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My Review of F1 Championship Edition:
F1 Championship Edition is most certainly the most polarizing F1 game ever made, with critics loving or hating the game. But looking back at this game retrospectively (almost 15 years) gives me a true understanding of the technological marvel (sometimes mishap) that is quite possibly the greatest F1 game ever made.
I will split this review into 5 categories; physics, immersion, realism, game modes, and the 'Wow' factor (was it good for it's time period, and is it still good today?)
Physics:
The physics in this game are often the main complaint from nearly all critics. Arguments include an understeer bias and autospin kerbs. These are valid concerns for those who don't know how to tune a car. After about 5 minutes of tuning during a Grand Prix practice, I generally have complete control over the car and it's movement. One autospin kerb that cannot be fixed is Magny Cours final chicane (pain). The built in setup assistant "Car Setup Evolution" is a great feature for beginners learning about setups. I'll talk about more it in the realism section. One thing that is not in your control is the lacking rain physics. The cars feel more understeer-y, even when you should be spinning because of full throttling it out of Parabolica in the wet. But the crash and suspension physics are still some of the best in any F1 game, easily rivaling the new Codies F1 games, rFactor 1 & 2, and Grand Prix 4. The car doesn't lose half its front wing every time there's a collision, and you can lose your rear wing in a spinning impact. The way the suspension and tyre shears off of the cars is very realistic (before cables holding the tyres to the suspension were required). My final praise for the physics is the inclusion of the tyre heat indicator. This really does impact lap times, and while not as in depth as Grand Prix 4 or rFactor 2, is still way ahead of its time.
Immersion:
Once you're in the car, it certainly sounds and looks like you're driving it. The sounds from all 9 V8s and 1 Cozzie V10 are unique, the sense of speed is very good, and the interiors are well made. You don't get force feedback, which is a huge letdown, but after a while you get used to it. The other big letdown was the advanced AI designed for this game, which was extremely up and down in terms of difficulty, including on the hard difficulty. (True story, I was in 14th in Spain with my Toro Rosso, and won next week at Nurburgring)
Realism:
This game is mostly realistic, as it features all 18 F1 2006 tracks (plus Jerez if you time trial gold all tracks), and most 2006 drivers. The big issues is that the developers did not update the game with the new drivers, de la Rosa and whoever Yuji Ide's replacement was. The game does, which still hadn't been done by Codies until 2016, was the chance for a team to fire you for poor performance. It also allowed a team to place you in a test driver role, which no other F1 game has done. But even better is that the developers (Studio Liverpool) had correctly remembered the 16k rpm limit for the Cosworth V10 used by Toro Rosso, as well as all of the other engines. Studio Liverpool also introduced enhanced rain graphics, making it harder to see in the rain because of kicked up water. This effect has not aged well though. The most real part of the game is the broadcast setup, using iTV's graphics for the F1 2006 season, as well as it's commentary crew; James Allen and Martin Brundle. The game also introduced Car Setup Evolution, which is honestly more realistic than making the setup changes yourself. It sends you on flying laps, returns you and asks for feedback on those laps. This feedback is used to target specific areas of the car to change, either for pace or for your driving style. It does this multiple times until all areas of the car have been covered.
Game Modes:
F1 Championship Edition has only a few game modes, but does not lack in special features. The game is only single player and online multiplayer (I don't think online works anymore, haven't tested it yet tho), with the single player modes being Time Trial, Quick Race, Grand Prix Weekend, World Championship, and Career. The first three are self explanatory, World Championship lets you take control of your favorite driver and battle for a world championship, while Career gets your own player created character into the world of Formula 1. Included in this small amount of content is a bunch of classic cars, trophy cases(!), and Jerez to unlock. This game has trophy cases, with 3D models of the unique trophies, and in F1 2020, you get a gold outlined picture of the "unique" trophies.
But does it wow me?
Hell yeah. It amazes me that Studio Liverpool were able to make such an incredible game with a temperamental cpu (we love you PS3, but it's true), all while only supporting 720p! Visibly just as good looking as rFactor 1, and technically not as advanced, but very advanced for a console game in 2006. There were a few poor design choices (god I hate Magny Cours), but the game as a whole is fantastic. Is it the best F1 game ever? Maybe, maybe not. Best console F1 game? Absolutely.
Also wanted to make fun of the Detroit Free Press reviewer who completely forgot to turn off Auto-Braking + Dynamic Racing Line and gave the game 2 stars of 4.
