F1 2009 by Codemasters: first video

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Codemasters have released the first video of their forthcoming Formula 1 game “F1 2009” for the Nintendo Wii.

They have also confirmed that the version of the game sold for the Nintendo Wii will come with a special F1 steering wheel-style adaptor for the controller. There are no new details on the Sony PSP version.

It’s good to know a new official F1 game is finally on its way – the last such game featured the 2006 season. I’d rather see what a version for PC, Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 would look like – i.e., something with a bit more processing punch than a Wii. We’ll hopefully get to see that version of the game in 2010.

Are you planning to buy F1 2009 for the Wii?

Press release

F1 2009, the official game of the 2009 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP?óÔÇ×?ó, is set to deliver an even more authentic experience for gamers as Codemasters?é?« today announced that a limited edition Race Wheel accessory, styled after the steering wheel of a FORMULA ONE car, will ship with the Wii?óÔÇ×?ó edition in select territories?óÔé¼?á.

Images released today show the F1 2009 bundle box and the exclusive white Race Wheel, which the Wii Remote slots into, enabling players to steer FORMULA ONE cars in the game like their heroes. The news comes ahead of the 2009 FORMULA 1 TELEF?âÔÇ£NICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE in Valencia this coming weekend (August 23rd) and the circuit is featured in the first F1 2009 gameplay video released today. Packed with race action from the Valencia street circuit, playable for the first time in F1 2009 complete with unique swing bridge, the Valencia video is available from www.formula1-game.com.

F1 2009 will offer a fully authentic FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP experience with all the teams, drivers, cars and tracks from the enthralling 2009 season. Due for release this autumn, F1 2009 on the Wii version will set new standards for racing immersion and authenticity while remaining accessible for the entire family and the PSP version will allow fans the opportunity to enjoy the world’s most thrilling and glamorous sport on the move.

?óÔé¼?á Race Wheel to be available with F1 2009 at launch except in North America and Japan.

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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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132 comments on “F1 2009 by Codemasters: first video”

  1. hopefully the ones for PC and PS3 will have graphics close to GT5 standards… the graphics from the demo is not quite what i expected from a 2009 game

    but great to hear that an official F1 game is coming!!

    1. The Wii is always going to be more about game play rather than graphics. I can’t wait for it!!! :)

      The PS3 and Xbox ones are delayed because they will look AMAZING.

  2. Looks kinda wierd. I’ve got a Wii and I will buy this game but something just looks a bit grainy with the graphics, the suspension movement looks especially strange in one shot and from the look of it it might be a bit ‘arcade-y’ for most die hard F1 fans.

    Hope I’m wrong though.

    1. i seriously suggest you not to buy this, its waste of money. i would be prudent if you donate that sum for some charity, not this crap game.

      1. The Wii game will be fun. The console isn’t about amazing graphics. If you want that why not just use rfactor anyway?

      2. seriously suggest you not to buy this, its waste of money. i would be prudent if you donate that sum for some charity, not this crap game.

        The profits from this game will fund the PS3 and XBOX360 versions of next years game.

        Looks kinda wierd. I’ve got a Wii and I will buy this game but something just looks a bit grainy with the graphics,

        It looks grainy because its being shown on an LCD TV, if you play on CRT the graphics should be bettter (odd I know)

    2. its designed for the wii. thats why it doesn’t look that great. thats why it looks arcade-y. wii games are all just meant to be fun and not to hardcore.

    3. its designed for the wii. thats why it doesn’t look that great. thats why it looks arcade-y. wii games are all just meant to be fun and not too hardcore.

      1. spot on, I can’t believe people are comparing this to rFactor

  3. It looks about as good as I’d expect from the Wii but I’m betting the control system is horrible, whether you’re using the nunchuk/remote or the wheel.

    Think the Xbox/PS versions should be considerably better.

    1. They better provide options to use the Wii Classic Controller and/or GameCube controller. They’re far better than using the Wiimote as a steering wheel.

