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Formula One: Championship Edition - PSM3 Review

No doubt about it, this IS the same review as the Edge one - all the same points are made in exactly the same order - just bizarrely rewritten for the common people in PSM3. The same journalist working for Future will have written both.
 
tiddles said:
No doubt about it, this IS the same review as the Edge one - all the same points are made in exactly the same order - just bizarrely rewritten for the common people in PSM3. The same journalist working for Future will have written both.
Click to expand...

Lone gunman confirmed.
 
I refuse to believe that this game is as bad as they say. How can they say F1 is boring overall and still call themselves fans of the sport? I can't wait to start race weekends and prequalifying etc..

WTF maybe they should get a clue?

There is no way in hell that you can get to the meat of F1 in say, a few days. Maybe the brits are mad Sony is releasing in NA? jk

Alphasnake, great immpressions man. Makes me hunger for the game even more.
 
Can anyone confirm if you *CAN* infact play online internationally? They just can't get away with making this game region specific!
 
TTP said:
When you are in the lobby of the LAN game there should be an option that mentions the rearmirrors on the left side. It doesnt show up during the creation process. It appears after the game has been created.

As for how it should work, I guess all you have to do is set just the PSP in Remote Play mode. The game code should handle the PS3 side.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to say, but the feature's been pulled, it seems. It's definitely not here.
 
isamu said:
Can anyone confirm if you *CAN* infact play online internationally? They just can't get away with making this game region specific!
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Agreed. F1 is an international sport. It would be criminal to region-lock the multiplayer for this. PEACE.
 
AlphaSnake said:
I'm sorry to say, but the feature's been pulled, it seems. It's definitely not here.
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Oh no :|

Let's spend one minute in silence... RIP
DSC02785.jpg
 
Thanks to Alphasnake's impressions, F1CE is back to my list :) Seriously, I don't understand those bad scores... this game impressed almost everyone who played it at the TGS :/
 
This scored 5/10 in Games TM. The consensus just seems to be that it's not a very good F1 game....the visuals will definitely sell it well enough though.
 
I recently traded in my JP copy of F1 and these reviews back up a lot of the complaints I had with the game, most importantly that it is boring beyond belief. It looks great, but it was so dull to play.
 
TheDrowningMan said:
This scored 5/10 in Games TM. The consensus just seems to be that it's not a very good F1 game....the visuals will definitely sell it well enough though.
Click to expand...

Could you post some bullet points from the review? I'm trying to figure out if this game is a good F1 game that non F1 fans don't like. From the two reviews posted so far this seems to be the case.
 
Ah! Just read AlphaSnake's review. Good job. It's an issue with all sim racers, really. Most reviewers don't understand the mechanics involved and take a very crude approach to these titles. It's pretty much why I don't read mainstream sports reviews. I tend to default to the fans on that one.

F1 games have historically offered some depth in the options you can set, and you can always make them frustratingly difficult. My number one concern for this title was that people who know nothing about F1 or open-wheel racing will buy it for the visuals and then be bored to tears. F1 isn't for everyone, and the slot-car nature of the sport lends itself to rather monotonous racing at times, but that's what makes it F1. Sounds like you get it, and the review sounds like I should get it. I've been doing a fine job procrastinating my PS3 purchase. But with the new season fast-approaching, I might have to get one soon to satisfy the need for speed. PEACE.
 
You're welcome guys. Sony is embargoing reviews until the 26th, so look for a full review from me then (unless IGN or GS breaks the embargo).
 
AlphaSnake said:
You're welcome guys. Sony is embargoing reviews until the 26th, so look for a full review from me then (unless IGN or GS breaks the embargo).
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Who do you work for?
 
mckmas8808 said:
Who do you work for?
Click to expand...

I've been running a large PlayStation outlet for 8 years now. =)

Kinda nervous talking about it in this thread since I wrote that review. I'm afraid of the Sony pimp-hand. =(

Check your PM. :P
 
The game was arcadey and bad handling was the name of the PSP version. The demo on PS3 didn't made me any more confident in the game and it seems they stayed on the shitty route. That's bad, really bad.
Especially for here in America, we need GREAT F1 games so it will sells and futur great games may land here. Americans will continue to love Nascar and ignore 99% of the rest of Motorsports i guess...

