What is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world? The sound of birds chirping? The rush of water? The natural rustle of the leaves and trees in the wind? The sound of rain outside? Yes, while all that is beautiful and serene and paints a picture of an iconic Windows wallpapers I am talking about something specific. The sound of that Formula 1 car engine roaring and revving and in my personal opinion … one of the sexiest sounds in the world. JoK[ishl]er here again coming at you with a review of Codemaster’s Formula 1 2017.

My Experience of the Game

So I will be brutally honest here … Formula 1 … love to watch it (go Lewis Hamilton!!) … never have played it. So why would you trust my judgement if I have no experience in a game of this caliber? I mean I said in the FIFA 18 review that I have played 8 installments of that so why, in everything that is holy on this Earth, would you trust me for F1?
I have logged a few hours on this game and I cannot WAIT to go back and sit in that low car, put the surround sound on high and hear that engine roar like a lion staking his claim as the King. Now 2 hours in the game is nothing, but let me tell you something, when you start that game you are greeted with the most stunning … and I mean more stunning than Meghan Fox wearing jean shorts like in Transformers … ok I’m getting off topic here. The visuals, the atmosphere, the track, the attention to detail it is just so realistic and crisp and clear that when I have my sound on high, I honestly felt as if I was on the track racing for real! Yes, people I say with confidence that these graphics are spectacular and are second to none.

Playing the Game

Now unlike majority of the games being released today, there was no tutorial. That set me back a few steps thinking that I will never learn how to play the game and only be able to grasp it when I am losing and it’s too late to enjoy it now. But I went to the options, checked out the control scheme, and to anyone who wants to play this game I HIGHLY RECOMMEND changing the controls to fit your play style. That made a huge difference and after testing it out I was ready to go.

Career mode

Alright, controls are set up and now let’s dive into the world of Formula 1. Now when I say world I mean the WORLD of Formula 1. I am talking about practice runs, choosing tires to fit your racing needs, choosing the right racing strategy, and finally putting all of that knowledge to the test. Throughout your career you can research and develop multiple improvements to your car and pit crew, this is done in the form as a character skill tree. Now that’s a different take on doing things in a racing game. You get a rival and your pit crew interact with you depending on what you say to them. Everything in this game gives you the ultimate experience on what it is to be a Formula 1 driver.

The minor inconveniences
Now I can rave on and on about a game’s positives and not touch on a single negative aspect, but then I would just be the hype man for the game and not a critic. Since I play this on the PS4 controller, while racing if I need information on the car, or to inform my pit crew that I need a stop urgently, interacting with them becomes a slight hassle. Which is why I said set your own keys. It could make a world of difference between pain in your hand from your fingers switching position or the controller sitting comfortably and you laying back and taking the Grand Prix for yourself.

Final Opinion

All in all Formula 1 2017 is a visual spectacular that immerses its players in the world of being a driver in the Formula 1. Besides its controller issues, the game pedantic about the way the car is controlled and has to be without a doubt one of the best racing simulators I have played. All I can say is, Lewis Hamilton … the Grand Prix is mine this year.

IGN Rating: 8.9/10
Metacritic: 86%
JoK[ishl]er: 9.2/10