuals of the game. Many reviewers and gamers around jumped to premature positive reviews. Don't be fooled. Yes, visually the game is gorgeous, and few extra game modes. To break it down; the Young Driver Test is totally pointless. Not only it does very little regarding teaching you how to drove and controle a F1 car, but it's not even representative of the real F1 Young Driver Tests each year. The Champions mode is an interesting addition, with player racing against some of the best drivers on the grid this year, but the scenarios become repetitive after a while and very little creativity is put into it by the developers. The Career mode is the bigerst disappointment. Not only it's very similar in many was of the borring career mode in previos edition, but its parts like media interviews and post-race press conference have been removed. The immersion is very disappointing and could do with a more creative approach like we had in TOCA Test driver back in the day. Another thing that has been tweaked to a large degree are the car physics. If it's better or worst can probably be a individual opinion of people who play it, personality I like it, but what I hate about the game, and by hate I should say despise, are the car physics in the rain, especially since in this new edition of the game many of the races have been designed to pit for a tire change multiple times due to the changing weather conditions, now that's great and at first I was excited by this news, but after driving it multiple times now in wet and intermediate tires the driving feels so unpredictable and with no indication (or mention in the Young Drivers Test 'tutorial'), you will often find yourself frustrated with rage, swearing at your TV, as your F1 car slides on the rode as if someone made a prank by dipping your intermediates in oil before you drove out of the pits. I used to love the rain races in 2011 version, actually I liked them so much I would be very excited every time rain was announced for the next race. In the 2012 version it's not even a challenge, its a lottery ticket every corner you turn into you just don't know what will happen. If you change your tires for wet in heavy intermediate conditions the vehicle is simply uncontrollable, for you only, as AI passes you by in (often in same tires as you have) twice the speed you manage to achieve.

    When it comes to AI, I found them very unpredictable, which again should be a good thing to have. Unfortunately that is not the case here, as the AI drivers decide randomly to slow down half the speed in certain corners, then next lap speed though it as if spirit of Ayrton Senna himself controlled them. Also, on straights sometimes I wonder if AI drivers have an invincible DRS open as they catch up to you at immense speeds just to slam on breaks right on your tail (instead of overtake you on the side).

    There are many other issues with this game I could list, but I think I covered the most notable points which I found frustrating with this release. I know many games our there, as well as reviewers, claim to really like this game and consider it the best release by Codemasters of this license so far. Personally, I think it's a good game, but I won't rate it high just because it looks nice but plays poorly like many people do these days. I consider F1 2011 to be the best version of the game so far, and I would gladly continue playing my 2011 version if I haven't already sold it.    … Expand
  5. VidsRule
    Mar 23, 2013
    9
    This thing is... Um... this thing is. Uh, yeah. I got my butt kicked. The most hard core racing game this gen. I placed 23 in my first race, and I was in 9th in my second race and on the second last lap... I ran out of gas! The racing is so fast and intense that I almost had an anerism (sp). Also... you have to do a min of 25% of a real race in career. That's like 15 laps. I give it a 10This thing is... Um... this thing is. Uh, yeah. I got my butt kicked. The most hard core racing game this gen. I placed 23 in my first race, and I was in 9th in my second race and on the second last lap... I ran out of gas! The racing is so fast and intense that I almost had an anerism (sp). Also... you have to do a min of 25% of a real race in career. That's like 15 laps. I give it a 10 for the racing but not enough difficulty options and too long of races brings it down a notch. Honestly, don't buy this if your a casual racing fan. Do buy it if you want a hardcore experience like no other.… Expand
  6. pots555
    Nov 14, 2012
    8
    A truly fun racing experience. The driving is intense and very rewarding. The graphics look amazing and the sounds are excellent. It also has a great value. This title is way better than the previous two.
  7. TheChaser1985
    Jul 31, 2013
    8
    This game was a big surprise! Very good. Good graphics and great game play. Surprisingly realistic. I really liked this game. It's one of the better racing games out there! I hate all those arcade style racers.
  8. jurrabi
    Aug 6, 2013
    5
    F1 2012 It's a good Formula 1 game in general, with some stupid bugs that annoy the hell out of me (like front wing shadow staying on when you lost the wing or the crappy IA or the never ending unfair penalties or the wet rubbers behaving like soft ones). But in general the driving experience and the filling of driving in the F1 Championship allows to put aside those quirks.

    But if you    F1 2012 It's a good Formula 1 game in general, with some stupid bugs that annoy the hell out of me (like front wing shadow staying on when you lost the wing or the crappy IA or the never ending unfair penalties or the wet rubbers behaving like soft ones). But in general the driving experience and the filling of driving in the F1 Championship allows to put aside those quirks.

    But if you own F1 2010 or 11 there is no 60€ worth new value in here. I would for for an payed update. But charging again for a full price is just stealing.

