No F1 2010 demo, says Codemasters

By Ellie Gibson Published 19 July, 2010

Deadlines mean "it will not be possible".

Codemasters has confirmed there will be no playable demo for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 racer F1 2010.

The news comes via the Codemasters forum. Moderator SynGamer quotes community manager Ian Webster as saying, "Due to the nature of the game, and its layers of licensed content, it will not be possible to make a cut-down, limited content sample that would serve as a demo for F1 in 2010 within our production deadlines."

F1 2010 is due out on 30th September. You can find a hands-on preview plus all manner of screenshots and videos over on the gamepage.

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About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (44) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • banjo21 #1 2 years ago

    So they think releasing the game at the end of the season is enough scheduling nonsense for one year. Good. Just so long as 2011 is out next March.

  • tachometer #2 2 years ago

    Never a good sign when codies don't release a demo. Anyone remember op:flashpoint?

    Oh Dear! I just cancelled my pre-order

    I expect the reviews will come out after release as well, du to "deadlines"!!!

  • Tio #3 2 years ago

    I smell a rat.......

  • citizenHUNTER #4 2 years ago

    Hmmm, I want this game to be good, but I am on the more hardcore sim racer side of things and I don't think I'm going to risk my £35 or £40 on a game that could be as soul shatteringly crud (as far as the driving physics are concerned) as Race Driver etcetera.

    I'm just waiting for the review which is ALWAYS written for the lite-racers out there and never makes any comments much more than "you can dial down the assists to give you more of a challenge" and miss the point and doesn't actually convey how authentic the driving actually feels to anybody who can actually drive a car round the track in GT without going off or doing tank slappers.

    Hmm, so far I've heard and seen nothing but positives about this game and Codies have said the right things about moving to a more complex racing physics engine and so on, plus it looks like the first truly authentic F1 game which captures all the surrounding atmosphere as well as authentic looking tracks and cars... just PLEASE don't have an overly easy to drive game and please allow the handling to be taken to a good sim level....

    I mean.. racing games should require you to actually be able to drive round the track, get close to the racing line and brake in good time for the corners... I hate how most racing games these days basically are about smashing into other things and the whole point of a driving game seems to have gone out the window.
    Edited by citizenHUNTER at 19/07/10 @ 09:42

  • YoshiMcTaggis #5 2 years ago

    Hmm I was really hoping for a demo, with f1 games reviews and footage don't really help me figure out whether it'll suit me...

  • superdelphinus #6 2 years ago

    it's what lovefilm's for i guess

  • RageBoy #7 2 years ago

    I really want this but as much as I enjoyed Grid, the handling* of the cars never felt quite right.

    Indeed, I found it got worse as the cars got faster-which doesn't bode well for an F1 game.

    *handling with all driver aids off
    Edited by RageBoy at 19/07/10 @ 09:47

  • Spunkweazle #8 2 years ago

    Why does every one want this game to be super hard
    An F1 car is an absolute breeze to drive IF you are an f1 driver, which is what this is supposed to simulate

    What an f1 game needs is Depth not difficulty
    I want to win a race by seconds due to a smart strategy, not lose it by miles whilst uncontrolably donuting in a gravel trap

  • metalangel #9 2 years ago

    "This game is another centre-pivot pile of shit, and we'd rather all the people clamouring for a decent F1 game didn't find this out until it's too late."

  • RageBoy #10 2 years ago

    Ideally I like the handling from Forza 3 with the depth of F1. And keep the rewind button but limit its use-it's too tempting to use otherwise. Oh and have random but rare mechanical failures.

    /remains hopeful

  • SYS64738 #11 2 years ago

    "Why does every one want this game to be super hard
    An F1 car is an absolute breeze to drive IF you are an f1 driver, which is what this is supposed to simulate

    What an f1 game needs is Depth not difficulty
    I want to win a race by seconds due to a smart strategy, not lose it by miles whilst uncontrolably donuting in a gravel trap"

    What you *really* want is Ridge Racer F1 edition.

    I for one agree with all comments re GRID, didn't like the driving model at all, even at the beginning, and abandoned it shortly after (... paying full price for it). Something along the lines of Gran Turismo/Forza would make me a happy camper.

  • linea #12 2 years ago

    @Spunkweazel That's what the assists and opponent difficulty settings are supposed to be for. Those of us who want more realism aren't looking for punishing difficulty for its own sake, we just want a physics model which is as realistic as possible. There are plenty of arcade racers out there for those who just want to blast round a track.

  • pac666 #13 2 years ago

    Mistake right there.

  • tachometer #14 2 years ago

    I agree that using Lovefilm game rental has helped me avoid a lot of crap!