      I’ll most likely buy this to tide me over until 2010 comes out for the 360 next year. THey graphic look pretty smart for the Wii. Not amazing, but then the Wii doesn’t produce as amazing graphics for realistic-type games as the 360 or PS3 do.

      1. They will. It’ll be the same control methods as mario kart.

        “Multiple control setups: Five fully customisable control schemes, including Wii Wheel and Logitech steering wheel support.”

        1. So we get weapons… :)

  4. Also, interesting to see how they handle KERS and adjustable front wings…

    1. its all bogus. this game or arcade shall i say, will never be as good as rfactor. actually very few people know the fact that kers can be replicated in rfactor & f1c to an extent. by the looks of it, i expect the physics to be horrible. plz don’t buy it.

      1. Plz don’t buy it?

        Why?

        It’ll be fun. Yes rfactor is the best game and its not meant to be that. It’s a wii game it’s what you expect it’ll be a fun game that everyone can play.

        1. Mark Hitchcock
          19th August 2009, 19:20

          Exactly.
          If you’re urging people not to buy this because it isn’t rfactor then I hope you’re gonna tell them not to buy the xbox/ps3 versions. They won’t touch rfactor either when it comes to physics.

      2. SOmething tells me it’s not supposed to be as good as rFactor. I’m not a fan of rFactor because i’m not a mechanic, nor do i ever want to be. I just want to be able to drive a car in a racing game. I’ve tried rFactor, and all the physics modelling seems all a bit off to me.

        1. Exactly, rfactor is SO difficult to just pick up and play and not get completely destroyed by every other player. This wii game will be a game you can play with anyone – f1 fan/mechanic or not. This is exactly what the wii is intended for.

          ITS NOT TRYING TO BE RFACTOR! STOP COMPARING IT TO RFACTOR!

  5. Hope that the 360 version a lot more better in the graphics departement! i mean look at Forza Motorsport 3

    1. Forza 3 looks amazing, i think it said in a video that McLaren are helping them with aerodynamics.

      1. Can’t wait for Forza 3. It’s going to be a lot of fun. The newly re-modelled career mode sounds excellent, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the livery editor.

      2. Going by their car for most of the year, the game’s going to be guff! :)

  6. Something that has always frustrated me about F1 games in the past (on all formats) is the fact that the cars always seem to perform in exactly the same way.

    I really hope the next F1 game has genuine performance differences between all the cars. They can make all the cars in Forza Motorsport and Grand Tourismo feel different, why can they not seem to do it in F1 games!

    If they don’t I look forward to being Force India’s first world champion!

  7. Dear Formula 1 (Max and Bernie),

    Develop an F1 simulator with options that make it both the most visual pleasing and fun racing videogame on the planet (arcade mode), while at the same time allowing hardcore fans to tweak all the specs (simulator mode). You have more money than god, so write a blank check to developers. If you’re really smart, you’ll include a couple of American oval tracks like Indianapolis and Daytona, so that young, impressionable American racing fans can see what these cars are actually capable of in comparison with NASCAR cars. Release the game yearly in February to get fans fired up for the upcoming season. Make your game an essential companion to Gran Turismo or Forza. Do that, and I guarantee you’ll have a dedicated fan base in the United States, and pretty much everywhere else.

    P.S.

    A release on the Wii should come a year after a release on the 360/PS3, not the other way around.

    Thanks.

    1. I couldn’t agree more!

      1. Have you heard of rFactor for the PC? It errs more on the side of simulation but can be set up so that it drives in a more arcade style, and there are a whole host of free 3rd party mods for it, including quite a few F1 seasons. It’s a fantastic game!

    2. The Wii must be the easiest console to get the game up and running on.

      Remember that the game will not differ too much between platforms. All cross platform games have the same underlying code C++. The developer then just pushes the code through a different compiler to get the working results.

      Yes the PS3 \ XBOX have different hardware and some extra work is needed to optimize the code for the memory and graphics management, but I would not expect any gameplay or GUI differences between each platform.

