game for PS2 turns out to be far more entertaining :)
I owned the previous incarnation of Studio Liverpool's F1 game
(predictably called 2001), and reviewed it online at the time - so
thought it only fitting that I review this incarnation. Curiously,
prior to buying Formula One 2002, I had real trouble finding reviews
of it. Is that a failure of the SCEE marketing department?
Anyway - on with the review...
The game boots up fairly quickly taking you to a very straightforward
menu system, which seems a bit more slick than the previous version.
There are no bells and whistles - it just does what it says on the
tin. The only downside to the menu is you have to wait before actually
joining the track, but with the quality of graphics that's to be
expected. (you do get a pretty track-map progress meter while you're
waiting).
One thing I discovered immediately that I would have liked to see in
the previous version has been put right - you can now control the
throttle and brakes on the fire buttons, and they are pressure
sensitive. While that is great, they haven't included any indicator of
how hard you are pressing on screen (ala Moto GP 2), so it's still not
perfect.
Gameplay.
If you thought Formula One 2001 was good, wait until you play 2002.
Things are looking up immediately that you drive out onto the track.
There's a fantastic sense "solidity" to everything - which can best be
experienced when you run into a wall :) While erring on the side of
playability rather than simulation, I think the developers have done a
very good job indeed. Nothing has changed a lot, but what is there has
been polished, tweaked and generally made better.
The game moves along at an incredibly high frame rate, and pop up and
slow down are pretty much non existent (you would have to be pretty
***to fault it anyway). Even with all the cars on the grid, the game
still keeps up 50 frames a second pretty easily (there is a 60hz mode
too).
The rules and features of the cars for 2002 are pretty much all in
evidence - from traction control to launch control, it's all there.
One rather brilliant feature is being able to modify your car's
traction control and brake balance settings while out on the circuit.
For me there was a real temptation to lower the traction control
during qualifying - to destroy a set of tires on purpose to get the
hot lap - and it works too.
The tracks are once again modelled brilliantly, and the interaction
between your car and the track is very good indeed. Games are there to
be played with crests and cambers - in many cases your braking points
are dictated by the lay of the land rather than the track layout. In
addition, all the different surfaces grip as you would expect - put a
wheel on the grass while braking heavily and the car snaps sideways
just as you would expect in real life. Wet tracks have been improved
immesurably - with tyre tracks and reflections all over the place.
With the aids switched off, you can all too easily lock tyres entering
corners, and flat spot them in doing-so. Lock ups are another area
where the game mirrors real life in an uncanny way - in many late
braking panics, I've locked up and the car has fishtailed wide, but
held the corner. The "realism settings" include an option for tyre
temperature, and I can tell you the tyres do seem a bit slippery for
their first half a lap. Getting a better idea about this will
obviously take a while though.
While lapping the track, the tyres go away from you much as you would
expect in real life - you get a few really good laps, followed by a
long sustained period - then they start to go off. You seem to lose
maybe a couple of seconds a lap if driving on the limit. You also seem
to be able to blister the tyres. Heavy braking on old or worn tyres
becomes a very dangerous pursuit :-)
Controls
The pad is used very well, but of course is never going to be as good
as a wheel and pedals. The sticks on the pad are nice and progressive
- allowing fast reactions without being twitchy. The buttons are
finally used for Throttle and Brake if you want - and they are
pressure sensitive. Coming from playing Moto GP 2, it's a very nice
feature. Shame there are no pressure indicators on-screen though.
Graphics.
The game looks gorgeous. It's not as polished as maybe GT3, but it
moves very quickly and smoothly - which I for one would rather have
than out-and-out photo realism. The rain is probably the best I have
seen in a game (but then I am a little out of the loop with the
current PC games).
Sound
The game sounds are very good indeed. You can hear exactly what you or
the car are doing, pretty much all the time. In a change from the
previous version, rather than attempt to put a commentary in the game
(in Simulation mode), Studio Liverpool have very wisely only put the
pit crew in - and they are fantastic. You are told how well you are
doing in each sector, what is happening elsewhere, and who is gaining
or losing on you. It's all very slick and you soon forget it's a
computer game at all.
The other cars sound good too - it's nice to hear an engine and
clunking of a gearbox behind you and then notice another car in your
mirrors. If anything (from real experience), the noise of other car's
gear changes is not loud enough - F1 cars are very loud indeed. The
sound of far-off cars is fantastic - the dopplar shift scream of F1
engines passing over the bridge at Suzuka is a little unnerving as you
pass underneath.
Summary
Formula One 2001 is probably the most complete F1 game I have played.
The game is sufficiently good to cause my wife to call me "obsessed"
yesterday evening when I booted up the PS2 to have another go....
although she is pleased she doesn't have to put up with Martin Brundle
saying "You're not wrong there Murray" any more.
It is probably the most accessible F1 game available. The scope for
"just another go" is huge, as are the rewards of doing quick laps.
Please feel free to e-mail me if you want to ask anything about it :)
http://www.racesimcentral.net/ (Home Page)
http://www.racesimcentral.net/ (Development Work)
http://www.racesimcentral.net/ (Pet Project)