Chase me! (F1 2001 (PS2))

Member Name: MR.COATES

Product:	F1 2001 (PS2)
Date:	05/11/01 (122 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing graphics, Interactive pit stops, New game modes

Disadvantages: Handling not quite right

The unfortunate ones among you who have endured my driving game reviews before will already know that this is going to be a long one! It really doesn’t matter what it is in terms of ‘driving’ although my favourites are Touring Car and Rally games.
Formula One is probably the biggest Motorsport in terms of fans and viewers and quite understandably so. Fast cars, glamorous locations and more money than you can shake a golden stick at.

For fans of F1 games there have over the years been numerous titles to choose from across the formats, the most famous of which is no doubt Geoff Crammond’s Grand Prix games. Some gamers find them a little intimidating though as you can modify just about everything apart from what your driver has for Breakfast. Other publishers have realised this and have tried to create F1 titles that are accurate enough for the die-hard fans but appeal to driving game lovers in general.

The two main players in this arena are the Sony backed Formula One series and Electronic Arts’ more recent F1 titles. Having owned the latest Sony offering, Formula One 2001 I had to admit that I was very impressed. The drivers, cars and general scary bits all appeared to be up-to date and the game is very impressive overall. I had played EA’s F1 2000 on the PC and I wasn’t particularly impressed. It looked good enough but the handling was a little off and it certainly wasn’t anything to shout about.

That’s all changed with their latest title and just like the FIFA games there’s no shock as to what the name is – yes, F1 2001.

Graphics:
One thing that had me interested for quite some time was the abundance of screenshots that were emerging and they looked seriously impressive. Well put all that behind you because it looks even better in the flesh, so to speak.
I thought that Formula One 2001 was a gorgeous game but I have to hand that crown over to EA as th
is game looks incredibly good. Tracks are marvellously detailed, there is very little pop-up to speak of, the frame rate hardly ever drops and just check out the reflections on the cars and driver’s helmet.

All of the featured tracks are equally impressive. Gone are the days of sparse courses with empty areas, most tracks (where appropriate) feel like living and breathing areas although you won't have much time to take in the scenery of course.

Silverstone is one track I'm personally quite familiar with and I would say that it's recreated incredibly well.

I could quite happily give this game a 9/10 based on graphics alone it really is that good looking.

On top of this you also get blurring whilst passing over kerbstones and the weather effects can produce some astounding in race results (both visually and in terms of chaos).

Sounds:
Nowhere near as impressive as the visual side unfortunately but nothing that will leave you feeling too disappointed. Intro and menu music is provided by the well-known dance gurus Chicane although don’t expect anything familiar – I didn’t recognise anything and I quite like Chicane.

Features:
You get all of the usual options but there are a couple of new elements to experience too. Firstly is the licence section. Just like in GT3 you have to obtain track experience before you can have a proper race. You’ll learn to brake, accelerate, perform perfect pit stops and even handle your car in torrential rain. Depending on how fast you complete the tasks you’ll be awarded a percentage rating and a bronze, silver or gold award. The better you do, the quicker you can get full access to the game – a neat feature.

Then there’s the usual options including quick race, full Grand Prix, custom Grand Prix and another great addition – Team Mate Challenge. In this mode you have to beat your team mate in a race. If you s
ucceed you move up to the more highly rated teams, if you fail you’ll have to race again on another circuit. An interesting addition to a generally “samey” game genre.

Playability:
There is one thing in particular that makes me want to give EA a great big hug. How on earth did they manage to get the load times so fast?!!! You really have to see it to believe it – from selecting your race within the menu to the grid appearing has got to be around 5 seconds. If you were being presented with a horrible set of visuals I could understand it but no, you will be sat in your car ready to go quicker than any other game I’ve played. It’s even faster than GT3 and I thought that was pretty fast.

Controlling your car is fairly painless using the analogue sticks but I prefer to use the analogue stick for steering and the buttons for acceleration and braking etc. It’s all nice and responsive with the analogue buttons coming in to play perfectly as always.

For a change the computer drivers are impressive too. They'll obey flags, wait for the perfect overtaking opportunity and defend their driving line as much as you will. Don't expect an easy ride from them - you won't get it!

The verdict:
EA deserve a big pat on the back for this offering. It’s light-years ahead of any of the previous titles and if F1 2002 improves on the few issues that remain I think we’ll all be in for a serious treat.
In the meantime though, F1 2001 is a solid game that should keep you racing for months to come whether you’re a petrolhead or a less fanatical F1 person. The official PS2 mag gave it 7 out of 10. I feel that and 8 is more like a deserved score but hey, you don’t have to take my word for it…..

MR.COATES

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