      In the end if you are interested in this for PS3 etc, see if you can experience it on the Wii and then just imagine some better graphics. If it’s arcade like on the Wii, it’ll be arcade on the PS3 \ XBOX etc. As much as I wish otherwise.

      1. lol – you read the piece on Bit-Tech yesterday about this didn’t you :P

        i agree with most points, this won’t be a real sim game, the wii can’t handle the physics or the graphics.

        The PC/PS3/Xbox version will be a whole lot better, think DiRT, GRiD and GTR-Evo all combined into the best looking and best performing F1 sim to date.

        The last decent one was F1 ’97 on the playstation 1, i challenge anyone to find a better one.

        1. Close. I’ve got friends who work in the industry as programmers. Not for codemasters though.

        2. I preferred the original Formula 1 on the PSX, based on the 95 season. The cars in F1 97 seem a lot harder to drive.
          After that they got progressively worse, though F1: Championship Edition on the PS3 is actually pretty good.

        3. Grand Prix 4 on the PC was a pretty darn good F1 game.

          And anyway… good graphics alone don’t make something a simulator. Early flight simulators had basic 3D graphics, but the controls and the feedback from the cockpit were all representative of the actual plane, hence a simulator. And football management ‘simulators’ today have hardly any graphics at all outside of a glorified MS Access database. This game may well have the nuances of F1 physics down to a tee. Just because it’s not pushing as many polys as the 360 and PS3 versions will, won’t make it any less a simulator.

  8. http://community.codemasters.com/forum/showthread.php?t=373815

    Codemasters Forum. I got first comment there. We all saw the video yesterday:). Pictures on the forum too.

  9. It actually looks quite similar to F1 world grand prix, on N64 all those years ago… I know the wii isn’t designed to be a heavyweight console, or even middle, but games like this really show that the hardware is at least half a decade obsolete.

    1. Dont forget the Dreamcast version…

        1. which year was that? looks like 97 to me.

          1. Grooved Tyres = 1998 ;)

          2. 99, BAR in the background

    2. I agree. F1 World Grand Prix was good on N64 back in the day, but that was a long time ago. The benchmark is a lot higher these days.

  10. Looks like it will be another ‘arcade’ style racer.

    What I’m waiting for is an F1 game to match the Geoff Crammond/Microprose series in terms of detail and immersion. One of the chief reasons for me getting the original XBox was that GP4 was going to be released on it (until it was canned).

    Granted, tinkering around with brake bias, wing adjustments and tyre pressures are probably not of interest to people who just want a racing game, but I used to love the hours spent tinkering with the car during practice and qualifying and even would run full race distances. I was never able to do that with the Playstation F1 games, just didn’t have the patience to handle cars that floated on the track.

    Regarding GeeMac’s comment, I always thought it was nice to be able to take a car (such as a Force India) and race it with the big boys, but it would be good to have pros/cons to each car (Macs having a better KERS / Boost, while Red Bull having a better aero package but not as quick to accellerate). What would be even better would be to have the track conditions affect the performance of the cars/drivers, so if it was hotter, the Brawns would be better… maybe even take the level of detail down to if Kimi isn’t running near the front he just trundles around before putting up a new lap record on the last couple of laps…

    1. I have personally always loved racing Arrows and Minardi’s in previous F1 games,but the point I tried to make (maybe I wasn’t clear enough) is that it is not quite as satisfying winning a race in them if you know that your Arrows performs in exactly the same way as the front running cars.

      What about including a request for a career mode similar to the one you got in “F1 Carrer Challenge 2002”?

    2. To be fair I don’t think the Wii version or PSP version are pretending to be anything other than Arcade games as they don’t have the capacity to be a simulator style games. That is what the PS3 and Xbox will be.

      Most people that own a Wii are generally looking to have fun rather than simulation games on that platform.

  11. What’s with all the cars power-sliding around the corners!? It’s not drift or rally for goodness sakes!!

    1. really horrible, these guys are only good at designing arcade style games. the best simulator to date is rfactor. the designers of rfactor ISI, were previously designing military simulation softwares, that is the reason why its so good.

      1. That’s my only complaint from what I can see, I don’t like seeing the wheel spin smoke every corner. They introduced that to the PS3 version and it make it look a bit silly.

        However I hope because this is not the full simulation game that the wheel spin and power drifts are in there to make it look more exciting to the casual gamer.

        I don’t want to see that in the full Xbox PS3 version

  12. This looks pretty naff.

    I used to play Geoff Crammond’s Grand Prix and Grand Prix 2 when I had a PC, steering wheel, pedals and no girlfriend. Pounding round circuits for hours on end trying to get the set up right and then go racing, qualify on pole, and then get shunted off at the first corner. Great fun

    I even used to have Geoff Crammond’s early racing creation, Revs, which I had for the BBC model B computer. Now them were the days. None of this steering wheel nonsense, just loads of finger control. I remember that you had to use your thumb for pressing the space bar in order to turn the steering wheel right over to get round very tight corners.

    1. I had Revs too for my BBC B. Years ahead of its time. My mate had the extra track pack bit I couldn’t afford to buy it and it wouldn’t copy :<

      Happy days!

      1. It was years ahead of its time. Considering the size of the programme (just a few kbits of memory) I think Revs was impressive. And then when Crammond released GP, I feel, he was setting the standard for racing simulations.

  13. If the racing in the video is anything to go by, maybe watching others play the game is more exciting than the actual thing. ;-)

  14. i’m sorry to say this. it sucks!!! the graphics look very outdated, i mean it doesn’t look like a 2009 game, looks like a badly created mod for f1c. i’m so fortunate to have come across rfactor. its the best ever f1 simulator, used along with motec gives me the ultimate formula one experience. i have to say codemasters have failed miserably. nothing can beat rfactor. moreover the 09 cars look ugly.

    rfactor+ctdp2006+fsone08+motec telemetry+g25 steering=ultimate f1 experience.

    has rob dougan licensed out his score “clubbed to death” to FOM & codemasters?? the background music sounded very similar to clubbed to death. if not then dougan must file a lawsuit against bernie & max. just give them a taste of their own medicine.

    1. How much does rfactor cost?

      1. its free if u know where to download it :)

        1. rFactor can be a bit daunting to newcomers. My advice would be to buy a version of the 2008 Special Edition (with the BMW Sauber car on the box) off eBay for £5-£10 and then go to rFactorcentral.com (soon to become simraceway.com) and using the drop down menu to download Cars > Open Wheelers > FS2008. Then download the F12009 Track Pack. If you need any help just head to the forums on that site. After that, sit back and wave goodbye to any remaining free time!

          1. racers who have a fair bit of experience with F1C will find rfactor seemingly easy to adapt. Both the games were developed by ISI. bascially the user interfaces, vehicle setup, game controls are very similar. only big difference is the game physics & graphics. rfactor uses gmotor2.0, same engine as simbin’s GTR2. Its an award winning graphics engine.

            i would be glad to help out anyone having queries about rfactor & its mods.

          2. I bought the 2008 BMW Rfactor but it doesn’t work on my laptop. Is that the actual game, or do I have to buy something else to make it work?

        2. I would recommend Rfactor only if you have a suitable analogue input, which of course you should have if you’re serious about these things.

          The sound in Rfactor isn’t too great either to be honest, but other than that it’s pretty faultless.

      2. £9.49 according to Play.com
        Bargain really.

        1. Just download it then buy the full version its amazing. Don’t try going straight to F1 cars though its really difficult

          1. @ Ned Flanders

            no, please don’t go about wasting your precious money. what exactly is the error message you get?

    2. mp4-19b, That Logitech G25 Steering wheel you’ve got isn’t cheap. £170 from Comet, cheapest online price £140 from Ebuyer. Had a look on ebay and there really not any cheaper than Ebuyer. I fancy getting one for my ps3/pc. I’m currently using a MS sidewinder ff wheel. Is the G25 the best ff steering wheel + pedal combo money can buy? Would love to get a racing seat to go with it, but can’t afford that yet.

