Apart from the Grand Prix series for PC, there weren`t any worthwhile F1 simulations available for fans, until Sony decided to attack with their own weapon, creating the imaginatively entitled, F1 2005.
F1 2005 puts gamers against the current bunch of F1 drivers and teams - boasting the brand new Red Bull team as well as the Istanbul circuit by Hermann Tilke, who designed other soporifics such as the Malaysian and Bahrain circuits. Fortunately, the game creates miles more excitement than television coverage does!
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe borrowed official commentators Martin Brundle and James Allan for the commentary, which comprises announcements of who is entering and who is exiting the pits. Although useful to know during a long race, it is so repetitive I switched the commentary off altogether.
The graphics are excellent and the game boasts the best visual appeal of any F1 title I`ve played. The tracks are painstakingly recreated, as are the cars and advertising, to the tiniest detail. The drivers aren`t exact replicas but that might have something to do with the licensing agreement.
Players can dive straight into the action with quick race modes or testing sessions, but the best part of the game is the career mode, where drivers are created, and start from the back-markers of the grid. Teams like Minardi and Jordan will offer a drive at first, but as the driver advances, he just might partner with David Coulthard at Red-Bull. The better the driver does in his career, the better his offers.
Historic F1 cars can be unlocked in career mode, as well as a city-circuit and numerous drivers` helmets. There are only four historic cars to unlock though, which is a pity, as driving the old cars is quite a challenge compared to computer-aided machines of today.
The "easy" difficulty level is too easy. I managed to pass all 19 opponents in just three or four bends. The "medium" difficulty posed a much more realistic challenge and with steering, throttle, brake and other aids switched off, the game became a serious simulation. Players have the option of leaving the racing line on, which makes it simple to learn circuits, which became useful in Shanghai and Istanbul, which I`ve never driven before.
The "hard" level took dozens of laps to master and even then I could just keep up with the leading pack in my Toyota. Set-ups and race strategies are also very important - one can forget about finishing anywhere near the top eight with the wrong set-up at a fast circuit like Monza.
Set-up takes practice and patience to find the perfect balance between speed and grip. Having played other F1 simulations and something like GT4 is a definite advantage in this part of the game - it will help to make sense of set-up and you`ll quickly be getting those poles and race wins.
F1 2005 doesn`t give the gamer much sense of accomplishment even after a championship-winning season. All I received was an e-mail saying: "Thanks for your services" before heading off to find another drive. Fortunately, this is made up for by the best F1 experience yet in terms of a racing simulation. A big bonus is that the AI isn`t completely idiotic like in most other racing titles. Your fellow drivers will brake late, drive into the inside line and make mistakes just like real racers and they defend their line pretty well when put under pressure.
Now, it`s not as good as GT4, but let`s face it, nothing is, and this is F1 not sports car racing. Plus, F1 2005 boasts AI twice as good as GT4`s and real life circuits as well as race "commentary". So put GT4 down and try something else - especially if you`re a racing fanatic.
If you`re looking for arcade fun and don`t follow F1, I don`t believe you will get anything out of this title - rather go for Juiced or Enthusia.
As for me, I`ve just been signed by McLaren, so this season I`m hoping to get that first pole and a "hard" difficulty win.
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