Noticed a review of EA's F1 2001 in my new OPM January edition. This follows
their review of Sony's Formula One 2001 a couple of months ago. Read through
to the end of this post and you'll get a good indication of the reviewer's
definite preference (the same guy, John Davidson, reviewed them both). Hint:
there IS a STRONG winner here...
Here are the reviews:
From the 11/01 Edition - Formula One 2001; Publisher Sony
Why can't anyone get F1 racing right anymore? Bizarre Creations managed to
do a spectacular job - twice - for Psygnosis, and yet no one since seems to
be able to recreate that magic. Not even this, which is presumably the most
recent successor in the same line.
So what's wrong with this one? Well, the same as pretty much every other F1
game since 1998. In an attempt to popularize the sport globally or
something, THE HANDLING AND DIFFICULTY LEVELS ARE COMPLETELY SCREWED UP. On
the game's default settings you are able to perform superhuman displays of
endurance and control as you can pull from 22nd (last) place in the pack,
all the way up to pole in about 10 laps. There's also a tendency for the AI
to think you're playing Destruction Derby.
Crank the difficulty levels up to try to compensate for all this weirdness
and EVERYTHING JUST GOES CRAZY. ABS braking and other helpful assistants are
immediately switched off and you're left with an uncontrollable,
hypersensitive car that spins off the track if you so much as breathe on the
joypad.
Compared with EA Sports' F1 Championship Season 2000, this is slightly
better. If you throw all hopes of Formula One simulation out the window, you
can learn to tolerate the games quirks. If you feel you must.
Final score: 2 1/2 stars out of 5
From the 1/02 Edition: - F1 2001; Publisher EA Sports
I don't know about you, but I've been fairly disappointed with just about
every Formula One game since Bizarre Creations last graced us with a game
for PS One through Psygnosis. For me, F1 97 was the pinnacle of achievement
for this kind of racing. Many of you will probably dismiss this because of
the sport it simulates, but FOR THOSE OF YOU JONESING FOR A "REAL" RACER,
BELIEVE ME, THIS IS IT.
Initially, I thought to dismiss this as just another EA Sports annual
update. Surely, I thought, it would be last year's game with all the new
stats and drivers plugged in. Nope. It's a complete overhaul, and by golly
it's spectacular. Not only is it one of the most beautiful games on the PS2
so far, with wonderful camera effects and sharp visuals that mean you can
see far enough into the distance to drive "properly", but it also tries to
make the sport more accessible. By taking a more typically "video game"
approach to the sport, where you open up features by achieving set goals, it
guides you through the process gently.
Compared to the other choices out there, THIS REALLY IS THE CREAM OF THE
CROP. The controls are great, it's exceptionally playable, and if you're a
real gearhead you should be VERY excited. It's so great, I think I may still
be in shock. Hence...
Final score 5 out of 5 stars
