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The WORST F1 game by Ea

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 12
Date: August 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

That kid who said this game is good. get the hell of the internet. The graphics are very poor. the F1 cars crash into you. Ea is the crappest games company ever. they never did anything bad on Burnout 3 whch WILL be released in september. F1 Challenge '99-'02 is an excellent game. when i have it. i will stick to that. Just avoid

Had high hopes, but....

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: June 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I pre-ordered this game having read all the reviews of EA's F1 2002 (which I don't own) talking about the great graphics and depths of tuning you can do to the cars. So I ordered this game hoping for a great F1 simulator. Unfortunately, this game is very "arcade" in every respect. In Career mode, you can only tune downforce, gear ratio, and suspension I think, and that's it. Not exactly real life F1. And what's strange, in the part of the game they call "arcade" you have more tuning options than in career mode.

Another complaint is with the graphics. I don't know what F1 2002 looks like, but the graphics in F1 Career Challenge really stink. Up close everything is clear, but from even a small distance, things get blurry and fuzzy. The braking markers are almost impossible to read at speed. I own Formula One 2001 (989 Sports), and Grand Prix Challenge, and both have far superior graphics.

Also, the laps are preset in career mode (i.e. 6 laps for the Australian Grand Prix), and as far as I can tell, you can't change it. Once again, far from being real life.

On the plus side, the career thing is cool, in that you have to get a superlicense, then you get offers from different teams. As you either exceed or don't meet the team's expectations racing (i.e. "We expect a 15th place finish" and you finish 7th), your "driver repuation" goes up or down. Nice touch...

Overall, I am disappointed though. If you want an ok arcade game (and there are better ones out there I think), this may be ok. But if you want a good F1 simulation, you'll probably be disappointed.

Only partially works

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: October 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

As a dedicated F1 fan, I was looking forward to seeing my name on then podium, as the game promised. But, here's the big kicker, you have to pass a series of tests to be eligible to compete. And the game will NOT remember that you passed the next to last test (a series of S-turns in the rain) so you have to take it every time you open it. (It'll take foreover to pass ...) The last test is a pit stop test over which you have no real control and it will NOT let you pass (I wasted 4 hours on this). The quick race section is okay but the whole point of it - to mix it up with Schumi and the boys - is moot. The @#%#$@ gamers who designed it fixed it so that you won't pass the entry tests.

not good at all

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: February 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Well what can I say....It's easy,it cheats it's horrible.Im still waiting for a good F1 game.

Not that evolved.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: September 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I came to this game after a long drought from F-1 on the Playstation, since I used to have a PS1 Formula 1 game in the late 90's, I believe by Psygnosis. I picked F1 Career Challenge for PS2 up at half price, and while it's fun, I feel rather disappointed. I'm a little surprised if this is an official F-1 game. It definitely doesn't feel as sophisticated as I'd expect, 5 or 6 years after the last F-1 game I owned.

Some observations after a couple days with it:

The primary draw of this F-1 game over others is its basis on a career. You start as a rookie, and hopefully work your way up to the top tier teams. It's something I haven't seen since an old Ayrton Senna game for Sega I had. Very fun.

That being said, however, the racing feel is a little lacking. First thing I noticed is that the cars seem way too prone to sliding and skidding. Regardless of technique, touching the brakes almost always results in squealing and smoke. In regards to handling, sure I would expect tyre adhesion to be a delicate issue at speed, but even running slow, with partial throttle, it would get squirelly. I even had it spin out on me under 60mph a couple times. With that much rubber, the cars should behave a little stickier. And a big annoyance... every time I steer, it seems to lift off on the throttle. Was that a function of Traction Control, I don't know, but if so, where's the option to turn off the TC.

