F1 2009 game exclusive video: first footage of Singapore Grand Prix track

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Here’s a new video of Codemasters official Formula 1 game “F1 2009”, which goes on sale for Nintendo Wii next month.

Among the new features in the game is the first appearance of the Singapore Grand Prix circuit in an officially licensed F1 product – as shown in this video.

Have game makers Codemasters done a good job of rendering the new circuit?

Are you going to buy F1 2009, or are you waiting for next year’s version for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360? Have your say in the comments.

F1 2009 by Codemasters

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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96 comments on “F1 2009 game exclusive video: first footage of Singapore Grand Prix track”

  1. The graphics looks terrible (yes i know its a Wii but still), and the physics look even worse. I’ve never seen so much smoke coming out of the F1 cars’ tyres.

    1. This game has fail written all over it. Don’t these people know that F1 is about cutting edge technology and not gimmicks like the wii. I think my Wii has about 15 hours of playtime on it, it’s not even plugged in anymore. Please put this on the PC/XBOX360/PS3. Codemasters really need to get their stuff together first they wreck Colin McRae with DIRT now this crap here.

      1. have you tried the dirt 2 demo?, Dirt2 is a huge improvement on dirt 1 in terms of physics, the cars actually feel like cars now, still not dead on, but believable :)

        1. But on the Wii? No way that it compares to what is available on the PS360.

        2. Yes I actually own Dirt 2 but if you understand the roots of that game which is Colin MCRae Rally 2004 and 2005 you would see where they went mainstream and left the true WRC fans in the “Dirt” Colin McRae was a WRC Rally game but that is no longer the case. I mean come on instant replay with a re-do option, that first grade crap there.

          1. You do realise Colin himself was massively into the kind of events that DIRT brought in and of course was not driving in the WRC by that point?

      2. this is rideculous i never seen so much overteer in a game. the graphics are from the arc.id rather play r factor

  2. This won’t be on my Christmas list.

  3. Even for a Wii I would have expected at least some sparks off the bumps and glowing brake discs. Disappointing.

  4. Not good enough for me anyway. They’ve hardly improved on the F1 game for the N64 for God’s sake!

    I’ll be waiting until next year for the PS3 version.

    1. that’s right, and they only put a mushroom and a little green dinosaur, and we got Super Mario Kart!!! :)

  5. Thanks Keith, I know the graphics are bad but if it is realistic with handling then I’ll give it a go. Shame about Wii it’s meant to be fun but for the more serious game it is harder to get everything accurate. I think they really need to work harder with that.

  6. graphics are pretty poor, bt i will play anyway, jst want to play an updated f1 game

    1. I’m sure MP4-19 will be along shortly to plug it, but try rFactor, some of the mods (MMG 07 and CDTP 06 spring to mind) are very good – beware – you’ll need a steering wheel as even with TC these are unplayable on a keyboard. For quick keyboard fun with TC FSOne 08 or CDTP 05 are good.

      1. But for actual quick fun… like, you know, if you’re not a qualified car mechanic, you probably wouldn’t be too hard done by F109.

      2. Mussolini's Pet Cat
        24th September 2009, 14:12

        oh, but rfactor (yawn) looks sooooo old now…..

        1. It really does. I downloaded it and had a go due to all the praise it gets here. It looks like an old PC game, and the car handling just felt a bit rubbish, even with my 360 controller. No i’m not going to spend money on a steering wheel for a racing game, because they’re just as dis-jointed from driving a real car as a gaming controller is.

          1. Well it came out around 2006, so what would you expect?

            And have you even added any of the mods yet? The quality of the MMG and FSOne models (not to mention Endurance Series by Enduracers) are better than that of official games in most respects.

            And about the wheel: You might not be willing, but know this – it adds more to the experience than a controller ever would.

  7. I still think it looks alright. Yes, ok, the car physics are looking a little off, what with all the 4-wheel-drifting and tyre smoke in a straight line under acceleration.

