F1 Race Stars
- November 15, 2012
- Codemasters Birmingham
F1 drivers get even more big headed in this kart racer from Codemasters
F1 Race Stars is an arcade-style game that brings Formula One racing to life with a fun and humorous twist. Experience fast-paced action with official cars, teams, and circuits in stunning, transformed locations. Enjoy single-player, local multi-player, and co-op gameplay with up to 2 players in split-screen mode. This splendidly visual and hilarious game offers wonderful gameplay for fans of all ages.
PC
Windows
PlayStation
Playstation 3
Wii
Wii U
Xbox
Xbox 360
Reviews
- Fun and chaotic gameplay reminiscent of Mario Kart, making it enjoyable for both kids and adults.
- Colorful graphics and well-designed tracks that capture the essence of real F1 circuits.
- Great for local multiplayer, providing a fun experience when played with friends or family.
- Online multiplayer is essentially non-functional, making it difficult to play with friends remotely.
- Lack of drifting mechanics and unbalanced AI can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- Power-ups are often seen as uninspired and can disrupt the flow of the game, making it feel more luck-based than skill-based.
- gameplay25 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a fun and chaotic kart racing experience that incorporates some tactical elements, though it lacks depth and can feel repetitive over time. While the mechanics are easy to learn and the tracks are well-designed, players have mixed feelings about the absence of drifting and the reliance on luck due to power-up mechanics. Overall, it offers enjoyable multiplayer competition, appealing to both casual players and F1 fans, despite not being a direct competitor to franchises like Mario Kart.
“A chill yet pretty crazy kart racer that's surprisingly faithful to the mechanics and tracks of real life F1.”
“This game looks and feels amazing: mechanics are easy to learn (about 2 races are enough to learn), but bots aren't pushovers; to win you have to be crafty and cunning.”
“The tracks are fun and well designed, and the fact that there are no crazy drift mechanics can actually be considered a plus by players.”
“Boring, cheating AI, and absolutely zero depth in gameplay.”
“The reality is that anyone who is an F1 fan will also cringe at the gameplay found in F1 Race Stars.”
“Due to very frustrating power-up and repair mechanics, it is often luck and not skill.”
- graphics23 mentions
- 74 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the colorful and cartoonish art style as visually appealing and fun, while others note that some elements appear outdated and lack depth. Overall, the visuals are described as vibrant and engaging, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere, though they may not be groundbreaking. Despite some criticisms regarding the age of the graphics and limited settings, the overall presentation is considered solid for the genre.
“Apart from my previously mentioned issues with shortcuts, track design and art style are some of the best I have seen.”
“The graphics are good and performance on my system is excellent.”
“It is colorful, stylishly presented with slick cartoon visuals and great audio and has a great attitude to the source material making the whole atmosphere fun and lively.”
“The graphics now seem out of date and the lack of settings is unfortunate.”
“Other eight are a tier below those, with muted colors that reveal the age of the graphics more; nevertheless, all of them apart from Britain are extremely memorable.”
“Don't be put off by the cheesy, cartoony graphics and outrageous exaggerations of the gameplay.”
- humor11 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its humor, particularly in local co-op play, where players find it especially entertaining to team up with friends. Reviewers highlight the comedic elements throughout the gameplay, including amusing situations and quirky design, making it a fun experience reminiscent of classic racing games like Mario Kart. Overall, the humor adds significant enjoyment, making it a recommended choice for those with a sense of fun.
“Funny game, especially in local co-op; it's way funnier having your best friend on your side and fighting together :)”
“Nice little cart racer, with some humor, lots of championships, and many well-designed race tracks.”
“A great fun-racer, a little bit unbalanced with the special abilities, but very funny with friends on Steam or in a group.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is commendable, with excellent performance and graphics on various systems. However, players feel that AI behavior could be improved to better reflect real-life driver performances and nationalities, and there are suggestions for further optimization in track design and gameplay mechanics to enhance the competitive experience.
“Even when you get the gold medal, great track design and booster placement leaves you thinking what else could have been optimized in your run, leading to more daring attempts and strategies.”
“The graphics are good and performance on my system is excellent.”
“Even when you get the gold medal, great track design and booster placement leaves you thinking about what else could have been optimized in your run, leading to more daring attempts and strategies.”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players praise the soundtrack and its enjoyable tracks, others find the repetitive background music irritating, particularly during extended play sessions. Overall, the music is seen as a highlight for some, but its lack of variety can detract from the experience for others.
“I play this game with the biggest smile on my face... awesome soundtrack and awesome tracks/track references.”
“The game looks fine and has excellent frame rates, but the music is okay and gets annoying quickly.”
“My only two complaints right now are the lack of variety in background music; a lot of the music plays over and over in the menus and after winning, which can be irritating after continuous play.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous bugs affecting AI behavior and damage mechanics, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences. Users report a lack of support for these problems, particularly in multiplayer mode, rendering the game largely unplayable and not worth the investment.
“The game has a lot of issues; the AI is extremely buggy. Sometimes they act like they have a speed hack, and with the damage issues, it can be a struggle getting into the top 3 a lot of the time. It's not that it's not a challenge, but it's due to you being damaged most of the time.”
“It's a buggy wasteland with absolutely no support, and multiplayer simply does not work!”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is vibrant and engaging, reminiscent of Mario Kart, featuring colorful, stylish cartoon visuals and excellent audio that contribute to a fun and lively experience. Reviewers appreciate its playful attitude towards the source material, enhancing the overall enjoyment.
“It is colorful, stylishly presented with slick cartoon visuals and great audio, and has a great attitude towards the source material, making the whole atmosphere fun and lively.”
“The closest thing you will get in terms of atmosphere and fun to Mario Kart for the PC.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a desire for more free content, particularly tracks, while acknowledging the presence of microtransactions in the game. There is a call for a balance between paid content and free offerings to enhance the overall experience.
“I appreciate that while there are microtransactions, some tracks are available for free, which keeps the game accessible.”
“The monetization model is fair, allowing players to enjoy a good amount of content without feeling pressured to spend.”
“I like that the game offers additional tracks as paid content, but it's great that there are also free options available.”
“Microtransactions are frustrating; I want more tracks, but please make some of them free.”
“The monetization model feels greedy, as it pushes players to spend more for basic content.”
“It's disappointing to see so many features locked behind paywalls instead of being accessible to all players.”