Usually, as software develops, more features are woven in. This title seems like it's been abstracted instead. In a great racing game, for example, armchair drivers want to see lots of useful data. Speed and tach... all this game shows is in a small digital readout in the upper right. A string of lap times and intervals would be a reasonable expectation, so you can tell if you're improving on your times, or how you're spaced from the guys ahead and behind. The old PS1 F-1 '97 (I think it was '97) had great, Speed Channel style timing graphics. Career Challenge seems a bit short on the timing data.

As for tuning, the options seem really simplified. Same goes for the racing. The races seem to be preset lengths of about 8 laps, and the team picks your pit strategy for you, i.e. pit on lap 5. I'd much rather see the old '97 mode, where you can pick your race length, how much fuel you want to take, tyre choices, etc, so you can make your own plan, and if you tyres are holding out, you can just go for it. Damage modelling seems a little strange too. I see other cars losing wings, etc, and breaking down on the track, but I can smack a wall at over 100mph, and just keep going.

Qualifiying is a bit disappointing. They start you out in the middle of a hot lap, and stop you when you finish the lap, and you can do that 3 times. I much prefer to just let me go out and run sequential hot laps without interruption. (Much better way to get in the groove, I feel.) The only plus is that they actually do let you make tuning adjustments in the pits between runs.

And while I will say the graphics look great, some of the tracks seem a little flatter (less elevation difference) than I expect.

One last gripe... ready to start a race, cars lined up on the grid, crowd roaring, red lights coming on before the start... and you can't even rev the engine up. The engine won't throttle up until the race starts. For anyone who loves F-1 or has ever even seen a start, that just does not feel right at all.

That kind of sums it up. F1 Career Challenge satisfied my F-1 thirst a bit, especially since I paid half price, but overall, it fails to feel right when you're at the controls.

(I continue to wish that the Gran Turismo gang would get an FIA contract.)

If You're Used To Normal Mode, Look Out!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: July 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The reviews sounded good, but after playing this game for one evening I am a little disappointed with the latest rendition of Formula One racing from EA Sports.

For those of us who have played prior versions of F1 in "normal" mode, be prepared for a rude awakening. This game is simulation only - in any mode. Additionally, you can't decide on the weather and you can't decide on the level of damage (in career mode). This means that the learning curve is very steep, and EA still hasn't addressed the kamikaze AI drivers who try to overtake on impossible curves and run you off the track, or who stop abruptly in the middle of the track and cause you to crash - in "simulation" mode you are most likely to do a 180 degree spin and lose your hard-earned position.

Also, it would be nice in Career mode when you are doing the testing scenario to be given more information. For example, the Imola race has you test driving without any rear downforce: try even the slightest turn above 60 mph and you spin out. The instructions could have been more specific about what the expectations are, especially considering the airfoil doesn't fall off until after you've made your first turn.

I think I will learn to enjoy this game but I'll have to invest a lot more of my time than I expected, being a "normal mode" veteran of EA's F1 series.

Bit of a letdown

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: July 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

With high hopes based on the reputation that EA has stablished with its line of F1 simulation over the years, I was looking forward to the F1 sim that actually put YOU in the driver's seat. You didn't have to be JPM, Schumi or DC, but you can finally be "John Smith" working on a career in F1...
Well, I must say that I am a bit dissappointed. The graphics engine has been somwhat updated and all the colors seem a little more brilliant, but other than that the new F1 "sim" seems to be a step back rather than a leap forward which it was promised to be. While the basic features of F1 2002 have carried over into the new game in the form of "quick race" (even though you don't have the fancy customisation anymore), the whole point of the game was the career mode and here are some ups and downs of that:

PROS:
- You play as yourself, building your career on your reputation and your performances.
- You need to pass a Super License exam before getting any ofers from any teams. That adds to realism.
- The 99-02 seasons are authentically representaed with additional details like Mika Salo replacing Schumi when the latter broke his foot in an accident

CONS:
- All races are defaulted to about 6 to 9 laps and nothing can be done about that
- The damage modelling is defaulted to a minimum. When I salmmed into the wall at the Casini hairpin in Montreal, the only damage I recieved was "a missing 2nd gear"... Now, c'mon...
- The AI is good but defaulted to a hard level, so in the beginning you are going to qualify outside the 107% mark.
- The setup includes three sliding bars to adjust downforce, understeer/oversteer, acceleration vs. top speed - so as you can see the setup is nowhere close to where it was in F1 2002

All in all, F1 career challenge is fun if a bit "arcadish". You should own this game in addition to F1 2002, because this game has what F1 2002 truly lacked - a personalised feel

Not F1 2003 with career mode.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: June 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Things not in this game.