  • beastmaster #15 2 years ago

    Nothing wrong with no demo. Assassin's Creed 2 didn't have one and that turned out to be superb.

    Just wait for reviews. Simple as.

  • brseg #16 2 years ago

    Did Grid and Dirt have demos, I dont remember seeing them. I dont think it suggests anything untoward going on...
    Plenty of companies are avoiding demos lately. Not sure I buy the argument thats its due to time/schedule though.

    There has been a lack of hands-on previews of this game in the media lately - a bit worrying - but I still think its in very good hands with the Codies. F1 license was prob v expensive, so they'll need this to be a big hit.

  • superdelphinus #17 2 years ago

    yes dirt and grid had demos.

    Just trying to think what the licence issues are here. Are they based on a date or something?

  • SpaceInvader #18 2 years ago

    For me, the lack of a demo has turned this from a possible full price purchase to a budget buy. What I want from this game, in terms of handling, is Forza with F1. What I certainly don't want is an F1 version of GRID. The handling of the car is everything in F1. I'm not prepared to risk £40 on a game that I might be disappointed with. I still have bad memories of 'F1 Career Challenge' on the Xbox!

  • TruWari3r #19 2 years ago

    Anyone here watch gametrailers invisible walls? They had a bit about most anticipated games awhile back and one of the guests was blown away by the demo he was given of this game by the codies.

    I've still got hope for this game but am not preordering it, no sir.

    This is one busy driving season though, September has TDU2 and f1 2010, WRC in October, November has GT5 and NFSHP and there's also possibly a Motorstorm game coming this holiday season (unconfirmed release date).

    No wonder Driver delayed to next year.

  • LondonSquare82 #20 2 years ago

    With any licensed property the license holders need to approve content that goes out (sometimes even down to screenshots and Press Releases). I'd imagine with all of the licensed images on the cars, the tracks, the driver clothing etc that this is going to take some time which would detract from getting the final game done. Of course you could always argue that they would have to do this eventually anyway, but considering it takes a while to build the demo, submit it to Sony / MSFT for approval etc I can see why they have chosen not to do this.

  • superdelphinus #21 2 years ago

    "For me, the lack of a demo has turned this from a possible full price purchase to a budget buy."

    overreaction much?

  • superdelphinus #22 2 years ago

    if they have clauses in the agreement meaning that every detail of licence use needs checking their lawyers need shooting!

  • CosmicGypsy #23 2 years ago

    Ah, metalangel... I always love your balanced and informed opinion. Seriously, show me on the doll where Dizzy touched you and we can take this matter further.

  • Corben_Dallas #24 2 years ago

    "Why does every one want this game to be super hard
    An F1 car is an absolute breeze to drive IF you are an f1 driver, which is what this is supposed to simulate "

    LOL this is possibly the most stupid comment I have ever seen on EG, F1 cars are a breeze to drive if your an F1 driver..... :o well DDDAAaaaaaaaa.... F1 drivers are the best of the best..... they are 0.0002% of the population. Which would mean its VERY hard to drive an F1 Car quickly. idiot.

    Edited by Corben_Dallas at 19/07/10 @ 13:24

  • SpaceInvader #25 2 years ago

    @superdelphinus "overreaction much?"

    I thought my rationale was clear! Without a demo I cannot decide whether or not the game is to my liking. Therefore, to buy the game at £40 is more of a gamble than to buy it at approx £20 in a few months time. I'm not prepared to risk the extra £20 on a game I may not like.

  • Shikasama #26 2 years ago

    No F1 2010 sale then, not until i can pick it up cheap second hand at least.

    I love it when life is straightforward

  • secombe #27 2 years ago

    An F1 car is an absolute breeze to drive IF you are an f1 driver

    No, the important distinction is that they make it look easy.

    The game can never be 'correct', as much of the sensation is due to g-force...and anyway, none of us have ever driven an F1 car so it's very hard to comment either way. They can make it 'feel' right though, and with Ant Davidson on board I would hope that they nail that side of it quite successfully.

    Let's be honest, 99.99% of us don't want the situation where for the car is an uncontrollable mess because we can't pull away from the line, or get it going fast enough for the downforce to work (as Richard Hammond discovered in the Renault), as long as they make it challenging enough that those final few tenths of a second are only extractable by somebody who really puts time/effort in and understands racing lines to perfection, it should be ok.

  • superdelphinus #28 2 years ago

    "its hard to Very drive an F1 Car quickly"

    what does that even mean?

    @spaceinvader - sorry i didn't read the rest of your post :)

  • FooAtari #29 2 years ago

    @Corben

    F1 drivers are the best of the best

    They are some of the best open wheel drivers in the world, well the top half of the grid anyway who don't pay for their seat. Many an F1 driver has tried their hand at tin-top racing or rallying and got their asses handed to them.