    But an F1 track is a large area to have persistantly modelled, textured, and loaded into a game, especially on the Wii, and to have 20 cars charging around is no mean feat really. A lot of racing games tend to have fewer.

    It looks nice enough. Whether I will buy it just to tide me over until the ‘next gen’ iterations come along next year, I don’t know. I do have Forza 3 to look forward to next month after all.

    1. next year there are 26-28 cars to render! most racing games on current-gen consoles dont even have that much.

    2. I tried it too, but to be honest, I didn’t think it was realistic at all. Or I dunno… but personally I like RACE 07 a lot better…

  8. Wii isn’t interesting at all!
    But knowing how good codemasters (race) games are, I’m very excited about their PS3/xbox/pc version next year!
    Very excited indeed :)

  9. Its not the greatest looking game but i’ll chuck it in the stocking for christmas.

  10. looks arcade style.
    i prefer rfactor too, playing with keyboard, i practiced about 4 days alone on singapore track until i could achieve a more-or-less clean lap. that game kicks ass :) this wii stuff is, eh… :S

    1. can’t imagine the Wii ever doing sim racing…

      1. can’t imagine the Wii ever doing sim anything…

        1. except maybe these titles?

          Sorry couldn’t resist.

  11. I’m waiting for next years PC version, which failed to get a mention. ;)

    1. Me too, hope to have a new rig by then as well, and then pc gaming will be back way above anything the consoles can offer. Hopefully codemasters take advantage of directx10.

  12. aahhh its horrible!

    what do you expect on wii though… rfactor is the bar and that has come nowhere near it. even for an arcade game.

    problem with f1 is that it’s so technical & precise it shouldn’t be arcade.

  13. Yes, but the market for an accurate F1 simulation is tiny. Sims are just not as much fun after all.

    Having said that…I don’t see the point of this kind of game on the Wii. It just can’t do it very well. I have a Wii and if I wanted to play this kind of game I would have bought a 360 instead.

  14. Has anybody tried the iRacing online game?

    At over £96 yearly subscription it seems extortionate, but was curious as to what it’s like.
    Simulation or Arcade?

    And what about RFactor? It looks good, but was released back in ’05. Is there to be an RFactor 2.0 or is it continuously developed?

    You thoughts are welcome.

    1. iRacing is a sim I think. Endorsed by a load of pro drivers as well, using it for practice etc. apparently.
      But you’re right, that is extortionate, especially when there’s rfactor.

      Rfactor was released a while ago now, but the game that went out in the shops (and the one you would still buy now if you got it) was just the basics and was designed to be easy for people to design mods for.
      So although Rfactor 2 is on the way (I think), Rfator 1 is still fantastic and not at all dated. You just need to go onto rfactorcentral or somewhere similar, download whatever cars you want to race, whatever tracks you want to race on and you’re on your way.
      All built by the community.

      It is a sim though, so you’ll need a wheel, pedals and patience to get the most of it.

  15. It’s more than official, rFactor 2 is coming yes, probably in 2010. there are some pics of it on the net. better graphics, etc, but this time with full weather simulation. And there are still new mods being released for rFactor1: just check http://www.virtualr.net

  16. No idea why they are bringing it out on the Wii first, looks awful. Waiting for the PC/PS3 version…

  17. Will we ever get to race at Spa on a PS3?!

    1. Yes, it is in Race Driver GRID, Supercar Challenge, Need for Speed Shift and Ferrari Challenge.

      1. open wheel racing at spa?

        1. You can race F3 cars at Spa in Race Driver GRID.

        2. Maybe Gran Turismo 5? I know it has at least 1 F1 car. Not sure about all the tracks yet though. And there could be (should be)downloadable content!

          1. Anyone like track mania nations?

  18. Are you chaps aware that Red Bull and Brawn use a version of rFactor pro for their simulation? Why buy a “Game” when you can use the same sim the real drivers use?

  19. Rubbish – but what were we expecting on the Wii. Will definately get it on Xbox when it comes out. Hopefully that will be 2010 (why are they releasing F1 2009 a few weeks before the end of the season?!)

