F1 2009

From a British perspective, the last two seasons of Formula One have been spectacular and have created a country wide buzz about motorsport. What better games console to capitalise on this success than the Wii, with its motion sensor capabilities and racing wheel accessories? Yes, F1 2009 on the Wii is here, and it’s available to buy now. So does it reach its potential as a fast paced and highly thrilling Formula One simulation?

Usually in a review, I would go through the game first and then discuss the likes of graphics, sounds and presentation of the game. This time I want to do things a bit differently, because I want to get the whole preconception out of the way that Wii graphics cannot do a game like this justice in the same way that other consoles can. While F1 2009 may not be the most visually technical game of the year, I don’t think it’s a bad offering in terms of Wii games. Alright, it’s a bit cartoon like and the cars in the game do not match up to their beautiful real-life counterparts, but it’s not a total farce, and at least there are no Mii’s in the crowds to completely take down the tone of the game. The menus leave a little to be desired, with plain backgrounds and simple sound effects, but they do the job.

Okay, so now that’s dealt with, let’s move on to the actual gameplay itself. All of the drivers and tracks from the 2009 season are included in this game, meaning you can try to imitate Jenson Button’s great start to the year, or better Lewis Hamilton’s finish in the final table. With this in mind, the biggest shame about F1 2009 is that the real life season is over and almost forgotten, so you can’t play week by week and try to keep up the pace with the real-life goings on. To add to this, since the start of the season, drivers have moved teams or pulled out so the information in the game is not quite accurate. But still, I suppose it brings a bit of Formula One into life in those long months while it’s not on the television.

There are several modes in the game that present a multitude of options. Firstly, there is the Single Player mode with the first option of “Quick Start”, which basically allows you to choose your racing driver and circuit, and then have a basic race from a random position on the starting grid. “Grand Prix Weekend” simulates an entire weekend of racing, with the Friday practice session, qualifying and the final race. You can also take part in a full season as your favourite driver in the “Championship” mode, or better still, start your own career as a new character in what is creatively called “Career” mode. To add to all of this excitement is the Multiplayer Mode where you and a friend can compete in one single race, or even over the course of a whole season.

So as you can see, there are game modes for all types of players, and the gameplay itself also allows for this with further car and track options to suit you. There are so many settings to be changed, from race distance to weather, and even things like vehicle damage, penalties, fuel use and tyre wear. Personally I think that the more realistic the better, so pump up the vehicle damage and tyre wear, but then even with easy settings applied, this is a very testing driving simulation, and I would expect nothing less from a Formula One game.

Mostly, the controls do help in simulating the speedy nature of the car itself. Turning corners is an art, braking points need to be learnt and gear changes are key if your car is in manual mode. The Wii Remote is turned on its side used to steer the car, while “2” accelerates, “1” or “B” brakes and reverses, and the directional pad changes gear when in manual mode (I’m an amateur, so I used auto gears!). Having the actual wheel accessory is not essential, but does make for a better experience. If you don’t want to buy the F1 wheel, then a spare Mario Kart Wheel will do the job, it just doesn’t quite look the same (you’ll just have to trust me on that!).

Mostly, I thought F1 2009 was difficult but this is what makes it a more realistic simulator of the difficult sport. It would be a bit pointless if it was just a basic family racing game – that’s what Mario Kart’s for! No, this game is for serious fans of Formula One as a sport, who recognise that it’s not just about turning a wheel at a corner. Cornering in this game is really an art to be mastered, and with or without the racing line animation, you will have to judge braking distances and turn the wheel at just the right time.

There are a few problems with the game itself, such as the occasional drop in frame-rates. For example, one of the final corners of the Monaco track seemed to jump every lap, which is a bit strange. I didn’t notice any other times that this happened, but I’m sure there are further examples. When you’re concentrating very hard on turning, accelerating or overtaking, then this is an off-putting problem.

There is also the possibility that tracks could become dull after some time, especially with the lack of exceptional graphics to look at. I just don’t know if after completing a career (which only spans three years, which is quite short) there is much replay value in this game, unless taking part in a multiplayer battle.

Having said that, it is nice to have a serious racing game available on the Wii, that pretty much does what it says on the tin. There is reason to keep playing with the season and career options, and there is also the option to just have a bit of fun. I think in this case, the minor problems can be forgiven. I have two hopes for the year 2010; that an “F1 2010″ game will be made and released at the start of the season, and that any problems will be ironed out so that doubters can finally say that a great racing game has been made for the Wii. Let’s face it, the Wii is up to the challenge especially with the possibilities for racing accessories, but until then F1 2009 is a good attempt at a Formula One simulation, and best suited to those who follow the sport in reality.

+ Ability to create your own career
+ Fun multiplayer mode
+ Difficult at first making for good simulation
+ Lots of car and track options to customise your race

- No online mode
- Some lagging within the game
- Not as visually pleasing as other racing games on other consoles
- In-game data already out of date

Score – 7.5/10