  • rascoj64 #30 2 years ago

    Mario Galaxy 2 had no demo and that was one of the best games ever made! F1 2010 will be in the same league!

  • nasanu #31 2 years ago

    @FooAtari

    You can't just jump into a car and be fast. F1 drivers no matter how good they are cant just jump into anything and compete with the drivers drive those cars full time. Also remember that tin top racing, well any form of racing actually, a lot of a drivers speed comes from a great setup. Setting up a car takes experience also.

    So F1 2010?.. Its too close to GT5. If it is brilliant I'll pick it up. IF it is brilliant. Come november, F1 what?...

  • Darren #32 2 years ago

    Codemasters' racing games, with the exception of FUEL which they only published, have been terrific IMO. DiRT, GRID, DiRT 2... all great, enjoyable games with each one improving on the last and the latter being easily the best. I highly doubt F1 2010 will break this pattern. Despite finding F1 racing a lot less thrilling than rally or street racing, I'm still looking forward to the game. Want GRID 2 more though.

  • Miths #33 2 years ago

    The racing was pretty exhilarating in GRID (enough to actually keep me playing for a while), but the handling model was dreadful. It felt like pivot point turning, whether or not it actually was.
    And using wheel/pedals (Logitech G25) only made things even worse than with a controller.

    Not so with DiRT 2 though. It was definitely not a full blown sim, but the handling was vastly improved over GRID, with no trace of "pivot point physics". And in this case using a wheel worked as it should and made the experience many times better than the already competent gamepad experience.

    I'm obviously hoping F1 2010 takes a cue from DiRT 2 rather than GRID.

  • kiroquai #34 2 years ago

    Going by what I experienced when I was lucky enough to have a really (really) brief go on a certain F1 team's simulator that had recently been rated 'very, very close' by one of their current drivers, the comments about an F1 car being 'easy' to drive aren't actually too far off (as long as you're generally comfortable with open wheel cars in games) - you can pootle around about 5 seconds a lap off the pace pretty easily on those things and be relatively in control.

    The real trick is managing to have confidence under braking so you brake super late, but don't lock the tyres up. Doesn't help that the brake pedals are bastard hard and it takes an age to get used to them. Also, learning to ease off the steering when exiting the corners as you increase the throttle input it quite handy too, because if you don't you'll end up spinning like a top.

    EDIT: Although obviously in a real F1 car you'd need to take physical matters into consideration, such as proper G-Forces.
    Edited by kiroquai at 19/07/10 @ 15:12

  • FaceInTheCrowd #35 2 years ago

    personally i don't see a problem with no demo,plenty of games don't have demos,i'll be keeping my pre-order in place

  • NGCes26294BIV #36 2 years ago

    Since when did not having a demo become an indicator of a poor game?

    Halo
    CoD/Modern Warfare
    Assassin's Creed
    Mass Effect (yes, I know the sequel now has one)
    Killzone 2
    Half Life 2

    Sorry... should I go on?

  • holloguts #37 2 years ago

    Always the case when there is something to hide that will hit sales. No demo=no sale, fell for that one before .

  • Dreddnaught #38 2 years ago

    No demo, no sale. It's as simple as that.

    Until I find out they've done right by an F1 game, they aunt getting my hard earned.

  • espibara #39 2 years ago

    The point is at E3 etc there was footage from a demo game.

    So why not release it on live?

  • monkfishjoe #40 2 years ago

    Get used to it kiddies, demo-less games are an unfortunate thing of the future. A lot of companies seem to be talking about either scrapping them (because they are a complete arse to make), or, heaven forbid, charging for them.

    It would be complete shit, but it seems to be the thoughts of some of the bigger publishers
    http://www.xboxer360.com/news/ea-to-char...

  • espibara #41 2 years ago

    The whole point is it looks like demo was made for F1 2010 for E3 etc there is footage of it on youtube etc so to not release its is weird.

  • ratkat #42 2 years ago

    Ok so I guess no demo means it's crap, cancelled pre-order

  • metalangel #43 2 years ago

    @NGCes26294BIV: Only if you want a counter-list of games that didn't have demos and were bad.

  • CosmicGypsy #44 2 years ago

    @NGCes26294BIV: Please don't have a different opinion to the norm. People like Metalangel don't like it when you have a well thought out counter to their mindless babbling rage.

    Your list only shows that there are a number of games that didn't have demos that were all quite good. If somebody like Metalangel can show you a list of games that weren't good, obviously that means that everyone else is right and that no demo means a bad game. CAN YOU PLEASE STOP TRYING TO CONFUSE METALANGEL WITH FACTS? Facts are so hard to get your head around. It's better to have an opinion and stick blindly to it in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary.