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Formula 1 2005 Mini Review
Jon Wilcox
11/07/2005
SCEE Liverpool Studio races off with a new instalment of Formula 1 - but is it the pits???
After the ongoing fallout from the US Grand Prix recently, it seems rather well timed that this yearâs annual update of Formula One has been released in the same time frame â“ at least this way disappointed fans will be able to stage their own Indianapolis GP with a full grid.
Players who wish to race through the 2005 season and take control of any of this years drivers will be most at home participating in the Season Mode, allowing gamers to take in all 19 races of the 2005 F1 Calendar as the current driver of their choice. This mode is very much the âbread and butterâ gametype and certainly includes all of the preparatory events including all of the qualifying sessions ahead of the race day. Obviously for F1 fans the option to progress through each session will prove very appealing although most gamers will have to try very hard not to just skip the qualifying stages all together and start at the back of the grid, just so it means getting to the actual race that little bit quicker.
For gamers wishing for that deeper experience, F1â05 includes a Career mode, which in a similar way to other racing titles including the Colin McRae franchise from Codemasters, lets players create their own driver before taking him/her through the trials and tribulations of participating in Formula 1. Although the actual look of the create driver doesnât go far beyond selecting the skin tone, gamers with an EyeToy camera can use Digimask, the inbuilt full face capture software, the results of which can be scarily accurate â“ especially when the face pulls some of the range of expressions on offerâ¦
There is an incredible amount of depth in Formula 1 2005 with everything from driving aids to interactive pitstops available to the player. Calls to the pit crews are accomplished through the touch of a single button on the controller, and in some respects itâs then that comparisons between the button heavy steering wheels in the actual cars and videogame controllers can be made, making the control systems very intuitive. The game allows players to amend a whole raft of options from race length, damage, and sensitivity of the controls all of which increases the accessibility of F1â05 to a wider âgamershipâ. There are several viewpoints that players can take part in the race, although hardcore F1 fanatics will undoubtedly go for the cockpit view, making detailed knowledge of each track, turn, and apex essential.
The game also features a host of different unlockable features that is sure to get F1 fans drooling including classic cars (such as the 1979 Lotus, here renamed to fit in with new tobacco rules), test tracks, and driver helmets. The unlocked cars can be used for time trials but for obvious reasons, are not used on the main gametypes. Perhaps in the future we can look forward to unlockable F1 years where entire teams from the past are unlocked, but until then Liverpool Studioâs additional features do reward the playerâs progress through the game.
Visually the game is the best looking incarnation of the F1 sport yet, with all of the sponsors, cars, and tracks faithfully reproduced; it comes a surprise that the drivers arenât quite as faithfully reproduced as they could be although this might be down to a lack of licensing from the Grand Prix Driverâs Association, the unofficial F1 driverâs union. By far the most disappointing aspect of Formula 1 2005 is the commentary. Thereâs no long winded running-out-of-breath-as-I-make-an-excited-exclamation-about-the-race voice-overs, which is something that makes the two hour long TV programmes watchable. Instead, ITVâs Formula One commentators Martin Brundle and James Allen open with a breakdown of the previous yearâs results followed by a series of âSchumacher/Alonso/Button is in the pitsâ announcements for the whole race â“ itâs just not exciting an certainly doesnât build up the tension that should be conveyed through an F1 commentary. Thereâs no flow, and whilst most sports games fail to live up to the TV commentaries (with the exception to the rule being Madden), the fact is that an F1 commentary should be buzzing around at virtually the same speed as the cars.
There is very little doubt that most purchasers of Formula 1 2005 will be F1 fans, and ardent ones at that. The game faithfully recreates the sport (and even goes beyond it thanks to the ability to overtake other cars) with a raft of official sponsorship, drivers, cars, tracks, and Brundle. The additional features such as the unlockable items pad out the game are neat little touches that will surely encourage fans of the sport to buy the game, but for the rest of the gaming community, Formula 1 2005 probably not going to set the world alight.
lil kidd
Date Added:Tue 2nd Sep 2008 13:35
Anonymous
Date Added:Fri 18th Jan 2008 19:04
Stuck with PS2
Date Added:Thu 13th Dec 2007 19:34
Anonymous
Date Added:Mon 10th Dec 2007 21:42
scola
Date Added:Wed 4th Jul 2007 07:05
Anonymous
Date Added:Thu 4th Jan 2007 13:03
Anonymous
Date Added:Tue 24th Oct 2006 08:24
I have just bought the ps2 game formula one 2005 in dubai but all the instruction notice is in arabic. I am looking for the E
Anonymous
Date Added:Sun 24th Sep 2006 10:17