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Best serious racing game on the PS2

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: January 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

After getting fed up with EA's F1 2001 (PS2) game, mostly because of raised expectations playing GT3 (car handling, not graphics- try turning off TCS and ABS), I decided to check out Sony Livepool's attempt, and now I am quite addicted. This is quite a different game than EA's entry, with far more realistic (and predictable) physics, savable car setups, and much better opponent AI.

While this game could certainly be improved in the graphics and sound departments, the gameplay is where this excells. In fact, I expect to log 100's of hours playing this thing- the gameplay is that good. Most people will be turned off by the learning curve, but that is actually where the fun begins. You can really feel yourself pushing the car to its limits, and the setups can really have an effect on how the car handles. If you screw up (and it'll happen quite a lot), it's super easy to just restart. I've heard plenty of complaints about playing the game with the Dual-shock controller, but I have had absolutely no problems with this. I'm sure it's awesome with the force-feedback wheel.

Why is this the best serious racing game on the PS2? GT3 would probably win this hands down if it had better opponent AI, but while it's easily the best driving game, Formula One 2001 offers a far more enjoyable racing experience.

While this game has its flaws, the essentials are there for a wonderful gameplay experience. I can't wait to play the sequel!

Great Value! Gets 5 stars in my book!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: November 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you love F1 you will love this game. Ok, Graphics and Sounds are not as clean as the EA version but it depends on what you are looking for in a F1 Game: The overall Gameplay is closer to the real thing then any other Racing game in terms of all rules & regulations etc. (On the EA version you'll find a Minardi on the Pole position!???!) Forget Arcade here..... Learn the tracks, feel the car in wet and dry, practice and your in, just like the real drivers. Replay is a beauty, view from ANY CAR, from ANY ANGLE! Drivers are agressive and have real character. Menu rocks with real Samples of 18000 rpm! Spectator Mode is cool also. Save your Game almost any time, after the Warm up or after a great Hot lap and race later. Couple bugs found in heavy crashes.... froze on me once! Other than that, nothing but fun or should I say stress.... I give this a 5, I love F1. Perhaps the average Gamer will give this a 3.5 - 4.0. but I can recommend this to any real F1 fan.

realistic racing (or M.Schumacher will kick your butt)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: January 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game has a great feel, especially with a force feedback steering wheel. I've spent thousands on racing schools and club events, at tracks like Laguna Seca, Road America, and Seattle International Raceway, but I think you could hone your racing skills almost as well with a game like this. Of course I also recommend GT3 for its wide range of cars, and F355 (on Dreamcast) for it's perfect handling characteristics. But Formula One has enough to keep you busy for a long time.

First, you need to learn how to slow down - you can hit the brakes hard when you're going faster and you have to trail off the brakes as you slow down to avoid locking up the tires. Braking, as in real racing, is crutial here. I can't tell you how many times I've was racing against Michael Schumacher (in this video game) and got by him only to have him out brake me at a corner. But remember, brakes aren't just for slowing down, you can improve your ability to turn into a corner by transfering weight to your front tires - which can be done by lightly using the brakes.

To really get the most out of this game, you will want a force feedback wheel (so you can really feel when your tires are on the edge and starting to loose traction), and a book on racing to teach you how to choose a line (although there is a tire wear line on the roads that you can follow in this game, which gives you a reference), trail break into corners, how to use braking and throttle application to maximize tire grip and improve slip angle, transfer weight to improve cornering, how to make the most of corners which have slope changes, or camber, all of which you'll encounter in this game from the beautifully modeled tracks. I recommend the book I used at Skip Barber schools: "Going Faster: Mastering the Art of Race Driving" (asin 0837602270).

Remember, when you've accomplished 90% of the fastest lap time, you are half way there. The problem is that most games model car control fairly well up until the point of chaos - but that fine line between control and chaos isn't modeled well, and that is the place where a good driver is going to spend all his time! F355 Challenge is still my personal favorite for pure car control modeling, but Formula One is not far off (better then GT3), and has *much* better AI and provides a great racing simulation experience.

There is no instruction mode in Formula One (so it is more important that you have a book on racing to give you ideas on what to try to shave off some time), but there are 4 levels of play -- Amature, Novice, Semi-Pro, and Pro. At the different levels, the AI drivers have different skill levels. They degrade realistically too. Everyone knows how to hold the throttle down in a straight line, so you won't find them letting up there, but they will be slower in the corners, perhaps not braking as late or using other braking tricks to get through faster. In Pro mode it also turns on car damage if you hit something, flags (remember - no passing under yellow), fuel usage, and tire wear add that extra touch of realism (although you can turn those on or off individually in all levels). But in Pro mode, if you don't have nerves of steel to wait until the last possible moment to break for a corner, and know how to overlap braking cornering and throttle through the corner, M.Schumacher is going to kick your butt in the corners.

There are also lots of car settings you can adjust, but they normally are pre-set for each particular track, so you only have to change them if it suits your driving style (or the conditions warrent).