      1. i wish i could help you regarding this wheel, your best bet would be the momo which costs around 95$ i believe. It is common belief that momo is the best steering out there when you are using cars based on h-pattern gears. its definitely 2nd best to the g25. is way good compared to any MS wheel. especially if u fine tune ur FFB algorithms.

  15. Seriously underwhelmed by this trailer. The graphics make baby Jesus cry, horrible grey, box-y mess – though perhaps that has more do with being set in Valencia?

  16. Total Gash!

    If you want F1 simulation R-Factor beats this hands down on all fronts…

    1. & look at the pitcrew graphics. total letdown. gp3 was way better. & yes, look no further than rfactor.

  17. Im trying to work out….

    Is this really the Wii at its graphical limits or it is really just rather under developed?? :-s

    1. games are usually underdeveloped. for example during the collaborative years of ea sports & isi, isi had every resource to make f1c as grand as rfactor, but they choose not to. since then they’ve moved on & created rfactor. but i must say i find rfactor almost perfect. what else do u need?

      1. superb graphics, that allows 3 types of texturing , even if u have a low end spec the game wont suffer

      2. AI is a good as any other simulation game

      3. moddability

      4. tweaking is so simple, majority of the engine program, suspension,aero, tyres are written in simple notepad.txt format. so easy to tweak

      5. wonderful physics, just try out ctdp 06 & fsone 08. blissful

      6. supports external plugins, like tv style, live timing, data aquisitionetc

      7. is fully compatible with motec, its a dream come true for true racers. u can analyze ur lap times, tweak setup, its really technical, u need to have some good knowledge of vehicle dynamics.

      8. multiplayer over lan & internet is wonderful

      9. unlimited mods, name it, u get it. rfactorcentral is the bible for rfacfanatics

      10. its free, if you kknow from where to download :)

      rfactor rulez!!!

      1. Sorry, but the AI in rFactor is horrendous and redinitely its worst point. Hopefully rFactor 2 will remedy that.

        Try racing on an oval to see what I mean, no overtaking, no slipstreaming – they all go at the same speed and if you have a low-downforce setup you’ll be lapping them within a minute.

        1. you can overcome that problem by assigning the AI’s the same setup as your car. its a small modification. problem is, by default the AI’s are given a default setup(medium downforce), you can easily override it by assigning them a low down force setp, all it takes is a bit of changes in your .plr file, i’ve done it & it works fine.

      2. The game can’t be moddable otherwise Codemasters will have to make a complete new engine for the game.
        http://community.codemasters.com/forum/showthread.php?t=340638
        Read this. This will give you an insight of what to expect in 2010.

        1. If a game isn’t moddable, then it isn’t worth buying. great games are usually modabble, look at all those great f1 games gp3,gp4,f1c,rfactor all of them were moddable & had a cult following. what the fun in racing around in the same cars on the same tracks without making any modifications to it? actually game modding is very interesting & i feel every game should offer that little bit more freedom to the user to play around with. unfortunately CM have chosen not to. Tell me why is gp4 & f1c games that came out in 2002 are still being used?? i think codemasters are committing a big mistake here. even if the xbox,ps3 & pc versions have extraordinary graphics,physics etc it might not stand the test of time. Just waiting for gp4 & f1c to be open-sourced :) That would wipe out codemasters f1.

          1. Yeah and where are the people that made GP4???? Hardly still banging out GP5 and GP6 are they, because they don’t make any money from it.

            For a business model and that has the official authorisation making it “moddable” would mean the F1 franchise is worth only a fraction to FOM and Codemasters, because it would only be worth purchasing once becuase the community would produce it for free going forward.

            Anyway, some people prefer to just pick up a game and play it for 10 mins and then put it down, and not have to be need deep in set ups, or have the technical understanding and confidence that rFactor requires.

            Please just because you have your opinion about rFactor and moddable games for hardcore sim fans, don’t think for a minute that everyone wants rFactor besides there is an option out there, buy F1 2009/2010 from codemasters…. or don’t!

