Formula One Championship Edition review (PlayStation 3)

To some extent Formula One Championship Edition is a fine success and exciting game despite the best efforts of the sport itself and Sony to ruin things. The game feels dated right away thanks to it being a look back at last season, a season without the best circuit in the world Spa. Then there's the issue of the controller, that lightweight dog of a joypad known as the Sixasis, with its pathetic analog triggers.

And of course there's Formula One itself, ever intent on ruining what was once a great sport. The cars are ugly, covered in lumps and bumps and the circuits emasculated following the tragic demise of the F1 god Senna. Surely racing these over-computerised cars in world without Spa and the long forest sections of Hockenheim would be an anaemic experience shorn of excitement?

Easy does it Bernie!

So imagine my surprise then when the games turns out to be a whole lot of fun and certainly my best experience so far on a format that is rather short of games to celebrate. Sony has taken a rather easy path with F1CE though, if you've played last year's PlayStation 2 version and don't own a HDTV you might want to miss this title completely. What we have here is the PS2 game ported over to the PlayStation 3 with plenty of shiny graphical touches to make it seem worthwhile.

However I don't want to be too critical of that move, F1 06 featured many great features that are welcome here and anyway, there's only so much you can do with a sport that's fairly strictly defined by reality.

Testing Times

Plenty of ways to play are offered up with quick races being a good way to leap into the action and enjoy some arcade-style thrills. With all the driving aids switched on, even a crusty old sim-racing purist like me, found plenty to enjoy with a quick few laps in this mode.

The real meat of the game comes when trying out full weekend events or the career mode. Every session of the weekend is recreated including practice times and the complicated multi-stage qualifying sessions. Evolution mode, which appeared in F1 06 makes a hugely welcome return. Here in practice sessions the team puts you through your paces with a variety of setups to determine the best one for your driving style. These sessions are often more fun than the race, at least to those of us who enjoy hotlapping.

Career mode takes things one stage further. You'll start out as a test driver, hotlapping and testing setups for teams, before success brings a chance to race. The targets given by the teams are tough, but it's a rewarding process and you'll find your driving improving immensely by the time a good team seat comes along.

Into the Kittylitter

The most important aspect of such a game is how the cars handle on the track and I'm happy to report they feel really good here. We're not talking Grand Prix Legends here, but the action is convincing enough to make you feel like you are in control of 800+ HP of carbon missile.

The driver aids work very well too, and can be altered at any time, meaning you might start a race with them on, then gradually roll one back after each lap as your skills improve. This is a game that not only helps you become a better player without being too intrusive but will probably improve your driving in other games too.

Car damage is featured and is brutal. There's nothing like spending hours in practice and qualifying sessions only to lose a wheel on the first corner. Such is the life of an F1 driver. As is usual from an officially licensed product the danger is downplayed so touching-wheel accidents and flips don't really happen. None the less it all feels pretty convincing and dangerous enough when the carbon fibre starts flying.

Shiny

You know what to expect with the graphics in an F1 game. Most circuits are dull affairs to look at, the older ones just being taxiways and runways in the middle of a big field. But the Sony studio has done an admirable job in bringing them to life in great detail.

The models look superb, with plenty of detail both in terms of the models and texture details. Everything runs smoothly even when there's a lot going on – at the start of the race for example. It's a shame there are no full race replays – the same team managed it on the original PSone game in 1996, but at least there's the chance to watch the last lap.

Finally there are some very impressive weather effects – the water on the camera pod views in-car are particularly good as raindrops move across the view. And testing when the sun is low in the sky is beautiful and dramatic, though rather scary.

Lack of Atmosphere

The only thing really lacking with this game is some atmosphere. Yes there's the inclusion of ITV's terrible commentary team, but overall there's a dryness to this title – a lack of involvement in the razzmatazz of the sport. A few years ago EA produced several F1 games that really ramped up the atmosphere, making the circuits seem more alive and at least providing flag waving marshals on the track rather than just using the HUD to pass on such information.

I don't want to be too picky though of a game that at least makes your feel the PlayStation 3 has some power under the hood and provides a deep and engaging experience, unlike the rather disappointing Motorstorm. Formula One Championship Edition is a great recreation of the sport and a fine game to boot and is perhaps my favourite title among the PlayStation 3 launch line-up.