    Sorry CM. You lost me in this one...    … Expand
  9. TheSquirrel
    Mar 26, 2014
    7
    A beautiful looking game with some great visuals and wonderful physics. This is a game for serious racers only (unless you are actually going to buy a F1 game and leave all the helps on) as the qualifying and tuning required at higher difficulties makes the game difficult to just pick-up and play. You pick it up and devote the next several hours to getting the car right and hoping youA beautiful looking game with some great visuals and wonderful physics. This is a game for serious racers only (unless you are actually going to buy a F1 game and leave all the helps on) as the qualifying and tuning required at higher difficulties makes the game difficult to just pick-up and play. You pick it up and devote the next several hours to getting the car right and hoping you don't ruin all your hard work crashing in the race. So very much like the real thing.
    Also, the sensation of speed is like no other game I have played before.

    Excellent racer, not noob friendly.

    I would have liked to see a Team Manager mode where you take control of the team and manage the resources, directions, and sponsorship without ever racing.    … Expand
  10. sirkhanz1
    Sep 27, 2012
    9
    Great game by Codemasters. Enjoyed the Young Driver Test and getting Gold is very satisfying. Noticeable advancement in terms of feeling speed. The option not to play as your favourite racing racing is downside and hopefully will be addressed next year, I'll definitely be playing this for a long time.
  11. nightsharks23
    Feb 18, 2013
    9
    F1 2012 is a awesome game! Great graphics, great gameplay, and many more. If you looked at my previous reviews, I reviewed Forza 4 and I bought the game and I thought at that time that Forza is the best racing game I have played. Well, after playing F1 for a couple of races, I can honestly say F1 2102 is the best racing game I have played. Take into account that I only have like fourF1 2012 is a awesome game! Great graphics, great gameplay, and many more. If you looked at my previous reviews, I reviewed Forza 4 and I bought the game and I thought at that time that Forza is the best racing game I have played. Well, after playing F1 for a couple of races, I can honestly say F1 2102 is the best racing game I have played. Take into account that I only have like four racing game in my collection so may range is limited. Nevertheless, F1 2012 is very fun. If you are new to Formula 1 racing games, there is a Young Drivers Tutorial about how to play the game and be successful. It might take a little while to get adjusted to the gameplay. After you are down with the tutorial, you have many game modes to choose from like Time Trial, Time Challenge, Season Challenge, Career, etc. The time trials are self-explanatory. Just try to beat the time. The Season Challenge and career are two different modes. Season Challenge is basically you race for a team and you have to beat a rival that you choose. You can choose any rival you want and if you are a big fan of real life Formula 1, you will be really happy to know that all the real life people are in the game. Once you have chosen which rival you want to face, you have to beat them twice in order to advance your team. The graphics in the game are really pretty. Something as simple and textures are very nice. Now the best part about F1 is the gameplay. What strikes me about the gameplay is it is fast! When you are racing, you have to pay very close attention and if you take your eye off the road for just a split second your car will be flying across the track. I strongly encourage you to buy this game. I bought this game from Best Buy for $45 and hope that you can find a place near you that can sell you this game for the same amount of money.… Expand
  12. cn2305
    Jul 7, 2013
    8
    F1 2012 is an excellent game to get! I praise the addition of the Circuit of the Americas, the Season Challenge and the Champions Mode added. I also like the change of the menus so it's more easier to navigate around the game. But there are some changes: the long race weekend has been modified from 3 practice sessions to one session because the three practice sessions on F1 2011 were veryF1 2012 is an excellent game to get! I praise the addition of the Circuit of the Americas, the Season Challenge and the Champions Mode added. I also like the change of the menus so it's more easier to navigate around the game. But there are some changes: the long race weekend has been modified from 3 practice sessions to one session because the three practice sessions on F1 2011 were very unpopular. Also the minimum race distance you can do in Career mode is 25%, since in F1 2011 there was an option to do 3 laps and a three lap race is too short for a career race. There are bugs in this game though, which may be fixed. May not be the best F1 game of the year, but this game should do this year.… Expand
  13. Xbluannax
    Nov 20, 2021
    9
    One of the best F1 games I’ve played, controls are spot on when you change the settings of your car. Loved the career mode too. Never liked any of the F1 games after this one.

Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Armchair Empire
    Jan 14, 2013
    85
    For hard-core auto racing gamers, especially those that love Formula 1, Codemasters once again has a fuel-charged and totally immersive, realistic racing simulation in F1 2012 that has everything a F1 fanatic could want.
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  2. GameFocus
    Nov 14, 2012
    89
    Codemasters once again proves their worth in the racing genre with undoubtedly the best of their F1 series to date.
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  3. GamingTrend
    Oct 31, 2012
    68
    Formula 1 2012 is a great F1 racing simulator, but it's only an okay game. For a title that aims to be approachable to all audiences, it has failed in that regard, but for those who are racing fanatics and crave a realistic immersion into the F1 world, F1 2012 is the game for you.
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