F1 2021 Trial Available this Weekend...

[Jason]

For all consoles.

[Brad Company]

Bought PS5 deluxe for 15 bucks. More 120fps goodness.

[Jason]

Well worth it. I've played F1 2021 more than the past few years combined.

[Jason]

F1 2022 trial is available for EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members.

[Jason]

F1 2022 trial is available for EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members.

Tried it out and had really bad screen tearing (worse than on PS4) on my Series X in Graphics mode. I didn't have any issues using that mode in 21. The cars feel glued to the track, which I guess is part of the physics update for the new cars this season. I always had to be careful hitting the gas too hard around turns or I'd spin out in 21. I never came close to spinning out in 22 no matter how hard I was on the gas around a turn. I know handling and aerodynamic upgrades were made to the real cars this year, so I guess the game is replicating that.

[Brad Company]

Is the battlepass and MTX store live yet?

[Jason]

Unfortunately, yes. They're really pushing it in the menus too. I deleted the game for now, since 21 plays much better. The new cars don't mean shit to me.

[Brad Company]

The game appears to be a dumpster fire at the moment.

[Jason]

It does appear so. I can't recall them having such a tough launch in the past. I'm glad I only wasted about 15 minutes of my 10-hour trial on it. I'll give it another shot once it's functional.

[Brad Company]

Currently Investigating

    AI straight line speed after slow corners
    AI can backout on overtakes too easily
    Heusinkveld pedals have a 50% brake deadzone
    Quick Practice over-wears the entire Power Unit
    Inability to use radio commands after using Flashback in certain circumstances
    Inconsistent force feedback when using a controller (PC)
    Sponsor contract lengths can be exceptionally long after an auto-renewal
    Tyre temperature above blanket temps when starting Formation Lap
    Sponsor logos do not appear in replays on the Player Car
    Driver number 23 is incorrectly available for use

Fixes For Upcoming Patches

    Sector timings not displaying
    Broken barriers at Baku – Turn 19
    Broadcast Safety Car causes all AI to pass and sometimes receive DSQs
    Tyre temperatures reset when pausing the game in Multiplayer
    Little to no force feedback when using Logitech G920/G29/G923
    Excessive DNFs at Baku when using Simulation Damage (My Team)
    Excessive ICE/MGU-H wear when using automatic gears
    Involuntary head movement when braking and accelerating in VR
    Flying lap can cause damage on Baku – Turn 15
    Engineer incorrectly states DSQ'd cars are still running
    Engineer refers to Racing Point
    Engineer stops replying to certain questions

[Brad Company]

Buying games at launch now is just plain stupid.

[Jason]

Buying games at launch now is just plain stupid.

Couldn't agree more.

[Jason]

I'm revisiting the F1 2022 trial now that a bunch of patches have been released and the graphical issues I had initially seem to have been fixed.

[GB_Simo]

A Codemasters F1 game launching with a multitude of peculiar issues at launch is pretty much par for the course. More confusing, to me at least, is how many of those issues get patched out a while after launch, only to come back again next year. For example, have a look back through the last few years and see if you can find the last game that didn't launch with an issue along the lines of "quick practice/short qualifying sessions wear your engine out too much" or that hardy perennial, All Of Our Safety Cars Are Broken.

Usually, though, there are plenty of perceptible improvements that help you (fine: help me...) justify your purchasing decision. This year, I can't find them. The driving model is similar to 2021 but less fun, cars being a bit more ponderous in fast corners and massively harder to launch off slow corners. I care not one bit about F1 Life or a licenced EDM soundtrack, which was the feature request on nobody's lips when EA took over Codies. Under the right circumstances I could be made to care about the inclusion of supercars, but there's no depth, excitement or nuance to the way they handle, so I don't.

None of that is to say the game is bad. It's not bad. It is, however, worse than F1 2021, which is where I'd be sending anyone wanting their single-seater racing fix.

[Jason]

I care not one bit about F1 Life or a licenced EDM soundtrack, which was the feature request on nobody's lips when EA took over Codies.

I couldn't agree more with this, but I've never understood why people get excited for game soundtracks. I'm also not interested in playing a soap opera in my sports games. EA must know better than me since they include it in all of their games now.

I'm mainly interested in seeing how my track times compare to F1 2021. The cars still seemed glued to the track, so I want to see if that equates to faster lap times for me since I was always concerned about sliding out around corners in 2021.