This title will take your breathe once you get it running for the first time but once you start going along... It fails!
Visually impressive from the very beginning, pushing the console to it's limit, F1 2010 actually catches your eye on those first few laps. Colors, textures, frame rates... All absolutely perfect! You will, at some points, wonder if you are watching a video game or the real thing - especially when the viewpoint is that one above the head of the driver, commonly used on the TV broadcasts. At this point, you are really in the game! Great visuals!
Then you want the challenge. You'll get into a well built career mode, that will get you into one of the low ranked teams and will make you grow from there. This mode is also very well thought with some great twists and turns to make each persons' experience different from one another - you can refuse the first contract offers expecting to get into a better team and end up having to go to a worst team, for example. It's pretty solid I'd say!
The problems start emerging once you get on with the game play. It's very hard to play with the controller. If you are a purist as me and you don't have space or money to buy a good wheel set you'll be in trouble. If you are not and don't mind turning on ABS, ESP and such things that are not present in the real thing, then It'll be much easier but - and there we go again - the experience is not that of a simulation! Controlling the wheelspin, over and understeering is extremely hard. Braking is not that hard but always has to be very moderate as well.
Probably I thought it would be easier. Probably I'm not such a good gamer. Probably I ran out of patience too early! The fact is that I'm giving it a 7/10 and I did not like to play this game as you probably guessed!
A F1 car can be a monster when it comes to power but that doesn't explain the stupid oversteering at some corners with zero power on the wheels, the non-existing difference between wet and dry (apart from the visuals - impressive again) if you fit intermediate or wet tires - as there should be one, especially when it comes to top speed being very, very reduced and finally the total difference on the AI lap times between circuits - for example Catalunya or Monaco where you'll do your best in a Ferrari to get 20th while in Canada you'll walk in the park with the engine on cruise mode and get 3 seconds ahead of the competition. It just takes the fun out of it!
Hope this review helped and also hope the 2011 version brought with it some improvements - which by early reviews I believe it has!
Well, get the new one or try another game as this one gives you instant fun but you'll be bored after a while!