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Review:

8th August 2003:
Formula One 2003
So you want to race for an F1 team? Well tough luck, all the teams are booked up. But this game could be better than the real thing...
Posted by Chris Barnett - PlayStation 2 - UK and Europe

Everyone likes going fast. Old people complain about slow moving queues, they want to go fast. Babies in pushchairs scream with joy when they are pushed with speed, they want to go fast. Grown men break the speed limit in their company cars, they want to go fast. And women drivers don't ever seem to want to stop, they want to go fast.

But on the other hand, people don't really like Formula One racing these days. If most people were honest they would admit that they would rather watch a repeat of a soap opera on a Sunday afternoon that a live Grand Prix race. And that may be a problem when you are considering making a game based around the sport. But Sony have an advantage, they have a reputation for Formula One games. They have been making them since the sport was last popular (about three years ago) and so all gamers have played their F1 games before, and realise how good they are. So this game already has a potential gamer user base, but with an official licence too, it also has the F1 fan monopoly. Fans are going to want to see the official drivers and car models, which they can only get in Sony's F1 games (thanks to a four year deal with the FIA).

So if Sony's F1 games are 'always good', what is it that makes them so? Well: good graphics, realistic weather and speed effects, stomach churning collision and damage effects and a sense of achievement (read: excitement) are all factors that could be pinpointed as reasons why they are so good. So how does this new update live up to all these factors? Very well in fact.

Firstly, there is not much that could be done to this new update to make it tremendously different from the 2002 version, but that's because such updates are not required. But all credit to the game, it has made significant improvements over last year's effort. To begin with, it has all the new rules so you can look forwards to the one-lap qualifiers to enhance tension. The other major addition is that of the 'Hot seat' mode where you take control up to four drivers in one race. This mode is really unique in the fact that all four of the cars need to be controlled at set points during the race, so you take over the AI to overtake or ease off. This is really a bit of a gimmick after a while, but achieving an intentional one-two by strategy is really compelling.

All of the other features of the game are simply updates of the standard F1 game mould. You can edit all the race rules to make the game as hard or as easy as you like, or as realistic or arcade-like as you wish. This means that everyone can find a suitable area in this game to interest them. For example, one person may hate long and boring races, so they can use the arcade settings to change the gameplay into something more similar to Ridge Racer (where three laps and a rechargeable damage meter help intensify things). Another person may love intense strategy and so they may tweak the car to perfection and then take it onto an empty track for a time trial. Every area really is covered.

So if there is something for everyone, does that not mean that the game is perfect? Well no, because the game is never brilliant in any of its individual areas. The graphics are varied: from the awesome car models to the lazy rain effects. But overall the graphics are good, as is the sense of speed. But the fact that they are flawed really takes the overall game down a little since cohesion is lost. And the sound is the same. The engine sounds are great, giving a realistic feel to races, especially when many cars are on screen. But there are no crowd sounds at all, which is just plain baffling. The game has surround sound support and so the crowd could have been great, but there are no effects at all. It could be argued that the game is aiming to give the gamer the sound as it would be for the driver of their car, but if that were the case some of the distant rivals that can be heard would not be. And if this really were the case the sound would be really muffled due to the helmet.

The damage and collision effects are a little over the top and inconsistent, even with all the damage effects turned on. Small crashes can result in cars flying in the air as if an anti gravity mode has been activated, but when they land on the ground there is little damage to justify such actions. This is only a minor problem as the crashes are often accurate and believable; it's just a shame that they were not consistent.

The multiplayer mode is a good addition, offering the chance to race in a full field of 20. But due to the intense strategy involved on the realistic mode, the arcade mode is really the only area where multiplayer will be used. This is no bad point and will still ensure that the game is played long after many previous games have been sold to the second hand shop.

Due to the licence being for four years, there is plenty of room for improvement. But there is not much to improve apart from the graphics, sound and collision effects. There are some great new innovations that Sony could choose to employ though, with their new technologies. Online play would be very welcome. Imagine a full field with all 20 being human controlled. Or a full season where you play a race a week with qualifying and everything. Sony's headset could also be used in a similar way to SOCOM in order to contact the pit crew. Imagine the sensation as you call your pit crew to be ready and then you see them get ready on your request. And lastly is the use of the Eye toy camera. This could not only be used to scan in a player's face but it could also be used to scan in logos and pictures that could be added to cars and costumes. In fact, car design would be a great feature as you could even make your own team.

As it stands though, the game is very accomplished and (on the arcade mode) very addictive. And if a game makes you say 'Just one more go', then it is worth one more go.

Chris Barnett

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Review Summary:

Enjoyment is what games are about for the average gamer, and this delivers with ease. Adjustable to suit all levels of gamer, so there is not excuse to dismiss the game as 'not for you'. Apart from a few collision problems, this is a great package, especially with the unlimited lifespan of 2 player and 'Hot seat' modes.

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Formula One 2003
for PlayStation 2

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