  20. predictably terrible.

  21. The physics look like the cars are floating on the track.. dunno have to describe it exactly but has a rubbery feel like most games then.. Will wait patiently though codemasters know what they’re doing.. wii is probably a dl and will buy the ps3 version

  22. Have Microsoft got the licence now to have an F1 game on the 360??? I thought it was unique to the PS3?

    Please tell me i am wrong :)

    1. Sony did have the exclusive licence up until about a 18 months ago.

      Clearly when it was found they were abusing this exclusive licence by not using it, FOM put it back up for auction. Codemasters won it, and are now making the new F1 games for all platforms: Wii and PSP this year, 360 and PS3 next yeah.

  23. If this is how it looks like after 1 year, then thank goodness they delayed the high def versions for next season, more time to listen to criticisms and polish up the game.

  24. I think PC and Play Station version will be much better. Wii is total rubbish in first place so dont get angry guys.
    Remember Codemasters have made some nice racing games like GRID. So I hope F1 2009 will be better.

  25. I think I’ll stick to rFactor and F1CE for now… :(

  26. Looks horrible, too bad the FIA didn’t give the license to Simbin. Codemasters had not made a good racing game since Toca 2.

  27. i think codemasters got another company to do the Wii game as they are busy doing the ps3 xbox and pc versions. so i would not draw to much from this game. codemasters have made some very good racing games. the first two TOCA games were fantastic.

  28. I am more interested in the Xbox/PS3/PC version – I will reserve full judgement until then. However while I don’t take this version seriously – I will be getting the PSP version – Certainly now worth going out an buying a Wii.

    I think people need to remember that the Wii and Psp are not consoles for simulation games so it will always fall short of what people are looking for.

    Plus I don’t think that Codemasters first attempt is going to get it right first time.

  29. Mussolini's Pet Cat
    24th September 2009, 14:16

    Look, there’s no point slagging of the Wii, it simply isn’t the platform for this kind of game! Our only hope for a decent F1 game is if Geof Crammond comes out of where he’s been hiding for the last 5
    years…..

    1. Anyone know what hapenned to Crammond? The GP series were so good…

  30. I’ll be getting it for the PSP to tide me over until the PS3 version comes out next year.

  31. Sony dont own the license anymore for Formula 1 since they have done nothing since alonso won his 2nd world title. so Codemasters has got it now and the real game will be out in 2010 and for the 360 and PS3 and im not sure about the PC since i dont use it that often.

  32. I’ve been disappointed by codemasters in the past. Too Arcadey.
    Sim Bin is the better developer, but they probably didn’t have the bag of cash to throw down to get the rights.
    Rfactor is a bit dated graphically, but with a good steering wheel it’s a lot of fun. I prefer that the game works well over how great it looks. I could care less how much damage cars can take, if it doesn’t drive well what’s the point?
    This game is going to be a rush job. They have to port if for all 4 major platforms. The fact that the Wii gets the maiden realease is head scratching. It looks like hell!

  33. I count myself as a semi-pro gamer and I have to say that the game looks totally unrealistic in every way.

    The graphics are terrible, The sounds are unrealistic, the physics looks totally crap. I really can’t find anything i like about it.

    Hopefully they’ll have sorted out the graphics for the PC Version as I’ll hopefully buy it :-)

  34. Wow, what a bunch of elitist professional race car driving snobs here!! I have rFactor, I love rFactor, and anyone who compares rFactor to this is not getting it.

    As 100 other people have said, the Wii is not a platform for sim racing… THIS IS NOT A SIM. Many of the negative comments seem to stem from the fact that people would not *ever* lower themselves to lesser graphics, arcade style play, less than real physics. Guess what?? IT IS A GAME.

    To me, looks like a hoot. I’m not going to retire rFactor by any means… But I will not think twice about cranking the Wii up and racing other cars around a track without first investing hours in car setup and practice. rFactor equals intensity, challenge, and realism. But F1 2009 on Wii looks like it might equal FUN. Nothing wrong with fun, people. Lighten up!

