The official Formula One licence has a reputation for being one of the games industry’s poisoned chalices. Before Codemasters acquired it in 2008, it had been in the possession of Sony and Electronic Arts, both of whom professed frustration at their inability to persuade F1’s famously autocratic governing body, the FIA, to let them do anything imaginative with it. However, at last, Codemasters has demonstrably cracked that particular nut.
The proof of that exists in F1 Race Stars, a game that uses both the F1 licence and Codemasters’ much-admired F1 game engine in the unlikeliest of ways. It’s essentially Mario Kart with a heavy Formula One flavouring. The entire Formula One grid is represented in cartoon form – although Codemasters is keen to point out the game’s visual style is less like a cartoon and more that of a Pixar or Dreamworks animation.
Read full story on Guardian Games Blog…