:(
 
Just played the demo.

Maybe im blind but this game looks like ASS. F1 world GP on the N64 looked more impressive for its time. The game has some kind of vaseline depth effect that ****s everything up.

Horrible.
 
kammy said:
Just played the demo.

Maybe im blind but this game looks like ASS. F1 world GP on the N64 looked more impressive for its time. The game has some kind of vaseline depth effect that ****s everything up.

Horrible.
Click to expand...
Are you playing this on SD? I really have no idea how you can say this looks like an N64 game.
 
Ranger X said:
The game was arcadey and bad handling was the name of the PSP version. The demo on PS3 didn't made me any more confident in the game and it seems they stayed on the shitty route. That's bad, really bad.
Especially for here in America, we need GREAT F1 games so it will sells and futur great games may land here. Americans will continue to love Nascar and ignore 99% of the rest of Motorsports i guess...

:(
Click to expand...
Amazing realistic graphics: Check
Nice roster: Check
Great ammount of teams and tracks: Check
Accurate representation of tracks: Check
Amazing physics engine: Check
Deep tuning options: Check
Amazing AI: Check
Amazing sense of speed: Check
Amazing realistic driving system: Check

What more do you want?
 
kammy said:
Just played the demo.

Maybe im blind but this game looks like ASS. F1 world GP on the N64 looked more impressive for its time. The game has some kind of vaseline depth effect that ****s everything up.

Horrible.
Click to expand...

The visuals of the finished product slaughter that of the demo. The gorgeous lighting, the brand new textures, the enhanced reflections, and the silky framerate make the demo look like child's play - there's no two ways about it. If you were at all not impressed with the way the demo looked, throw it all away - this is seriously one of the best looking next-gen games on the market.
Click to expand...

Read my review on page 2.
 
kammy said:
Just played the demo.

Maybe im blind but this game looks like ASS. F1 world GP on the N64 looked more impressive for its time. The game has some kind of vaseline depth effect that ****s everything up.

Horrible.
Click to expand...

Your either blind or you and doing the "GAF group think". This game is one of the best looking racing games on next-gen consoles.
 
TTP said:
I'll tell u abot me and we will eventually date and have sex in a F1 car.
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Aren't both of you two guys? :/


Oh and kammy these graphics looks horrible to you?

formula-one-championship-edition-20061201080327964.jpg

formula-one-championship-edition-20061019035234794.jpg
 
Ynos Yrros said:
What more do you want?
Click to expand...

Amazing realistic graphics:
To me that are "good looking". To be in the "amazing" category they would need to remove those stupid post-processing effects that are trying to simulate what my eyes are doing naturally like focusing on the track. Blur effect are ass and useless. But hey, the graphics are good. Graphics rarely are a deal breaker for me.

Nice roster: Check

Great ammount of teams and tracks: Check

Accurate representation of tracks: Check

Amazing physics engine:
What do you mean? Collisions and damage? I'd agree with that. But the driving and handling physics are just NOT realistic. This is an EXTREMELY important point for me. The game could fail anything BUT the driving/physics.

Deep tuning options: Check

Amazing AI: Didn't notice that the AI is particularly better in this game (by the demo). It looked extremely conventional.

Amazing sense of speed:
Mostly killed by the driving physics for me. GT4, GTR2 and TOCA3 is still the king combo in matter of sense of speed imo.

Amazing realistic driving system:
Errr, no. The F-1 in TOCA aren't even a focus and they drive more realistically...
Of maybe i didn't get what you mean by "driving system".

So, what do i need more?

-Better driving/handling physics.
-Better AI. (but i don't mind the one they got right now, it's convincing enough)
-Less ala mode shitty effects.
-30 fps more.
 
TTP said:
:lol

Must be joking

AlphaSnake, PM me who you are please :P
I'll tell u abot me and we will eventually date and have sex in a F1 car.
Click to expand...

omg...a/s/l?