    1. It’s all subjective!

      Some people class ‘fun’ as arcade style with millions of overtakes, and some people have ‘fun’ by spending time setting up the car and racing accurately.

      However, even with an arcade style game, It doesn’t take high processing speed or memory to program physics correctly.

      I get your point about being a little snobbish about it (I am probably in this category!), but as an official game personally I would rather it be more GP4 than Virtua Racing….

      Honestly, I have had more fun playing GP4 than any other game in my life!

    2. For fun, I’d suggest Wipeout from Studio Liverpool, or Gran Turismo 4 or % Prologue. The learning curve is not as steep as rFactor or Grand Prix Legends…

      When will we see a game with a race engineer mode, and do we get the option to say “Felipe baby, stay cool!”

      1. Oh yes, by the way… “BeeHave baby, stay cool!!!” :D

  35. I have DIRT, DIRT 2 and GRID and they are all based on the same graphics engine and it really is a beautiful engine. Cars feel good and drive really well. With the Force Feedback steering wheel it makes the experience on the Xbox even better and challanging. If the new F1 game for the Xbox/PS3 is based on the same engine as the games i have listed then we are in for a treat.

    I can’t wait to see Codemasters effort at F1 :)

  36. Lots of flat-spotted tires I noticed. 50p pieces all round! :-)

  37. what is everyones opinion of the best steering wheel/pedal combo for the xbox for racing games?

    There are so many choices and I plan I buying Grid to warm up for next years 360 F1 game (can’t wait!) But I definitely dont want to use the regular game stick.

    Thanks for the suggestions in advance!

    1. Try the Logitech G25, my favorite.

  38. The Microsoft Force Feedback Wheel and Peddles are great mate, cost me 130 euro, thats about 110 sterling? But is well worth the money. Each bump feeds through the wheel and you feel the car fighting against you.

    Great fun but is very hard sometimes.

  39. Thanks K! I will be heading to the store after work for that. I never mind spending the money, as long as the products perform.

  40. I have long long waited for F1 game, pc version… and hope it ends next year (next year Codemasters F1-PC would be released, right? :-/ )

    I am playing modded F1 2008 with 08lineups and cars now though :D

  41. Welcome mate, yeah it will perform alright, the build quality is very very good with the official one. I check out a few 3rd party makes but they felt cheap.

  42. and am not bragging but the modded F1 challenge (99-02) is about 250% better graphics wise compared to this!!!!

    this is seriously disapointing, more like a cartoonish arcade game!!

  43. Hey all… I’m a long time rFactor racer as well and would find it hard to play this game… I’ve had all the facing games from the past… and actually one of my favorites was F1 World Grand Prix on the n64!! That was just a fun game… does anyone remember the “Gold” car cheat where you could do something like 400km/h.. lol… I would like to think that as in life…I have evolved and the only way to race now is with a wheel and pedals… I’m curious looking at both vids for this game… is it the fact that they don’t use a wheel as to why for a gradual corner you get full wheel turn?
    I mean I just couldn’t deal with that in the slightest..
    I wasn’t aware of a PC version so maybe I’ll give that a go.. but for now I’m patiently waiting for rFactor2..
    Cheers all… :)

  44. I, for one, will be waiting for the PS3 version next year. No HD graphics = no purchase for me.

    1. Ah, and also because its a racing simulation game. You cant get that kind of physics on the Wii.

  45. Make the than game for PC… the hardcore fans don’t even touch a console… with high grade graphic boards, dual/quad core processors, why not making a PC version? Don’t want to make more money ?!?! Because that was a games a whould buy for sure!

    1. F1 Needs DX10, that will do it justice.

  46. I think the F1 games I used to play on the ORIGINAL Playstation looked about the same.
    Also, most games never look as good as their promo-video, so I’m really afraid at how awful this will actually be.