Best PS2 F1 game available in 2001

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Formula One 2001 is the best PS2 F1 game available. This game surpasses EA's F1 2001 (I've played both). Here is a list of details that make Sony's Formula One 2001 better than EA's F1 2001: The various cars perform differently in Sony's game (in EA's they all perform the same: a Minardi is as fast as a Ferrari when you drive them), Formula One 2001 has a more extensive set-up system that also allows you to save multiple set ups, AI is better in Formula One 2001 (in the EA version you pass on the straights, in Sony's you set up to pass in the braking zone), the width of the tracks in Formula One 2001 is realistic (EA's is way off), weather and wet driving is more realistic in Formula One 2001, Formula One 2001 cars drive better with the Dual Shock 2 controller (controller is useless in EA's).
Here's what they need to improve: graphics are inferior to EA's (but I do like the size of the car and track better in Sony's), sound is poor, there are not enough retirements and AI accidents. I have played several console F1 racing games and have followed F1 for over 10 years. I play with the Dual Shock 2 controller. BTW, you might experience chronic understeer, adjust your set up accordingly and use ABS until you get a feel for the car. This is not an easy racing game and is primarily for racing fans looking for a tough console sim.

REAL DRIVERS ONLY!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 16, 2002
Author: Amazon User

THIS GAME MAY NOT EXCELL IN THE GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT, BUT THE PHYSICS AND SKILL NEEDED TO DRIVE A F-1 CAR ARE REALLY ACCURATE. IT WILL TAKE TIME TO MASTER BUT THAT IS THE FUN PART. IF ONLY IT HAD A CAREER MODE IT WOULD BE THE BEST EVER!

Pretty Sad

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Compared to other racing games on the PS2, this game is pretty sad. I love Formula One, but am tremendously disapointed with this game. The graphics look like PS1, not PS2 and the physics model in games like Grand Theft Auto are much better than this attempt.

It's a real shame because Sony's European design house used to produce fine racing games, however this title seems to be simply a PS1 game, with the cars repainted and renamed for the 2001 season.

I also have F1 2001 from Electronic Arts and it is a Much better attempt at reproducing Formula One on the Playstation 2. Do yourself a favor and at least take a look at EA's F1 2001 before buying this.

Much Better Than Newest EA F1 Title

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: July 21, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Having played F1 2002 for a little while, I decided to give this title a chance, despite the fact that it came out last year. When I first bought this title, I was a little thrown off by the car set-up menus. But having sat down for a couple of hours and just messing around with it, I find it isn't that hard at all. Sure EA has a "normal set-up" mode, where the computer sets the car up for you. I've even tried the "simulation set-up" mode, but the car is too twitchy and will not remain on the track for too long.

Knowing that this title was created by a team of designers who live in the UK, I can see that they really know what they are doing when it comes to making an F1 title for the PS2. I don't think that the folks over at EA have ever seen or been to an F1 race, which shows in the game play. Sure this title has graphics that aren't as good as EA's, but the tracks do look a little better than on EA's title.

If this company were to consider making a new F1 title, I think that the following should be added to the new game:
1) An in-car view while racing. Just looking over the head of the driver isn't the same. Some people might like that view, but it takes away from the experience. This would also make the mirrors usable during the race.

2) A tutorial on car set-up would be nice. For people new to F1, it would help explain how changing certain things on the car change the performance of the car.

Keep everything else. Who needs sports cards in an F1 title. I've got them all on the EA title and it doesn't really change anything for the game. Having to pass a test just to race? Forget that too. That works for GT3, but not here. Keep the test mode on this title, it helps you learn how to set the car up. I'm glad that I gave this title another chance.

Wow

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: October 10, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I recently went to the f1 race it indy. They had this game playable in a tent... It is great. Only you probably wont like it if you dont like formula 1.

Don't believe the propaganda

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: October 27, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I have played every F1 game on the Playstation with the exception of Psygnosis' F196. Let me tell you, if you are a serious F1 racing fan then THIS is the game you should get, not EAs.

It is true that the graphics and the sound are inferior to EAs iteration, but that is more than balanced out by a great and competitive AI and a quite realistic physics engine, that soon is more rewarding than all the flashy graphics EA has put over a buggy gameplay.

Again, If you are seriously into realistic racing and don't mind a steep learning curve, get this one. However, if you prefer looks over gameplay and use the game only to hotlap or show off to your friends, you might fare better with EAs.

ITS 2004 and I STILL LOVE THIS GAME

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: September 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Well I bought this game used 2 years ago. I loved it from day one. The Feel is PERFECT. Lets Face it EA sports know's nothing about F1. The Set up of the car is hard to get used to but thats F1. I like to use a slower car to compete against the big boys (ferrari, Mclaren). The Tracks are PERFECT, even the laptimes are almost the same as the real thing. This game is three years old and I still Love it!!!!. Sure the graphics are not all that great, but at 190 MPH what graphics are you going to be able to look at? Overall This game by 989 Sports is the best F1 game since the sega days with senna's GP racing. Dont get me wrong, I am a serious F-1 Fan so watching it and playing this game is almost the same.

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