Check in 5 mins. :P
 
I keep hearing you guys talk about driving physics and it makes me have to ask: Are you expecting these cars to powerslide? Do you think these cars shift their weight in a real noticeable fashion? What exactly is missing here? If you watch these cars race during qualifying and during races from the in-car views, the only thing I see shifting around is the pilot's head from the g-forces. However, when these cars let go and lose traction, oftentimes it is without warning and quite dramatic. These cars have so much downforce on them they are almost glued to the track and the drivers zip through the turns like they are on rails. The demo (and it soundls like the final code) have nailed this. Perhaps Motorstorm will be the game for some of you who want physics, but in an F1 game I want speed, precision, and the many awesome circuits to race on.
 
DenogginizerOS said:
I keep hearing you guys talk about driving physics and it makes me have to ask: Are you expecting these cars to powerslide? Do you think these cars shift their weight in a real noticeable fashion? What exactly is missing here? If you watch these cars race during qualifying and during races from the in-car views, the only thing I see shifting around is the pilot's head from the g-forces. However, when these cars let go and lose traction, oftentimes it is without warning and quite dramatic. These cars have so much downforce on them they are almost glued to the track and the drivers zip through the turns like they are on rails. The demo (and it soundls like the final code) have nailed this. Perhaps Motorstorm will be the game for some of you who want physics, but in an F1 game I want speed, precision, and the many awesome circuits to race on.
Click to expand...

It sure seems like it. I mean, if they want to powerslide, turn off the anti-lock brakes. But even in a real F1 car, the rear-track is too damn wide and the front toe-in is far too perfect/precise for those cars to spin out in the first place. The setup of these machines is done so that if they spinout, the car can correct itself with ease just due to the way it is setup. Spinning out will be inevitable under certain, extreme, conditions. There is no shift in the balance of an F1 vehicle because the chassis of an F1 car doesn't roll. I guess people fail to realize that.
 
The only thing that keeps me from buying it, is the 2006 content.

Everything else is perfect. I don't understand what more you could want.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1GK6oy8bHI

This video is an on-board lap of Monza, one of the tracks in the demo, look at how Schumacher flies over curb stones and goes through turns without countersteering.
F1 cars, when proper adjusted, drive like they're on rails.
 
I'm a huge car guy, and could usually discuss "physics" with anyone... but F1 is something you can't really discuss... I personally never felt anything like them, I could only imagine... F3 "carts" I can discuss, but not this stuff... Who here drove a real F1 car before? Raise of hands please... uh-huh, none...

F1 cars slice and dice as they are the most superior handling cars out there in motorsports (some may say CART in it's haydays)... They're wide open tracks, extreme low center of gravity, mid-engine, feather light weights, disgusting tires, and millions of dollars of research into them makes them handle them handle on rails... Many drivers say you don't even feel any weight to the car, it's all g-forces on the body... They're not the lead sleds of boring arse NASCAR...

I love when videogame journalists talk "how something should handle" though... it doesn't "feel like an F1 car", when in reality, most of these journalists get to work via bus pass, or, in some cases, seemingly a bicycle with it's seat missing...
 
Ranger X said:
The game was arcadey and bad handling was the name of the PSP version. The demo on PS3 didn't made me any more confident in the game and it seems they stayed on the shitty route. That's bad, really bad.
Especially for here in America, we need GREAT F1 games so it will sells and futur great games may land here. Americans will continue to love Nascar and ignore 99% of the rest of Motorsports i guess...

:(
Click to expand...

That's because we americans can be zombies, to say the least. You know, we purchased VHS over betamax, PCs and Macs, the Macs weren't even in color over the quite superior Amiga. The list of atrocities goes on.

I don't have a problem with people liking Nascar but I can't stand the fact that the USA for the most part, barely knows F1 exists at this point in time.

BTW when's the release date for F1 CE?

Alphasnake, got any updated immpressons that in some way give more tidbits without hurting your review?
 
J-Rzez said:
I'm a huge car guy, and could usually discuss "physics" with anyone... but F1 is something you can't really discuss... I personally never felt anything like them, I could only imagine... F3 "carts" I can discuss, but not this stuff... Who here drove a real F1 car before? Raise of hands please... uh-huh, none...

