F1 Race Stars

Developers Codemasters are no noobs when it comes to developing great racing titles such as Grid. They managed to land an F1 licence for their latest game, so far this sounds very promising. However the twist is that it’s a kart racing game. And they are hoping to give a certain plumber and his buddies a run for their karting money with F1 race stars. Taking on the mega jaggernaught that is Nintendo and one of their biggest franchises is no easy task. In fact that’s why there are so few Kart games out there. Gentleman,start your engines.

F1 Race Stars will instantly remind you of Nintendo’s kart games. The world is very colourful and drivers have big heads and are all basically caricatures of their real life counter parts. Your drivers squeeze into their tiny F1 cars, make a few funny gestures and then you’re off. The tracks are all based on real circuits on the F1 calendar like Abu Dabu and share a few similarities as well as some of the countries they are based in landmarks. The cartoon looking world certainly looks the part, just a shame there is so little of it to see with a measly 11 tracks. However that’s not F1 race stars biggest problem.

The problem is that just like an F1 car in real life, the karts stick to the track like butter on bread. Every corner will see you stuck to the track without the slightest drift. Sure they might have added it to be more similar to the actual sport. But karting is all about drifting in tight corners, and too be honest without that it feels somewhat..crappy. But at least there is a wacky armoury of weapons to help you take the lead after you mess up another corner due to no drifting options. You can bump your opponents or shoot bubbles and explosive projectiles, as well as a host of bombs and traps that can be dropped behind your car that all damage your opponents’ vehicles. Damaged cars can only be repaired by going through the world’s quickest pit stop, which is basically a magical yellow wall that you just drive through to fix your car instantly.

There are also bursts of speed to be found lying on the track in certain sections, as well as power ups that will send you speeding past the likes of Alanso and Vettel just before the finish line. There is a campaign mode that see’s you advancing by winning trophies as well as online multiplayer. But the most fun can be found in split screen mode, where all Kart games shine. It can be a lot of fun with a few friends, and is most likely the best time you will have with the game. If you are looking for a serious karting game look elsewhere. Nintendo still lead this pack, but it does look like Sonic and the SEGA friends are giving them a run for their money with Sonic and the all stars transformed.

The appeal of the F1 licence wears off pretty quick with F1 race stars. You can’t help but think with a massive licence like that Codemasters could have done so much more. Perhaps Codemasters will take another crack at karting games in the future but as for F1 Race Stars it looks like its lost control on the first corner, and crashed itself into the bargain bin.

Story	N/A
Gameplay	7
Graphics	7
Audio	6
Fun Factor	8
Longevity	6

Xbox F1 Race Stars Review

Overall

F1 Race Stars