It’s race week for Formula 1 and F1 2020 is just around the corner!
The new title is set to be the most ambitious F1 game since Codemasters took over the franchise.
Latest news – F1 returns to the track!
With just days until the release of F1 2020, the Formula 1 season has started up at last.
Cars took to the track for practice today around the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Release date
F1 2020 arrives 10 July.
This is a little later than last year, but that can be forgiven in the current circumstances.
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It will be available on PS4, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC. There’s also early access available…
Deluxe Edition
The iconic seven-time World Drivers’ Champion Michael Schumacher gets the treatment this year from Codemasters as he fronts the Deluxe Edition.
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The Deluxe Edition will come with three days early access and exclusive content including themed car liveries and driver customisation items, including a unique podium celebration.
The four cars included in the F1 2020 Deluxe Schumacher Edition are:
- 1991: Jordan 191
- 1994: Benetton B194
- 1995: Benetton B195
- 2000: Ferrari F1-2000
My Team
Codemasters have added My Team as a separate game mode to the outstanding Career Mode.
This gives players the chance to create a brand new team from scratch and dive into a new driver-manager experience that offers a unique insight into the world of F1.
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With it comes the decision of finding a power unit, creating a livery, adding sponsors, getting a second driver, and developing team facilities.
My Team looks like the most involved F1 manager mode ever.
You’ll have to balance your checkbook, keep sponsors happy, develop your #2 driver, and push the car forward in the factory.
My Team names
There are endless ways you could go with your My Team name.
From resurrecting an old F1 team like Ligier or Jordan to being a brash energy drink rival to Red Bull or even echoing Brawn GP with Allison Racing…
Which path will you choose?
Driver ratings
Codemasters is bringing in visible driver ratings for the first time ever.
Each driver will have a rating, including the pool of Formula 2 drivers, that has four categories: Experience, Racecraft, Awareness, and Pace.
There have been even more driver ratings revealed recently, with legends like Lewis Hamilton coming in at an impressive 94 Overall.
READ MORE: F1 2020 Driver Ratings
Gameplay, physics, & handling
F1 2019’s success came down to very consistent and reliable gameplay. There were no horror-show corners that caught you out unexpectedly or nagging bugs that spoiled the experience.
The F1 2020 handling model will take a leap forward.
The brakes have seen a big overhaul, meaning stopping distances should be shorter this year.
Throttle application should also be smoother, with a shifting balance in traction control assist that should make it easier for some players to turn it off.
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Thanks to the Virtual Grand Prix Series, Codemasters have been able to get feedback from F1 drivers this year and make appropriate changes to improve things like dirty air too.
Podium Pass
New for this year, F1 2020 will have seasons and a Podium Pass to go with it.
Similar to a Battle Pass, the Podium Pass will give you rewards for collecting XP and completing challenges. There is, of course, a paid-version call the VIP Podium Pass.
Those that pre-order F1 2020 will get access to the Season One VIP Podium Pass, and there is enough in-game currency in each season to purchase the next VIP Podium Pass, but you’ll likely have to complete everything to get it.
Trailer
We have our first true gameplay trailer!
We get taken around the world from Interlagos to Spa, Monaco, and Melbourne while also getting a glimpse at most of the new liveries on the grid.
The new Alpha Tauri and Haas liveries look amazing, and the driver models and podium have had an upgrade too.
Formula 2 also features heavily which is great.
Career mode
F1’s bread and butter is career mode. It’s where most
players spend their time and provides the best experience for any racing game.
Codemasters have made small tweaks to career mode in recent years, but F1 2019 took a big step forward with the introduction of F2 and a feeder set of races with two rivals that followed you up to F1.
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There wasn’t much beyond that, but it was certainly entertaining and it was surely just the first step in the integration of junior formulae and a full journey to F1.
On the R&D side we are seeing something new, we just don’t know what. Game Director Lee Mather has said that R&D changes are coming though.
We also know that there will be a steady supply of new challengers in your career mode…
Driver retirement & F2 driver promotion
As part of the Driver Market, both in career mode and My Team, we will at last see F1 drivers retire.
That means come season nine of your career mode you shouldn’t still be racing against Hamilton, Raikkonen, & Vettel but instead a whole new grid of current F2 drivers and maybe a few regen names will be sprinkled in for you to go to battle against.
Split-screen arrives
Online multiplayer has always been something of a minefield of dive-bombs and reckless driving.
There is no legislating for the antics of drivers with a grudge, but hopefully the ghosting system will take a step forward to prevent kamikaze attacks or lapped cars being a pain.
Codemasters have confirmed that split-screen racing will make a return.
While most multiplayer does take place online, there are still plenty of times when split-screen in wanted. WRC 8, released last year, included split-screen racing and it was a big hit with players.
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Online Leagues were solid last year, but there will be improvements with connectivity and lag, while the ability to further customise options would be welcome.
Classic cars – 4 Schumacher cars
Ever since their first inclusion in F1 2013 the classic cars have been a popular and entertaining part of the game. Offering different challenges to drivers, they will be included in F1 2020 again.
We have now had confirmed which classic cars will be in the F1 2020 game.
That list includes the amazing 2004 Ferrari, 2010 Red Bull, and 1990 Ferrari & McLaren. All cars have been revealed.
Next-gen?
F1 2020 will be out before the next-gen consoles of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Both will be backwards compatible, so you won’t have to buy F1 2020 a second time to enjoy it on your new console. The PS5 will also have the benefit of a vastly superior controller.
Advanced Haptic Feedback
To that point, the PS5 Dual Sense Controller has haptic feedback. This means that you will feel varying amounts of resistance to the triggers depending on the in-game situation.
This also goes for vibration also, in the way that it reflects the in-game activity in a more refined way than before.
For the pad-racers out there, PS5 could be a fantastic way to feel the game like never before.
The post F1 2020 Game: Podium Pass, My Team, Career Mode, Gameplay, Handling, R&D, Setups, editions, Schumacher, early access & more appeared first on RealSport.
