No one does F1 simulation better than the folks at Codemasters. I know that this is a sport that is not for everyone, but for those that do like it F1 2019 is the best it has ever been represented. Now I will say that this is your typical “annual” update of a sports game, but Codemasters have spent the last few years perfecting this series and it all comes to a head here.
How to Download F1 2019
You can download the game by clicking the Download button at the end of the review. Check out also our reviews of the previous interactions of the series: F1 2018 and F1 2017.
The Game Review
The career mode in F1 2019 is truly great and hopefully the one aspect of the game they can really start to build upon. You start as an F2 driver and this part of the game is actually pretty cinematic. You are in a triangle with two other drivers who are both fun in their own way. I thought that this was going to mean the whole game would be like the story modes in Fifa or NBA.
While I really enjoyed this aspect of the game, once you make the jump to being an F1 driver it goes away. You get the odd email from these two rivals or read about them in some capacity. However, all the drama and cinematics are gone which is a real shame. While the career mode is great, I hope this means the next one will be more cinematic.
The career mode is a hell of a challenge. This is some of the smartest AI I have come across in an F1 game! the drivers will even change teams at the end of their contracts and this is done randomly which is pretty cool. I found the whole decade-plus process of career mode to be a truly thrilling experience.
The progression is the same as it was in years prior with the R&D. This basically works as your skill tree and will help you become a better driver and get a car that more suits your driving skills. The actual driving action that F1 2019 offers is very similar to what came the year before it. Actually, I am having a hard time of really thinking of any notable changes that were made.
Before you take this as a negative. Codemasters have been tinkering away at this series for a long time now and they have nailed the gameplay. I for one am happy that they did not try and reinvent the wheel here as what we have is great. The more skilled AI of the other drivers really does make a difference.
I did dabble a tad in the online multiplayer, but it was not for me. I found that most of the time the people I raced against played like they were playing Mario Kart! In all honesty, you get a much better and more fun challenge from the AI than you do when playing against those who treat this as if it were an arcade kart racer!
Overall, not a ton may have changed, but F1 2019 is still the best F1 game you can buy. The added cinematic flair to the start of the career mode really was a nice surprise. The actual driving is the best you can get and overall, Codemasters have proven that they really are the masters of this type of game.
