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"Four lights on the grid ...five lights ...and it's go! Go! Go!" for
F1 2000, EA Sports' brand new Formula One racer, which is coming to a
PC near you at the end of March. Developed by Image Space, a newly
formed collective of racing and sim veterans from across the industry
whose previous titles include Sports Car GT, F1 2000 certainly has the
pedigree to take on the established F1 order, and counts among its
members some of the team who worked on Geoff Crammond's original Grand
Prix.
Following the familiar pattern from EA Sports, this is the officially
licensed article with all the drivers, teams, liveries, logos and even
advertising (barring booze and ciggies which are banned) all
absolutely authentic reproductions of their real-life counterparts.
Developed alongside, but separately from, the PlayStation version, F1
2000's primary aim will be to deliver a racing game that you can play
in parallel with the current Formula One season. The attraction of
racing alongside the top drivers as the season's story unfolds is a
proposition that simply can't be underestimated.
Dive into the game and the first thing you'll notice is that F1 2000's
engine is already looking extremely sumptuous, with some simply superb
looking cars and circuits. Every track from the 2000 season has been
modelled in immaculate detail using official photography and track
data to exactly reproduce all the twists and nuances of each circuit,
even down to tiny details like the famous graffiti at Imola.
F1 2000's cars are equally detailed, with full and authentic liveries,
helmet styles and insignia, separate car monocoques and up to 1200
polygons per car (depending on team and model). The viewing system is
impressive, with full TV-style race coverage courtesy of up to 16
different internal and external camera views, fully working wing
mirrors and the ability to zoom in and even see the driver's eyes move
as they anticipate the next tricky corner. Graphically it's extremely
difficult to fault - and on a high-end machine, combines a very real
impression of breakneck speed with a near photo-realistic quality
driving experience.
It would be fair to say that F1 2000 on the PC is pretty much squarely
aimed at the *** F1 fan with the emphasis on creating a
hyper-accurate but playable simulation. A very agreeable set of
driving aids will soften the blow for Formula One novices, but for
dedicated F1 fanatics the level of depth underlying the game is
excellent - full and detailed setup options go down to details like
camber on the wheels, tyre pressures and suspension settings. If you
so desire you can even tinker with really esoteric features like your
reverse gear ratio. It's certainly a comprehensive approach and full
testing and telemetry feedback will enable you to hone your car to
perfection during some extended testing sessions.
On the presentation and options front, F1 2000 certainly lives up to
EA Sports' usual high standards. A FIFA-style introduction to each
racing weekend will be provided by the same company who supply the
visuals for ITV and Jim Rosenthal will be providing introductions and
post-race analysis to keep you a*** of all the latest developments.
In a bit of a departure from the usual in-game commentary, there'll be
no "Murray and Martin" style observations, instead it will be your pit
crew who provide all the feedback on race positions, fuel strategy and
tyre wear, which the developers hope will re-enforce their aim of
giving players a real feel of racing from the driver's perspective.
Well, after an exhaustive look at the behind-the-scenes features, we
finally persuaded Image Space to let us get our hands dirty by taking
a test drive in Jaguar's new baby down the long straights and curving
chicanes of the Nurburgring. Armed only with a ForceFeedback wheel and
some blind faith in our own abilities, Eddie Irvine's new drive proved
relatively easy to begin with (with all the driving aids turned on),
and handled like a dream as we powered down the track at Hockenheim.
Throwing caution to the winds, we then removed the driving aids - and
we managed to plough headlong through a gravel trap at about 150mph,
crumpling the front wing and losing both front wheels against a very
convincing 3D tyre wall. Oh well, back to the drawing board - we might
well fancy Eddie Irvine's lifestyle, but clearly we're going to have
to put in a lot of work before we acquire his driving skills.
EA have certainly invested a fair amount into the game and it looks
set to be the first of a long running series because they hold the
official licence for the next three years.
So watch out Schuey and Mika, we'll see you on the grid...
Check out our extensive gallery to see F1 2000 in action, but please
note that the cars and teams still have 1999 liveries as placeholders
until the new season's offerings are revealed.