There's a debate over whether or not the things you do in videogames can translate to real world activities. Does playing Call of Duty effectively teach you how to handle an actual assault rifle? Does playing GTA teach you how to drive aggressively to elude pursuers (or how to bash hookers over the head with a bat to steal back your money)? I don't think anyone really knows those answers; however, if the actual F1 drivers in this trailer for Codemasters' F1 2012 are to be believed, they can help you learn tracks you're unfamiliar with well enough to win your first race on one.
F1 2012 races onto store shelves this September for both the Xbox 360 and PS3.
F1 2012™ TO INTRODUCE YOUNG DRIVER TEST AND LAUNCH WORLDWIDE IN SEPTEMBER
The Official Game of the 2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™ Coming to HD Consoles and PC in September
See How Games Can Help the Next Generation of Drivers in the First F1 2012 Video Now Playing at www.youtube.com/codemastersgames
Los Angeles, Calif. – March 16, 2012 – Ahead of the first race of the 2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP in Melbourne this weekend, Codemasters today announced that F1 2012 will launch worldwide in September for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC. F1 2012 is the next game in the award-winning, multi-million selling series from Codemasters as part of an exclusive multi-year deal with Formula One World Championship Limited.
To mark the announcement and introduce one of F1 2012’s new headline features, Codemasters has released a video following F1 2012 Creative Director, Stephen Hood, as he meets the next generation of drivers at the Young Driver Test. Filmed at the Yas Marina Circuit, home of the FORMULA 1 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX, Stephen asks if their experience with Codemasters’ FORMULA ONE™ games has been of benefit as they prepare for a career in the world’s most exciting motorsport in real life. The video is now playing at www.youtube.com/codemastersgames.
F1 2012 will introduce a new Young Driver Test mode as one of the headline additions to the series that will take players even closer to the experience of becoming a FORMULA ONE driver. Players will be introduced to the world of FORMULA ONE through a range of tutorials explaining how to handle racing’s most exciting and responsive cars, and challenged to earn a drive from a team for the 2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.
In the video, rising star Sam Bird, testing for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, says, “I think Codemasters have done a super job of giving regular people a proper insight into what a FORMULA ONE car is like.”
Stefano Coletti, representing Scuderia Toro Rosso added, “When I came to Abu Dhabi I couldn’t go to the simulator so I switched on the video game and started to play. It actually worked because when I got here I felt like I’d already driven [the circuit]. It was my first race in GP2, first ever time in GP2, and I won in my first race so it actually helped.”
In F1 2012 players will feel the unparalleled thrill of becoming a FORMULA ONE driver with a host of new features, wide-ranging technical and gameplay advancements and extensive competitive and co-operative multiplayer components. F1 2012 will feature all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the 2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, including the debut of the 2012 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX at Austin, Texas and the return of Germany’s famous Hockenheim circuit to the calendar.
F1 2012 is set to deliver the most accessible and immersive FORMULA ONE game for fans of all abilities.
F1 2012 is in development at Codemasters Birmingham for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC and is available for pre-order ahead of its September worldwide release. To get all the news straight from the studio, race over to www.facebook.com/formula1game or follow the team on twitter at www.twitter.com/formula1game.
###
NOTES:
Codemasters is the home of official FORMULA ONE games and is currently developing the official game of the 2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP for worldwide release in September. Codemasters’ FORMULA ONE portfolio will be expanded in 2012 with F1 ONLINE THE GAME™, a free-to-play online management and racing game, due to go live this spring. An additional and all-new FORMULA ONE experience for a family audience is due this holiday season with details to be announced.
