[PSP] F1 2009 Game Review

I won’t be posting a lot of screenshots for this review as this will only be a short one. Why? because this game disappointed me in several ways. I’m just going to enumerate some disappointing and good stuff and compare the game to its predecessor made by Sony themselves, the F1-06.

 

I was actually excited to see this game when it was announced because there were a lot of changes made for the 2009 season including the aerodynamics and the KERS. yes, KERSSSSS… For some of you, KERS is the acronym for Kinetic Energy Recover System… Sounds geeky. What it does is it recovers energy from braking, charges the batteries and lets you have additional 80HP i think on a press of a button. It’s like a boost button to be simple and that goes with 2009 season.

 

So, to the game. I will compare this one to the F1 06 game.

CONS

1. GAMEPLAY – Championship mode is what you always like in this kind of game. Pick a driver from a team and race through the whole season. Nothing’s wrong with that. What’s wrong with it is when it goes down to the specifics. In the 2006 game, it takes time before you can fully tune your car with the track and with the considerations of external factors. In fact, the game will actually help you to match your preferred settings and then change smaller stuff afterwards. Not so with 2009 game as the game thinks you are too professional for seeking help and leaves everything in default and let you change them. I mean, for first time players, do you think you’ll have an idea what CAMBER, TOE, DAMPER BOUND & REBOUND would mean? of course not.

2. HANDLING – I’ve been playing F1 games since PSX and so far, this is the F1 game with the worst handling physics. In 2006 game, the turning is actually realistic because it takes time for the driver to make a complete steering wheel turn not like in 2009 where you can turn the wheel fast. And get this: if the driver can turn the wheel as fast as possible, the car, especially at the front, would respond quick as well, very apparent from your camera view. BUT NO. Also, while driving fast, it is apparent that the steering wheel shakes a bit, not like in 2009 where it’s as steady as a monument while driving straight.

3. GRAPHICS – I admit that in terms of game detail, 2009 wins it. However, there are a bit of flaws when it comes to the animations of the details. One is mentioned in #2. and then another is that while driving, the helmet of the driver shakes most of the time, trying to cope with the forces by the downforce, suspension bumps and so on. Not so with 2009, as the helmet is also as steady as a statue and only moves SMOOTHLY, not like a stuggling one, while turning.

4. SFX – the people speaking to you on the radio are boooring, compared to the 2006 game where the person is really talking to you, reminding you of your position in the pack as well as telling you that you’ve cracked the fastest lap time in a race.

 

PROS

1. CONTENT – Since the 2009 season was packed with enormous changes, those changes were also in the game. The KERS for instance is in the game and you can use it a lot. 😀 New teams such as Brawn are also there as well as the changes made for the cars. New tracks as well! you can now drive for the first time in NIGHT in Singapore as well as drive though the newly added Abu Dhabi GP course.

2. REALISM – Only a bit but the game actually replicated the physics for the new aerodynamic features of the 2009 season cars. Once you remove the driving aids, the cars are really hard to control. Unlike in the 2006 season where once you have speed, without the aids, you can drive with stability.

3. MUSIC – I love the music, far better than the 2006.

 

Codemasters could’ve done better. You’ve seen Colin McRae rally 2005 plus for PSP, that is bad-ass with realistic handling and graphics. But in this particular title, it seems that they’ve forgotten how to do it. The game would have become better than 2006 because the data, the representation is already there but they slipped through the game physics and replication of the motions.