Ever since the first images of Codemasters’ F1 2009 were released back in April I’ve read countless website comments complaining about the visual quality of the game. People seem unhappy that it appears to be a backwards step for the series whose last game was a launch title for arguably the most powerful console ever released. In particular I’ve read many comments saying that the visuals are behind what is expected of Wii and PSP titles – but is this really the case?

I’ll be the first to admit that I was surprised to learn that Formula 1 would be skipping the next generation platforms for a year. After all, the last season to be made into a game was 2006 and this was before some pretty significant developments for the sport. From a purely marketing standpoint, there hasn’t yet been a game which includes the current World Champion, Lewis Hamilton. Anyone who watched the British Grand Prix last year would know that he can sell anything (particularly fluorescent red caps). It seemed very much like a missed opportunity, particularly as it is the game of a sport which is so intensely focused on the latest and greatest technology.

The game’s lead format is Nintendo Wii, which makes it slightly more difficult to perform a comparison. Racing games are popular on the console – Mario Kart Wii has been a top seller in the UK ever since its release. However, there aren’t many realistic Wii racers – and there are even fewer licenced driving games. The most notable is MotoGP 08 and I’ve collated a few screenshots of it in action to compare to F1 2009.

Vehicles

F1 2009’s vehicles have been the target of some criticism, with one forum poster commenting that the game’s McLaren looks more white than silver and others ridiculing the texture resolution. There’s no doubt that they are considerably worse than F1 Championship Edition, which featured high poly counts and very good resolution textures. But how does F1 2009 hold up compared to MotoGP 08?

F1 2009 vs MotoGP 08 vehicle model comparison (click to enlarge)

At first glance, it’s easy to agree with the critics on this one – the textures on the Force India look markedly worse than those on both bikes in the MotoGP 08 screenshot. However, Sumo Digital has clearly gone to some effort to ensure that the vehicles include the details which are relevant to the 2009 F1 season. The slick tyres are evident in all screenshots, and all of the vehicles shown so far have much of their detail in the front wings. It will be interesting to see the game in action to determine whether the front wings will visibly adjust, as they do in the real sport this year.

Environments

It’s probably easier for Codemasters to develop a game based on this season as there is only one new circuit on the calendar. All of the others have hosted at least one Grand Prix, so there should be plenty of reference material. It’s clear that many of the circuits in the screenshots are unfinished, as there are vast white rectangles where sponsor graphics should appear. That didn’t stop Codemasters rushing to release them though, with one image showing the Shanghai International Circuit complete with Sinopec sponsorship even though that company’s logo was nowhere to be seen at the race this year.

Issues like this raise questions over just how much access Codemasters and Sumo Digital are receiving to the sport. When I asked former ITV F1 commentator James Allen whether he had seen representatives at grands prix earlier in the year, he said that there didn’t appear to be anyone from either company there.

Looking more closely at the visuals, it’s clear that the game is suffering from a lack of anti-aliasing support from the console. All of the objects appear extremely jaggy, which is to be expected from Wii games. Luckily, the more important grandstands and trackside buildings are modelled to a good standard.

F1 2009 vs MotoGP 08 grandstand comparison (click to enlarge)

While the grandstands themselves are good representations of real life, the same cannot be said of the people enjoying the racing from within. In F1 2009, Sumo appears to have chosen to represent the crowd using a single, flat texture which makes them look extremely dated. Even though the Wii version of MotoGP 08 isn’t using the most advanced technique for its crowd, it still manages to achieve a much more realistic effect by rendering an upright texture.

Of course all of this could be irrelevant if the driving action is good when F1 2009 releases later this year. A next generation version for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC will be released in 2010 based on that year’s season data.