F1 Championship Edition is most certainly the most polarizing F1 game ever made, with critics loving or hating the game. But looking back at this game retrospectively (almost 15 years) gives me a true understanding of the technological marvel (sometimes mishap) that is quite possibly the greatest F1 game ever made.
I will split this review into 5 categories; physics, immersion, realism, game modes, and the 'Wow' factor (was it good for it's time period, and is it still good today?)
Physics:
The physics in this game are often the main complaint from nearly all critics. Arguments include an understeer bias and autospin kerbs. These are valid concerns for those who don't know how to tune a car. After about 5 minutes of tuning during a Grand Prix practice, I generally have complete control over the car and it's movement. One autospin kerb that cannot be fixed is Magny Cours final chicane (pain). The built in setup assistant "Car Setup Evolution" is a great feature for beginners learning about setups. I'll talk about more it in the realism section. One thing that is not in your control is the lacking rain physics. The cars feel more understeer-y, even when you should be spinning because of full throttling it out of Parabolica in the wet. But the crash and suspension physics are still some of the best in any F1 game, easily rivaling the new Codies F1 games, rFactor 1 & 2, and Grand Prix 4. The car doesn't lose half its front wing every time there's a collision, and you can lose your rear wing in a spinning impact. The way the suspension and tyre shears off of the cars is very realistic (before cables holding the tyres to the suspension were required). My final praise for the physics is the inclusion of the tyre heat indicator. This really does impact lap times, and while not as in depth as Grand Prix 4 or rFactor 2, is still way ahead of its time.
Immersion:
Once you're in the car, it certainly sounds and looks like you're driving it. The sounds from all 9 V8s and 1 Cozzie V10 are unique, the sense of speed is very good, and the interiors are well made. You don't get force feedback, which is a huge letdown, but after a while you get used to it. The other big letdown was the advanced AI designed for this game, which was extremely up and down in terms of difficulty, including on the hard difficulty. (True story, I was in 14th in Spain with my Toro Rosso, and won next week at Nurburgring)
Realism:
This game is mostly realistic, as it features all 18 F1 2006 tracks (plus Jerez if you time trial gold all tracks), and most 2006 drivers. The big issues is that the developers did not update the game with the new drivers, de la Rosa and whoever Yuji Ide's replacement was. The game does, which still hadn't been done by Codies until 2016, was the chance for a team to fire you for poor performance. It also allowed a team to place you in a test driver role, which no other F1 game has done. But even better is that the developers (Studio Liverpool) had correctly remembered the 16k rpm limit for the Cosworth V10 used by Toro Rosso, as well as all of the other engines. Studio Liverpool also introduced enhanced rain graphics, making it harder to see in the rain because of kicked up water. This effect has not aged well though. The most real part of the game is the broadcast setup, using iTV's graphics for the F1 2006 season, as well as it's commentary crew; James Allen and Martin Brundle. The game also introduced Car Setup Evolution, which is honestly more realistic than making the setup changes yourself. It sends you on flying laps, returns you and asks for feedback on those laps. This feedback is used to target specific areas of the car to change, either for pace or for your driving style. It does this multiple times until all areas of the car have been covered.
Game Modes:
F1 Championship Edition has only a few game modes, but does not lack in special features. The game is only single player and online multiplayer (I don't think online works anymore, haven't tested it yet tho), with the single player modes being Time Trial, Quick Race, Grand Prix Weekend, World Championship, and Career. The first three are self explanatory, World Championship lets you take control of your favorite driver and battle for a world championship, while Career gets your own player created character into the world of Formula 1. Included in this small amount of content is a bunch of classic cars, trophy cases(!), and Jerez to unlock. This game has trophy cases, with 3D models of the unique trophies, and in F1 2020, you get a gold outlined picture of the "unique" trophies.
But does it wow me?
Hell yeah. It amazes me that Studio Liverpool were able to make such an incredible game with a temperamental cpu (we love you PS3, but it's true), all while only supporting 720p! Visibly just as good looking as rFactor 1, and technically not as advanced, but very advanced for a console game in 2006. There were a few poor design choices (god I hate Magny Cours), but the game as a whole is fantastic. Is it the best F1 game ever? Maybe, maybe not. Best console F1 game? Absolutely.
Also wanted to make fun of the Detroit Free Press reviewer who completely forgot to turn off Auto-Braking + Dynamic Racing Line and gave the game 2 stars of 4.
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