  47. F1CE on PS3 is realy good. it will hard for codemasters to better graphics wise even 3 years later

  48. I’ll wait for the proper sim on the PC/Xbox 360/PS3.

    In the meantime, I’ll continue playing Grand Prix 4 and Grand Prix Legends.

  49. ING is leaving Renault with immediate effect, so is Mutua Madrilena.

  50. I agree with everything that’s been said so far. My guess is that even though the physics look like a joke, they had to push the Wii’s processing power to get even a decent result. As such, they had to really tone down the graphics to allow the processor to handle the physics and the large volume of cars.

    I have a Wii and PS3, so I will probably wait for the PS3 release with (hopefully) better physics and HD graphics. Having said that, if I only had a Wii, I would grab this title in a second. Mostly because there are NO racers on the Wii that are worth anyone’s time, with the exception of MarioKart which is a much different style of racer than F1 2009. I love racing games so before I got a PS3 I tried about every racing game I could find on the Wii and most of them I couldn’t even get through a single lap without dismissing it as a waste of time.

    So if this game is even half as fun as the video makes it look, regardless of graphics or physics, it should be the best racer on Wii hands down.

    1. the best racer on Wii hands down.

      isn’t that like saying it’s the winner of a beauty pageant, in a men’s prison?

  51. The graphics just reminded me of how terrible the 2009 cars look.

    I haven’t had the opportunity to try a good F1 game though. I like MotoGP URT 3 most though. Its “Legend” difficulty is seriously good.

  52. Well let’s just say I won’t be squandering beer tokens on a Wii just yet (there’s a ribald reposte in there somewhere!).

    Hope the PS3 version is somewhat more palatable, until then I will continue to torment my better half with F1CE. C’est la vie.

  53. Mike "the bike" Schumacher
    24th September 2009, 23:22

    Why the hell has there been no 07 08 games?

    1. I feel like I remember hearing that the license changed hands so it took the new company a few years to develop a worthwhile game.

      But I could be totally wrong.

      Hopefully codemasters has the contract for awhile now so they can continue to tweak and enhance the game each year to not only reflect new teams and drivers, but also take customer feedback to better the game. F1CE was loads of fun but if they improved on it year after year then by now we’d probably have a pretty amazing F1 game.

      Ahhhhh, speculation.

  54. geez, this looks worse than the PS2 games from years ago.

  55. OUCH!!!

    this seems to be several steps back in quality from what i’ve become used to in my video games. since, i dunno, the mid-90’s.

    does this represent the best codemasters can do, or the best the wii can do?

  56. OH my! The Ing logo is on the Renault….

    1. Quick, quick render a BIG Renault sticker for it.

      Have you noticed the ING labels are still on everyone’s shirts. I reckon tomorrow they’ll have sewn patches over them!

  57. Releasing this on WII first is just a way to get mindless consumers to buy the “Steering Wheel Control thingy-bob” for WII. Nintendo greed is depriving us of a decent F1 game. They should have taken a bit more time, done it properly and released F1 2010 on PS3 and Xbox 360 in time for the start of the 2010 season. Don’t they know that the rubbish Wii versions of games are released AFTER the Xbox and PS3 versions!

    I have been dying for a good F1 game for Xbox or PS3 for years, and then they go and release this rubbish on Wii. If they release this on Xbox I won’t be buying it until I have concrete proof that it can hold a candle to the likes of Forza 3 and GT 5.

    1. They are releasing F1 2010 on PS3 and Xbox 360. They no doubt pushed the wii release due to it’s massive install base, but I can also see that developing an HD game with proper physics would take longer than a quick wii version. This is how I see it:
      1. Get F1 License.
      2. Start development of F109 for Wii, at the same time as F1 2010 for 360/PS3.
      3. Finish Wii game. Use profits to continue funding development of F1 2010, their “real” entry into F1 games.

      This gives them extra time to make sure that F1 2010 lives up to fans expectations and is truly the best they can do.

      Once again I am speculating. Wishful thinking I guess, because if F1 2010 finally comes out and is rubbish than I, along with everyone else, will be sorely disappointed.

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