It's been an unreasonably busy time for gamers – and not just because of the titanic launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 a couple of weeks ago. That plays a huge role, but even before it, there had been a run of excellent titles to play, from Doom: The Dark Ages to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and more.
So, suffice it to say that I've been juggling quite a few games recently, including various ones on the Switch 2 that I've written about already. When I got a hold of F1 25, I wasn't sure if it would have the pull to draw me away from that brand-new console, but it's impressed me with an interesting approach to F1 for beginners.
I don't know much about F1, having only ever watched one full race (Max Verstappen's rightly controversial 2021 win in Abu Dhabi), and it didn't win me over for obvious reasons. Still, I love racing games and the technicality of F1 driving has long appealed from that point of view.
So, loading up F1 25 I was looking forward to a tutorial, but slightly confused by the array of modes on offer. I started a career save, assuming it would give me the rundown on rules, tyre compounds and more, but instead was chucked straight into a qualifying lap for the first race without much of an introduction.
I now realise I should have tried Braking Point, the story mode, for a slower start, but to be honest, I don't regret it much. Instead, I've been playing with the level of driver assists I'm using race-by-race, cranking up the AI difficulty at the same time. Both are incredibly granular and start off so generous that almost nothing is a challenge.
Now that I've found a level I'm happier with, though, I'm starting to have a great time learning the tracks and accepting that leading with AI trailing me probably isn't as fun as dicing around in the middle of the pack. There's nothing like an overtake to get the blood pumping, after all, and you can't do that in first place.
What seems to have noticeably improved this time around, compared to previous years, is the quality of the other racers' AI. I can attest that session-ending accidents, risky moves and staunch defences of places do seem to be quite common, even from the most highly-rated drivers on the grid. I can't speak to this in comparison to previous years, but it does make races feel pretty livewire, especially on tougher difficulties.
I'm playing the game on my Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti gaming PC, and it's a bit of a demanding title, too. Frame generation has been a godsend in recent weeks, but F1 25 is the first game we're I've noticed too much artifacting to use it – instead needing to drop down to 1440p to get a stable framerate on max settings. It's worth investigating its performance if you're a PC player thinking about picking the game up.
Still, in the actual racing, I've been having a great time, even if those introductory menus could be a little clearer for total newcomers. Now the game's real challenge begins, though – can I wring enough from it to be satisfied before Donkey Kong Bananza comes out on Switch 2 in July to steal my attention?
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