8.8

Formula One Championship Edition

Formula One Championship Edition is the latest next generation PS3 game to arrive on the world's most powerful gaming console. Players will finally be able to play the entire 2006 championship season with their favourite drivers, all in an attempt to become the world's Formula One Champion.

With state-of-the-art-graphics, Sony have really outdone themselves in this current incarnation that not only features improved gameplay but also improved realism that is the closest most of us will ever get to racing a Formula One car.

Features

• Next Generation Experience High definition visuals, full surround sound, extensive circuit details and lighting effects, progressive dirt and car damage make for the most realistic racing experience to date.

• True Realism Feel the buzz of the paddock and the excitement of race day with authentic pre-race car preparations
  Warm up your tyres and get ready for the race with the parade lap.

• Live Action Racing Experience the real pressure of a GRAND PRIX race thanks to unexpected collisions and race incidents.

• Introduction of the Safety Car Choose the correct race strategy when the safety car is out: will you make an early pit stop to avoid being stuck in the traffic?

• Interconnectivity with PSP system Widen your playing field with interconnectivity applications with PSP (Details TBC).

There are a variety of gaming modes in this title, however the main aspect of this title is the career mode which starts the player from bottom of the pack, until they cruise through different racing teams until they become the best driver in the world.

Other modes let you jump straight into a race, go for a new best lap time or attempt a standalone World Championship. Races can be set to be as long as you like, so players who wish to race for a few hours can do so, and you can save mid race and come back to it later. Finally a save feature on a racing game!

Although this game is firmly geared at the Formula One fan, those who have never played a racing game before may feel a little overwhelmed at the various racing options they will encounter, however fortunately the developers have even catered for the newbie and will give a variety of driving aids to assist you complete the race. However, until you have the tracks memorized, it would be a good idea to leave the racing line on, until you are ready to handle these intense speeds.

However with the said, Formula One driving is rather unforgiving when compared to other car games and one wrong move (depending on difficulty level) and you will have failed to get a decent position. However once you have mastered the control system and you can drive with some regularity, you can then move onto shaving seconds and then tenths of a second from your best time.

If you get into the groove you'll fall into something similar to a hypnotic state, with laps flying by and times all falling within an almost unbelievably close range. You have to be dedicated though, and get used to the rather twitchy controls. Some effort has been made to solve this by introducing tilt steering with the Sixaxis but as much as I tried, it never quite gelled. Apart from the introduction of the Sixaxis, the developers have also implemented up to eight players to play online that is really entertaining.

Visually, Formula One isn't a huge achievement since the PlayStation 2 version, however as soon as the camera pans across the racers on the starting grid you know you're playing a game on a nextgen system and these fancy visuals are for more than show.

The most striking improvement over previous games in the series is in the sense of speed. On the PS3 this sensation is practically unrivalled and the way your car reacts to each and every bump on the road is superb, when you drive over a curb it sounds right too but the lack of rumble does hurt your overall immersion.

If you've been following the development of Formula One for PS3 you'll have no doubt already seen the quite wonderful rain effects that the development team have managed to create on the new hardware. In wet weather the game really does look superb, although it still looks great during plain old sun.

To round things off, it moves at a nice solid frame rate too, even when numerous cars are filling the screen. Formula One in general might lack some of the spark of other motorsports but it's hard to pick out any single area of presentation that lets the side down.

In conclusion, Sony's Formula One is definitely one of the better franchisea on the market and considering the lackluster showing on the XBox 360, this Formula One game is definitely a must have for all racing fans who own a PS3 or are considering to purchase a PS3. New gaming modes, great graphics and online play definitely make this a number one contender.