            You have rFactor anyway – and it its so great why bother critising everything else.

  18. for all the hype that surrounded this game, its a total letdown.even the steering wheel graphics are not properly replicated & they choose the wrong circuit to advertise this game. they should have done a video of monaco or spa. i would never buy such a game.

    1. You’d never buy such a game because they used Valencia for the trailer?

      Being serious I have to say that it doesn’t graphically look spectacular – but we don’t know how it PLAYS yet.

      1. We do know how it’ll play. It’ll be easy and fun for anyone to pick up and play and more complex for my hardcore F1 fans.

        Rfactor is loads better so if you want an amazing racing game just get that, if you want a fun F1 game to play with family and friends get this on the wii

  19. Wow, that looks well poor! Lets hope the PS3, 360 and PC versions look better! I imagine it *could* be fun on the Wii tho (like Mario Kart, but without the chucking bombs and stuff)

    1. also noticed that the mirrors are not functional!!

      1. MP4-19B – did you really expect this game to be a serious and proper racing game? Its the wii for goodness sake :P

        This’ll be a fun game to play but it won’t be for the hardcore F1 fans – if people care taht much theyd buy rfactor which is just the best game ever

  20. Im amazed people are so shocked about this video. Of corse its rubbish… its for the wii… maybe it will be fun to play u never know. But for most of us, we will have to wait for the playstation or xbox version.

  21. Dont have to wait for the codemasters 2010 edition, this is already better i think !! f1rl 2009 rules!

    1. wait till fsone 09 comes out, it’ll make codemasters f1 look like a DOS game. Seriously i cannot believe that all these people are unaware of rfactor.

      here are few renders of the fsone 09(W.I.P) mod for rfactor.

      1)mclaren
      http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q249/firstsaint/ham2.jpg

      http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q249/firstsaint/ham3.jpg

      http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q249/firstsaint/ham1.jpg

  22. Well… I’ll wait for a proper version before I come with any verdict.

    If you own a console I have to say that NFS Shift actually looks promising. They say that it will be a simulation compared to other NFS titles. Looks really nice, at least: http://www.shift.needforspeed.com/uk

  23. Why is the entire video set in Valencia? You’d think they’d want to show off a few other circuits as well.

    If there are 13 teams on the grid next year (though I’m sceptical about this), F1 2010 will have 26 car grids. That might be a challenge for the developers- I can’t think of any other game with that many cars at once. Gran Turismo can only manage 6!

    1. in rfactor 1991 mod you have 18 teams, making it 36 cars on the grid.

      1. You weren’t involved in developing rFactor by any chance were you?

      2. why don’t you just go and play rfactor then :P

    2. There won’t be an F1 2010. F1 2009 will come out on XBox and PS3 next year

        1. I thought F1 2009 was coming out next year on xbox and ps3? Or are they going to make a 2010 one?

          1. That’s right, they are going straight to 2010.

  24. Speaking of racing simulators, Gran Turismo 5 is playable at Gamescon in Cologne.
    Looks like we’re getting around 1000 cars, more than 60 tracks, damage effects, online, and this headtracking function with the Playstation Eye so you can look into a corner :).
    They had it up on the Jap website but they took it down and all the European websites are offline!
    Anyone else a GT fan or a PS3 owner?

    1. Ever think it will get released before the PS4?

      1. Apparently it’s being advertised for sale for the end of September. I can’t wait… I think it’s the first PS3 game which I’ll buy as soon as it’s released, even if it’ll cost me about £45. Will it include any F1 cars?

        1. I don’t think so Ned, there was an F2007 in Prolouge. There will be NASCAR, JGTC and WRC though.

        2. If GT5 is released before the end of September, I shall eat every hat in thw world.

    1. The 2009 cars are beautiful huh? ;)

  25. Grand Prix 4

    nuff said :)

      1. I’m still playing that game, its getting very dated now, but just can’t resist tinkering with the setup one last time. :)

  26. This will be crap. It will be like having a ‘Formula 1’ edition of your average city car – let’s say Mercedes A Class MCL Special (1.7 diesel) and expecting it to handle like Lewis’s.