F1 cars slice and dice as they are the most superior handling cars out there in motorsports (some may say CART in it's haydays)... They're wide open tracks, extreme low center of gravity, mid-engine, feather light weights, disgusting tires, and millions of dollars of research into them makes them handle them handle on rails... Many drivers say you don't even feel any weight to the car, it's all g-forces on the body... They're not the lead sleds of boring arse NASCAR...

I love when videogame journalists talk "how something should handle" though... it doesn't "feel like an F1 car", when in reality, most of these journalists get to work via bus pass, or, in some cases, seemingly a bicycle with it's seat missing...
Click to expand...

Great post. I don't think people realize the amount of money that goes into making these cars handle. Minimum opporating budget for an F1 team is something like well over a 100 million dollars. For NASCAR I heard some teams get by with only a couple million spent.
 
J-Rzez said:
I'm a huge car guy, and could usually discuss "physics" with anyone... but F1 is something you can't really discuss... I personally never felt anything like them, I could only imagine... F3 "carts" I can discuss, but not this stuff... Who here drove a real F1 car before? Raise of hands please... uh-huh, none...

F1 cars slice and dice as they are the most superior handling cars out there in motorsports (some may say CART in it's haydays)... They're wide open tracks, extreme low center of gravity, mid-engine, feather light weights, disgusting tires, and millions of dollars of research into them makes them handle them handle on rails... Many drivers say you don't even feel any weight to the car, it's all g-forces on the body... They're not the lead sleds of boring arse NASCAR...

I love when videogame journalists talk "how something should handle" though... it doesn't "feel like an F1 car", when in reality, most of these journalists get to work via bus pass, or, in some cases, seemingly a bicycle with it's seat missing...
Click to expand...

Beautiful.

I've personally driven an F1 inspired sports car (brother's BMW M6) and have done some extensive suspension work to my car, which has netted me pretty impressive autocross results, as well. I'd like to think I know what I'm talking about when it comes down to racers and cars, in general. And yeah, you basically nailed it on the head - confirming everything I've said too. Oh, well -- there are plenty of journos out there who'll talk about a sport as complicated as this without any idea about it.
 
Now I understand why Sony wouldn't bring F1 to the US.

They knew that americans are idiots... who wouldn't understand F1... and expect F1 cars to control like Superman does in superman returns...

God bless america and no place else.
 
D.Cowboys said:
BTW when's the release date for F1 CE?

Alphasnake, got any updated immpressons that in some way give more tidbits without hurting your review?
Click to expand...

February 28th it'll be in stores.

And, what I can tell you is that if you like F1 - you'll love this game. I'm not a big F1 officiando, but I do understand cars, tuning aspects, etc. so this game is sort of like second-nature. Granted, because I'm a little overzealous and unfamiliar with the sport, the only "aid" I have to keep is turning off the damage. I'm still adjusting to this game, and I don't mind at all. I think it's a terrific game.
 
Mr. Pointy said:
Wait a minute, doesn't that screen show that you could theoretically use 3 PSPs for mirrors?
Click to expand...

Nope. It just asks you to select the kind of rear mirror you want the PSP to be (left, right or central)

BTW, I'm reposting here the videos I youtubed in the first page cos I feel like doing it.


Want some drifting and spin outs? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgnIgtF4tNA ("You just press and go" my ass)

These are for Che (with love)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IYY9Ua24e4
- (look at the left rear wheel after lateral collision. Wheel gets slighly deformed affecting control and traction) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xuiIWpSsh8

Bonus "blowing up the engine" video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1NuuqzLkN8
 
methane47 said:
Now I understand why Sony wouldn't bring F1 to the US.

They knew that americans are idiots... who wouldn't understand F1... and expect F1 cars to control like Superman does in superman returns...

God bless america and no place else.
Click to expand...

Sorry to burst your bubble...or not...but the two pubs to bash F1 aren't American; they're European.
 
AlphaSnake said:
Beautiful.

