Gravity-defying tracks, cartoonish drivers and zippy karts – not quite what you’d associate with Formula 1, but that’s exactly what Codemasters’ new F1 spin-off, F1 Race Stars, is all about.
While F1 2012 – the next instalment in the traditional, simulation-based F1 series, is on course for release this September, another team at Codemasters Racing Studio in Birmingham is developing the over-the-top Race Stars, which will feature more accessible gameplay for F1 fans of all ages.
The game will feature all the drivers and teams from the 2011 F1 season along with tracks based on actual F1 circuits, but with a lot of creative liberty. So expect long straights that ascend vertically into hairpins and back down, pick-ups, and other such outlandish elements that you would usually associate with Mario Kart.
F1 Race Stars will be available this November for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, and will be distributed by Reliance Home Video and Games in India.
Codemasters’ free-to-play browser game F1 Online also recently entered open beta.