Today marks the release of F1 Race Stars for iOS, the drift-happy kart racer from Codemasters. The game supports the use of iOS game controllers and is the first to utilize the studio's EGO technology, which is also used to power their console releases.
F1 Race Stars is available now and is free to download. For those looking to see what the game is like, look no further than our 'It Came From Canada Singapore' preview.
Codemasters is the developer of numerous Formula 1 games, but what they’re looking to put out on mobile with F1 Race Stars is something of an entirely different beast. Currently soft-launched in Singapore, even it couldn’t escape the clutches of 148Apps’ global reach. This is It Came From Canada: Singapore Edition!
F1 games are usually known for being intense simulations, but if F1 Race Stars is real, I need to pay more attention to F1. In reality, this is a kart racer, one very similar to the recent Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed in style and in gameplay: there’s of course power-ups to use for boosts and taking out other racers, but there’s also a heavy emphasis on drifting to develop a turbo meter. Maintain drifts for a long amount of time and longer boosts can be had. Catching airtime will also increase the drift meter. Each game has a very similar heart.
While Danica Patrick in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed was a very strange addition, having this be an F1 game means that actual racers, none of whom I have any knowledge of because I’m an American and we prefer stock cars to drift leftward, are playable. Each driver has their own Sessions energy bar that depletes with each race, so like Angry Birds Go, switching racers can be used to extend play sessions.
As I use an HDMI output device to capture game footage, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the game is TV-ready: it supports widescreen output on TVs, and the game’s controls are built to not require looking at the screen in order to play. TV support is something of a lost feature, and I’m interested to see it added in here. There’s real-time multiplayer available as well, but just as a local mode, not online.
While there’s the standard two-tier currency system - with coins used to buy boosts, and gems for more permanent features like perks and new driver unlocks - there’s one particular way that coins are used that is interesting. See, there are coin gates while racing that grant power-ups right away. These naturally grant an advantage that costs currency, but it’s also possible to accidentally trigger them. Then again, boosts are what the coins are there for. Still, seeing this as a potentially-accidental feature is odd.
F1 Race Stars feels very polished, like it’s just undergoing monetization testing to see if the business model is working, along with the last checks before they’re ready to race around the world. Whether this kart racer can stand out among the others out there will be seen when it rolls out worldwide.
Our rating: :: UNLEASH THE K.E.R.S. :: Read Review »
Codemasters recently released the latest title in its popular F1 series, F1 2014, and now brings a new challenge to the App Store. F1 Challenge gets racing fans back in the action while away from home. They can partake in Time Trials, Duels, Chase the Ace, Race events, and Grand Prix.
Get ready to slip by competitors in 90 different challenges that lets racing fans recreate those special moments from the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship. Check out the high speeds in the trailer below!
Boom! Tanks has tanks that go boom! Get ready to choose your tank and roll out onto the battlefield in three different campaigns that feature desert lands, green fields, and frozen tundra. You are able to unlock rewards and challenges as you progress in the game, including new tanks like the American M1 Abrams, Russian T-80U, British Challenger, and more.
Boom! Tanks is free-to-play, allowing you to customize your tank that you will use to aim, fire, and destroy! BOOM!
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
You know, PR people are odd. They push and push and push to get you to cover their apps. Then the apps just magically appear on the App Store and the PR people are quiet. Ok, now I can actually see the game, play the game, but you don't want me to know that it's out? I just don't get it.
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Anyway -- F1 2009 Game from Codemasters popped into view at $6.99. We're downloading it now and we will see how it goes. The screen shots look ok, but they aren't up to the quality of Real Racing. But how's the game play? Well, I have 87 MB to go.
Stats look pretty good:
RACE ALL 17 OFFICIALLY LICENSED CIRCUITS
Feel the exhilaration of speeding around iconic circuits like Monaco, Spa Francorchamps and Silverstone, or enjoy dramatic night racing at Singapore.
TWO GREAT GAME MODES!
Put in a flying lap in Time Trial, perfectly tuned for on the go gaming, or take on Endurance for the ultimate test of skill and consistency and set your fastest average time over a number of laps.