    It’ll look pretty on 360 & PS3 – maybe also PC? But it’ll play like top trumps.

    You want realistic racing? Try iRacing.com. The ultimate online simulation (by the guys that gave us Grand Prix Legends). It pee’s all over everything else, 360, PS3 & PC included…

    I gotta say it again – this will be PANTS!

  27. Why is everyone comparing this to RFactor. I play rfactor and its the best game out there by a country mile.

    This is a wii game it’s designed so anyone can play. I’ll be able to play this with family and friends which is exactly what its trying to do.

    Rfactor is SO hard to start with and impossible if you don’t have an amazing race wheel. This game simply isn’t trying to be like it so you can’t compare

    1. I completely agree TommyB, I think some people think that the F1 game should just be for die hard racing game specialists. If they can wait a little longer they will get the proper version next year.

      And you know what? No one is forcing them to buy this game, if rFactor is go good why do they care even about a Wii game??

      1. I will be able to play the game with my mates and family and thats exactly what you expect with the wii version.

        Comparing it to rfactor is a joke. Its an amazing game but its not for everyone – playing online is too hard because whoever has the best car setup and wheel are the best and some people just aren’t into going that much into it

    2. If you want to make rFactor easily playable with a keyboard, do the following:

      – buy the maximum traction control upgrade for your car.
      – use autogears.
      – play around with the steering, accelerator and brake sensitivity until it suits you.

      It’s not a big problem… it adds 1 or 2 seconds to your laptime, that’s all. This can be compensated for by turning down the AI strength to 95% or so.

  28. Looks very arcade. Why have we gone backwards from GP4?

    Dissapointed.

    1. Its probably just the arcade mode. The old f1 games had an arcade and sim mode. Its only one video of a few cars going round. Can’t really say too much about it

  29. If this article has taught us anything, it’s that mp4-19b REALLY REALLY REALLY loves Rfactor!

    1. Keith is the next FIA president!
      19th August 2009, 20:49

      You could also include TommyB in that as well! :)

  30. I’m sure most of you have seen this already, but I really wish Codemasters had included post-race penalties in the game like I said they were going to.

  31. At least overtaking doesn’t seem to be an issue in this game!

  32. Juanito Guanabacoa
    19th August 2009, 18:47

    Is this a joke???

  33. Mark Hitchcock
    19th August 2009, 19:32

    I can’t believe people (mp4-19b I’m looking at you) are complaining how this doesn’t have graphics on par with the xbox/ps3 or physics on par with rfactor.
    It’s a Wii game! The Wii is a system aimed at casual gamers, if you’re a hardcore gamer then why are you even spending the time to come here and complain?

    This game will be fun in an arcadey way, and will be easy for anyone to pick up and play.
    This is a good thing. It means that the xbox/ps3 versions are more likely to be aimed at the sim market instead of being too much of a compromise between arcade and sim.
    Although this will make no difference to people who like to complain about everything (mp4-19b) because the physics won’t be perfect, the graphics probably won’t be GT5/Forza 3 style and by the time it comes out it’ll be a year out of date.

    Just judge the Wii version for what it is, judge the xbox/ps3 version for what it is and if you don’t like them then stick to rfactor or another pc sim, because that’s the only place you’re gonna get a pure sim.

    Oh and if you’re going to get rfactor and want more of those hardcore sims to come along how about supporting the developers by buying it…(again mp4-19b I’m looking at you)

    1. when you take a dig at someone, there is no stopping you hitch :)

      1. Mark Hitchcock
        20th August 2009, 19:44

        The only reason this was largely aimed at you is because you’re the one going on about rfactor…
        It’s not like I’m randomly attacking you.

  34. I can’t bealive then are going to make a game ONLY for to consoles and left the PC stranded with GP4 home made updates. It still is the best Formula One Simulator I’ve seen for PC, but was made before this new wave of graphic boards, dual processor, and so on- if they keep or improoved the gameplay and take advantage of the current hardware to improve to graphics, the game will be a dream… I question is … whem will I wake up and really have the game to buy (for PC) ??!?!?!