I've personally driven an F1 inspired sports car (brother's BMW M6) and have done some extensive suspension work to my car, which has netted me pretty impressive autocross results, as well. I'd like to think I know what I'm talking about when it comes down to racers and cars, in general. And yeah, you basically nailed it on the head - confirming everything I've said too. Oh, well -- there are plenty of journos out there who'll talk about a sport as complicated as this without any idea about it.
Click to expand...


An F1 car is nothing like a BMW M6. In fact, a BMW M6 is exactly like a big sedan with a powerful engine and great handling. Your BMW M6 comparison would be better made with NASCAR. I only bring this up because you're "agreeing" with a poster who's pointing out that F1 has no suitable real life analog.

Formula First, Formula Ford and Formula Four are all much more like F1. Even Kart racing has more in common with F1 spiritually. I've driven all of those cars and still can't speak authoritatively about F1. The only people who can are F1 racers, and bluntly, they don't represent a significant portion of the game buying public.

Games need to be reviewed by gamers who understand the genre, are familiar with other games in the lineage and can write illuminating descriptions of their opinion. they don't need to be written by propellerheads who are obsessed with the most irrelevant nuances of the sport in question.

And it seems to me from reading Alpha's impressions that the default settings are part of the problem with the game. The fact is that most people are going to play with the default settings and that they represent the typical gameplay experience. Tunable or not.
 
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=157863

Hold up a second... Why is the article that I linked to different from the one in the OP?
And why doesn't that link work anymore? Retraction?

Apparently, Formula One Championship Edition is the closest you'll get to the real thing without being speared through the guts by the nose of a 200mph Ferrari. Formula One, you see, has been dying at an inversely proportional rate to the success of one Michael Schumacher - the more he won, the more people switched over to the EastEnders omnibus.

So in order to make Championship Edition more exciting than watching the Antiques Roadshow on valium, you'll want to head straight over to the options section and switch off every last one of the driving aids. Right from the off, no messing about. Alright, maybe you could leave the virtual racing line on to get a feel for the circuits and their respective braking points, although the game looks sharp enough that you can easily see tyre marks tracing the racing line. Assisted steering, traction control, anti-spin, anti-lock braking - it all needs to go.

Advertisement:
Once all that stuff has been ditched, you can embark on a tricky, gruelling, World Championship season with almost as much head-spinning attention to detail as the real thing. Every race weekend goes through a number of stages: Friday's free practice, Saturday's free practice, three 15-minute qualifying sessions on Saturday afternoon and finally the race itself. While the first couple of race sessions can be ignored (they are useful for memorising those all important braking points, though), the qualifiers are essential, otherwise you'll be stuck at the back of the grid and more than likely to lose bits of your car as you attempt to slice through the field.

Then comes the Grand Prix itself. There's plenty of big race atmosphere, just like off the telly - although the best thing about this Japanese import version is there's no James Allen screaming "Go! Go! Goooo!" at the top of his lungs. As cars wait to explode off the starting grid - sometimes literally - a heat haze makes the screen go funny and a cacophony of whining engines reaches fever pitch. And when the lights go out, the race for the first corner is hair raising.

But a couple of laps on, on the Hard setting at least, the initial buzz dies down and races turn into lengthy battles of concentration - while trying not to fiddle with the impressive camera options (all the dramatic TV angles are included) and hurtling off the track. Get stuck in midfield, and you'll find that the leading pack steadily and relentlessly pulls away, and the pit stop strategy you decided before the race becomes all important. Like actual F1 racing, it's, you know, a bit boring. It's fast, and sometimes you'll come across wrecked cars, but it can be a very lonely experience as a race wears on. Unfortunately, like the Japanese version of MotorStorm (reviewed on page 68), there are no multiplayer options, either.

Championship Edition is super-realistic. Perhaps too much for its own good. For F1 buffs that's ideal, but if you want an adrenaline-pumping ride on PS3, there's another game, with a big desert and mad vehicles, which does it far better.
Click to expand...

Verdict
Does exactly what it says on the box. Everything a true fan could want, plus amazing PS3 gloss.
Uppers
Lots of realistic depth
Feels real. We imagine
Downers
Lacks real thrills and spills
Michael Schumacher's in it
Click to expand...

7.0
 
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