#1 no driving assists
#2 no basic handling method (so steering is super touchy)
#3 no straight season for just racing
#4 no difficulty settings

Otherwise the game looks good to go but looks to be cut throat hard.

A quick attempt to get more money before F1 goes to Sony

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: July 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

EA has demonstrated the ability to master a sport when they put effort into it (NCAA Football, Madden, NASCAR Thunder, FIFA). So it's appalling (but probably financially successful) to see them slap out half-hearted efforts like F1 Career Challenge, Knockout Kings and the NHL and NBA series because they know they can cut costs and production because the hardcore fans will ensure a profit alone.
Similar to the NHL series, they add a few gimicky features to appeal to the console crowd but take away more specialized features like adjustable AI, car tuning, race length and individual stats. The graphics are slightly upgraded, but the framerate, draw distance and control are poor. The engine sounds actually cut out when you turn the wheel!
It's clear EA used old code and slapped together some poor cutscenes with bland presentation (which is an EA strength). It's like a bad expansion pack for F1 2002.
The worst new features include a "hot zone" where you score EA cards and points for driving fast through a designated portion of the track. The screen gradually turns red the faster you go (think of the "bluring effect" in the horrible movie "Driven"). And various EA cards pop up and distract you on screen when you overtake and take corners properly. Very distracting and childish. Console racers will never compete with PC sims, but at least give us the option to try.
The big career mode is a joke as you virtually have no customization options. Race length, damage, AI and even pit strategy are all set. You cannot even determine a tire compound!!
My recommendation is to get "Grand Prix Challenge." It is probably the best F1 racer ever to hit a console and it has terrific controls and graphics. Then wait and see what Sony does with the F1 license when Formula One 2003 comes out. I have a feeling they will take it very serious because of it's exclusivity and the uproar that would be caused in Europe if they screwed this up. The bottom line is EA would never treat the Madden franchise like this, so why should we tolerate it with the other sports.
Memo to EA...Loyalty is an important quality and one your customers exhibit enthusiastically to all your products. But if you cannot get better quality from all your development houses then at some point that loyalty will erode and more upstart companies will peck away at your bottom dollar. It may be 20 years from now, but this industry is fickle and your fan base is young, transitional and more acceptable to change.

A Little better than F1 2002

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: July 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The only disappointment I have in this game is the only 'slight' improvement in the graphics over F1 2002 (hence 4 starts instead of 5). Having said that, they are still indeed superb. I have read reviews about choppy frame rates, but I have only experienced smooth graphics.

The only real draw of this over last year is the ability to create your own driver (i.e. you can race as yourself instead of taking on the role of, say, David Coulthard) and build a 'career' over four seasons. So now you can still race against your favorite driver since you're not taking his character. I also like how testing paves the way for better cars and setups. This motivates the player into performing well in testing rather than just blowing it off. Between seasons you may have the opportunity to jump to another team if you perform well enough. Imagine starting your career with Minardi and ending with Ferarri!

If you are an F1 Fan and follow the sport closely (as I do), you will appreciate the authenticity of the tracks and drivers for each year.

If you already own F1 2002, you probably do not need to get this game unless you can get it used. If you're curious, try to rent it first and make up your own mind. Myself, I have both and am pleased with my purchase.

Oh yeah, if you have the means try to use the Force Feedback wheel from Logitech when playing this game. You will enjoy it that much more!

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