F1 2009 is the first title to be developed as part of the partnership between Formula 1 and Codemasters. The company decided to delay a next generation version title until the 2010 season, so the 2009 game is being released only on Wii and PSP. It will be the first multi-format F1 game for many years and will cover a season which has seen massive changes to the sporting regulations, including the introduction of boost buttons and the return of fully slick tyres.
Track List
Australian Grand Prix - Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang International Circuit
Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai International Circuit
Bahrain Grand Prix - Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir
Spanish Grand Prix - Circuit de Catalunya
Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo
Turkish Grand Prix - Istanbul Park
British Grand Prix - Silverstone Circuit
German Grand Prix - Nurburgring GP Circuit
Hungarian Grand Prix - Hungaroring
European Grand Prix - Valencia Street Circuit
Belgian Grand Prix - Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Italian Grand Prix - Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Singapore Grand Prix - Marina Bay Street Circuit
Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit
Brazilian Grand Prix - Autodromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos
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 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 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.
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?
The latest website to get some time looking at F1 2009 is Eurogamer and a new two page preview has been published this morning. As with IGN, they seem to be impressed by the wide array of assists and difficulty settings, but describe the visuals as being like an “average PS2 game”. According to writer Johnny Minkley, the data for the game was frozen just after the Spanish Grand Prix, which should mean that Brawn GP and Red Bull Racing are at the front, with the tail end made up by Toro Rosso and Force India.
Codemasters claims that a big focus in the new games will be avoiding TV-style presentation. It’s an interesting choice, given the mediocrity of the HUD they’ve managed to create, and they say that there will be less in-race commentary and much more input from your race engineer. A Logitech steering wheel will be supported (but does anyone want to buy one for this single game?) alongside many different controller options. Interestingly, the Gamecube controller is not listed as a possible option.
IGN is the first website to get some proper hands on time with F1 2009, which it says is launching before the final Grand Prix of the year. As a PSP and Wii exclusive, its visuals are not going to set the world alight, but editor Martin Robinson says that it definitely does look better in motion. Perhaps the most striking part of the preview is early on, when he says that the handling model is “arguably the most satisfying” in any console F1 game to date.
The screenshots show that progress is being made quite fast and the game is said to be almost feature complete. They’ve shown a little more of the Valencia Street Circuit and have now added all of the 2009 cars to the lineup. Interestingly developer Sumo Digital has made a conscious decision not to use an interface based on the TV graphics and it’s something that is said to detract from the feeling of authenticity. Overall though, the preview is extremely positive about a game which until this point has had quite a poor image.
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