  35. Anyone still Play Grand Prix Manager 2?

    Now there’s a damn good F1 game.

  36. Was that video supposed to impress me?

  37. This looks terrible, I think GP3 by Geoff Cramond for the PC is simply unbeatable in terms of game play, the way the cars handle and interaction with other cars…it was made nearly ten years ago!

    This game looks far too arcade style. Cars look terrible, handling looks truely horrible, a friend of mine is actually working on the game…hope he doesn’t come on this website!

  38. Oh dear oh dear.

    It looks worse than rFactor. Not only is rFactor several years old, but moreover the tracks and cars are designed by amateurs and given away for free.

  39. Juanito Guanabacoa
    19th August 2009, 21:42

    No, I mean it, is this a joke???

    jeje and for those who complaint about the complainers, it’s supossed to be an official product from F1, not a mod made by fans, and even those mods, are hundred better than this crap :)

    1. Mark Hitchcock
      19th August 2009, 21:49

      Again, look at the console it’s on!
      It’s for casual gamers and it’s on a console with poor graphical capabilities.
      What were you expecting?

  40. The sri lankan
    20th August 2009, 1:59

    this looks effing stupid! Play Rfactor Instead atleast it has simulation style Physics and Better Graphics

  41. Wii and PSP… are you kidding me? PSP.. fine.. it’s a handheld… but will the Wii have enough power for a real immersive experience? Will the game engine be able to do proper reproduction? I highly doubt it.

    For the most part F1 fans are real fans. They want as close to a replicated experience as possible. I don’t think a casual gaming console like the Wii can do that, nor will the casual gaming market uptake a game like this en masse.

    On the flip side, I guess I can sort of see why however, casual gamers are the fastest growing market right now. They probably want to capitalize on it, which is a business and $$ driven decision. THere is probably a technical reason since developing for the PSP and Wii was probably a much simpler proposition than the PS3, and done in order to bring the game to market under time and budget constraints.

    I personally think this is a bad move on codemaster’s part, even thought I can understand why they did it. I will keep playing the 2006 game on my PS3 with my G25 wheel setup until it comes out and I am possibly proven wrong.

  42. Reminds me of the F1 game on the original Playstation *yawn*

  43. I think this won’t be representative of the Xbox, PC and Playstation versions. Those will be based on the same “Neon/Ego” game engine as the Colin Mcrae:DIRT and Race Driver:GRID games.

    “Ego” was never developed for the Wii, so presumably they had to start from scratch as this game looks appalling compared to GRID!

    Just the squared off corners are making me a bit sick, without mentioned the hideously simplefied physics =/

    luckily though, I think the Xbox and PS3 releases will be much much much better!

  44. I was a huge fan of the Geoff Crammond F1 games and happily modded away til the bitter end. The physics detailing were years ahead of anything else and surely provided the impetus for rFactor (sorry mp4-19b, but Geoff was better first!).

    Was a PC head for many years, but always pushed my machine for F1 and Flight Sims (remember X-plane anyone?). But when Sony won the bidding war for F1 and the PS3 finally launched, I was sold. So now drive my coffee table round the lounge to F1 Champ from Liverpool Soft.

    Really wasn’t sure at first, but with a good wheel/pedal setup and a rather fun big TV, have got some damn good racing in.

    Was sad to see the franchise leave Liverpool, but Codemasters have been generally excellent in producing top end racing games – TOCA & TOCA2 being a good case in point. Yes, I know they have produced pure gamer orientated titles, but there IS a market for those products too.

    I for one am intrigued by the end result. I don’t expect the Wii version to be representative of the highend console release, so am unfazed by the rather worrying 15fps Wii pre-release vid. But hells, Wii fans are allowed to enjoy some racing fun too…

    Best racing game ever? GP4.
    Should have been best racing game ever? LeMans 24heurs.
    Worst F1 sim? Monaco F1 Racing.

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