Playstation 2 review: F1 CHAMPIONSHIP 2000

Minardi fan · 4 Jan 2001, 22:27 (Ref:56109)

Game: F1 Championship 2000
Publisher: EA Sports
Players: 1-4 (22 in time trial)

EA Sports are renowned for one thing - putting graphics and sheen before playability. As reliable as their yearly FIFA updates, F1 Championship 2000 tries to make itself playable as well as beautiful, but fails. What a surprise.

Everything is here as you'd expect. The teams, the circuits, the choice to race 4, 8, 16, 32, half distance or full lap races. There are pit stops and an animated pit crew. And it rains. SO WHAT?

F1 Championship 2000 lacks any innovation whatsoever. EA have once again got carried away with how good they can get a game to look whilst failing to utilise the technology available to them to create an innovative and exciting game.

Sure, cars blow up, and sure, you can damage your cars. But where are the things which should be there? Where is the safety car or the marshals? Completely unforgiveable is the lack of pit stops by the AI cars for fuel and tyres, the ability to damage only your car wheels and wings, and no variable weather.

Ok, so what does the game have going for it? Well, the graphics are excellent, as long as you don't play in the out-of-car view, in which case they are s-l-o-w. F1 Championship 2000 lacks any sense of speed, and the car handling is abysmal unless played in cockpit or lower views. That said, the cockpit view is placed, like Sony's F1 2000, at a very odd low-slung view, which is very difficult to race in. The replays are excellent, every camera placed as it would be if you saw it on TV. The engine sound too is the best since F1 World Grand Prix on the PSOne - except for the fact that a Minardi sounds completely different to a Sauber in real life... You can even strip the paint from your car. The TV displays too are the best seen yet.

See the realism - Verstappen pays a visit to the gravel trap. Again.

However, none of this makes up for what F1 Championship 2000 lacks. Other cars fail to pit for fuel or tyres. The AI in general can verge on the ridiculous, with cars driving into you or ending up in huge long chains which can be overtaken in one go. Braking is too easy, meaning you can outbrake just about anyone into any corner. Your wheel cannot fall off. There are no yellow, green, black/white or red flags. Your chassis cannot be damaged. The weather is either wet, dry or cloudy. And the rain graphics are terrible. The game is too easy - pole position can be gained by doing one average lap and quitting, resulting in a ridiculous topsy-turvy grid. Fail to finish a race and the cars which previously retired now finish. If you are lapped you are unclassified.

F1 Championship 2000 is a better effort than usual from EA Sports, but it fails on so many levels to provide F1 fans with the next-generation F1 experience they so desperately want and expect. Playstation 2 is capable of more than just shiny graphics - it's just a shame EA forgot that.

Ok, so I had to put a Minardi picture in. Mmmmm.

In summary: F1 Championship 2000 looks the business but lacks any innovation or lasting playability. Indeed, perhaps the most damning statement which can be made of this game is that F1 '97 on the PSOne remains the number one F1 game available. Playstation 2 owners would do better to hold out for Ubisoft's F1 Racing Championship or Sony's Formula One 2001 rather than buy EA's effort, as both promise graphical sheen married to innovation. At last.

It's Magny-Cours. And it's wet. Not that it makes much difference to the handling of your Jordan.

G-R · 6 Jan 2001, 09:26 (Ref:56522)

Get it right. F1 Championship Season 2000

Minardi fan · 6 Jan 2001, 13:31 (Ref:56609)

Now now...

F1FansClub · 6 Jan 2001, 19:29 (Ref:56767)

Quick Minardi Fan! You better change it before the big man comes or else you'll lose your job as forum host!

G-R, does it really matter?

Ally :beerface:

Minardi fan · 7 Jan 2001, 11:21 (Ref:56955)

Thankyou gentlemen... I was more after comments about the game and indeed individual's reviews...

F1FansClub · 7 Jan 2001, 13:35 (Ref:57017)

Sorry Mark, it's just a bit funny

I haven't actually played this game yet but that is presumably because I aint got my PS2 yet but by the screen shots it looks pretty stunning! I think this will be one game I'll get for the PS2!

Ally

**bella** · 7 Jan 2001, 14:08 (Ref:57026)

i got the gameboy version, having just invested in a cute little purple gameboy. it's like the early 'grand prix' game there was on pc in the mid 80s graphics wise, but way better for handling. if you go round a corner too fast (which i do a lot as zonta..), the back end slides out, and you spin. there are a lot of setup options, but i'm not sure if these really affect the car. i think the weather varies on the gameboy version.
haven't decided whether i like it or not. might take it back and get the fatboy slim album instead.

Minardi fan · 8 Jan 2001, 11:28 (Ref:57318)

Quote:

Originally posted by F1FansClub
...it looks pretty stunning! I think this will be one game I'll get for the PS2!

AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!! EA triumph again...

You cannot spin your car in the PS2 version by going crazily into corner - you will spin if someone drives into you (which is frequent and game-ruining) or if you clip the grass.

F1FansClub · 8 Jan 2001, 13:36 (Ref:57344)

Mark, are any of the other PS2 F1 games any better?

Ally

Minardi fan · 9 Jan 2001, 01:03 (Ref:57518)

Both F1 Racing Championship and F1 2001 look to be significantly so, and they are out February 16th and sometime in March respectively.

G-R · 13 Jan 2001, 10:15 (Ref:58277)

Quote:

Originally posted by F1FansClub

G-R, does it really matter?

Yes little boy, it does.

Minardi fan · 3 Oct 2001, 11:15 (Ref:155238)

Back to the top just for Wrex...

(P.S The sequel to this game which is looking treeeeeeeeemendous is out on October 5th.)

Wrex · 4 Oct 2001, 00:06 (Ref:155619)

Thanks MF

This game really does suck huh?

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