Codemasters has confirmed to Chequered Pad that F1 2009 will have full support for Nintendo’s Gamecube controller when it is released for Wii in November. Despite being bundled with an F1-style “Wii Wheel” accessory, the game will support a multitude of options, including using the remote on its own, using the remote and nunchuk combo as well as the Classic and Gamecube controllers.

F1 2009 will not be the first game to be released with motion controls, however. Sony Liverpool experimented with this in F1 Championship Edition on PlayStation 3, and the option exists for users of both Dual Shock and Sixaxis controllers.

Codemasters is continuing its trend of releasing images of each circuit on the F1 calendar as the circus makes its way there in real life, and this weekend it’s the turn of Suzuka. The track is famous worldwide for hosting the Japanese Grand Prix and apart from a couple of years off in 2007 and 2008, it has done so every season in recent memory. It’s held in high regard by all drivers and is the only one on the calendar to feature a figure-of-eight layout. Check out the game screenshots and trailer featuring the track below:

The city-state of Singapore is the venue for the only night race on the Formula 1 calendar. I recall reading a comment many years ago about how time consuming F1 game developers found Monaco to create, but that must now pale in comparison to the challenge of creating a single circuit under floodlights.

It looks like Codemasters and Sumo Digital have risen to the challenge and today’s trailer is in my opinion the best we’ve seen of the game so far. Check it out below, after a few stills showing the cars under the lights:

Codemasters announced today that it is extending the development time of Colin McRae: DiRT 2 in order to take advantage of DirectX 11. The company’s Chief Technical Officer says that the Microsoft technology is “too compelling to ignore” even though it won’t arrive until compatible graphics cards and Windows 7 hit the market. It will all fall into place by the end of the year, with the PC version now scheduled for a December launch, two months after the other versions. To celebrate, two new screenshots were released:

Codemasters has released a few more images of two of the tracks in F1 2009 – Valencia and Spa-Francorchamps. The images don’t reveal much about gameplay, but do give a taster of how the game will look when we finally get to see it in motion.

Codemasters have released a trailer showing some in-game footage of DiRT 2 on Wii. The game is nearing completion and should be available in September, and the video shows that the new game is much more focused on races rather than timed runs.

Codemasters and Sumo Digital are clearly hoping that a selection of mini-games will extend the life of F1 2009 when it releases later in the year. IGN’s latest preview of the game includes details about six of them:

• Checkpoint – race through time extend gates just like in Lotus Turbo Challenge.
• Gate – some sort of variation on the above.
• Touge – a head-to-head race, possibly similar to GRID’s mode of the same name.
• Slipstream – presumably awards points for drafting for as long as possible.
• Eliminator – last car on each lap is knocked out.

Those thinking that the series has been dumbed down from its last outing on PS3 may take some solace in the description of the on track action. Writer Martin Robinson describes it as “accomplished” and offering “surprising depth and feedback”.

Codemasters is celebrating the British Grand Prix this weekend by releasing a new set of screenshots of F1 2009. There are more teams included this time and it looks like the helmets of drivers have been completed. There’s also a chance to see the T-Cam view that will likely be included, as well as a first look at the Silverstone Circuit which will host its last F1 race on Sunday.

The final boxart for F1 2009 has been revealed. It seems to follow a similar style to that used for the BBC television intro, with a glowing car alongside the now infamous streets of Singapore, which host the only night race in the sport. Codemasters’ logo appears on the front of the box, but developer Sumo Digital’s looks like it will probably only appear on the back. Full image after the jump.

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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?

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