schumitifoso's Full Review: F1 Championship Season 2000 for PlayStation 2
Upon learning that EA was releasing a sequel to the highly enjoyable F-1 2000 earlier than expected I knew it was a must buy. What I didn’t know is what system I would be purchasing it on due to limited availability of PS2’s in my town. I lucked out and won a PS2 in a highly competitive 2-player season of Nascar 2001 (another story for another day). By then I had already purchased the PS version but had no illusions about physically needing the PS2 version as well due to my unquenchable appetite for all things Formula 1.
To separate this opinion from others on the subject I will compare and contrast the two games, as I have put in more hours on both than I would ever admit to any female I was interested in. Both games have much to offer to an F-1 fan while both leave much to be desired albeit in very different areas.
GRAPHICS
Quite predictably the PS2 version has far superior graphics with the gap being much larger between these two than just about all other identical titles on the two systems. The EA people really moved forward years in F-1 console gaming on the PS2 version, the replays actually resembling a television broadcast on Speedvision. The cars move very fluidly throughout and quite realistically on all surfaces (the circuit itself, rumble strips, and gravel traps.) Great attention to detail was paid to the objects surrounding the circuits such as the yachts in Monaco, the Ferris wheel at Suzuka and the unique grandstands of Sepang. The in-car camera view with the driver’s helmet visible definitely adds a touch of fantasy. Also the sound of the engine and braking is very realistic. Graphically the PS2 version is straight out of the top drawer.
The Playstation version would look okay if I would have never played the other but now, of course it seems really dull. The obvious reasons being the console aside, EA did a much better on the Nascar titles as far detail and sharpness of the cars themselves. So by PS1 standards, F1CS2000 leaves a bit to be desired as no improvement was made graphically from its predecessor. ADVANTAGE-PS2 RUNNING AWAY LIKE A FERRARI FROM A JAG
As we all know superior looks don’t always mean superior gameplay and this isn’t as clear-cut a comparison as the graphics. The areas in which the PS version lacks most in comparison to the sister game in its lack of loss of traction at the start and the fact that losing a wing doesn’t affect your cars performance. The only problem with losing one is that your pit stop takes longer, but anyone who has seen an F-1 race knows that changing a front wing doesn’t take anywhere near 20 seconds as it is a very simple process. Also a bit ridiculous is that you can drive without a wheel for about half a lap before your engine blows. Your engine blowing because you are missing a wheel and going too fast would never happen in real life because you couldn’t drive the damn thing a foot, unless it was about a foot from the end of the pit entry. On the other hand there are more losses of traction while driving than last year and the setup options have been enhanced greatly. My biggest problem with the gameplay here is the lack of a challenge from the computer. Doing a season on expert, the only race where I didn’t lap the entire field was Austria, and at the higher speed circuits like Hockenheim I could gain 15 seconds a lap on 2nd place.
The PS2 versions gameplay excels at the very start of the race, you actually have to avoid too much spin and dart to avoid people if you aren’t on the front row, a glaring omission from the PS version. The aforementioned losses of traction occur at somewhat realistic times and with the vibration option on you can almost feel your back wheels sliding around turns and going over rumble strips. The downside of this version is that your wheels never come off, no matter how many things you hit. Cars also have a tendency to leave the ground with a little less impact than would probably be required to catapult them 20 feet in the air. These are the only big differences in the actual racing I could find. The PS2 holds a large advantage as far as computer difficulty goes. ADVANTAGE-PS2 NARROWLY
An area where I was quite disappointed with the PS2 game was in game modes. Whereas the PS version has single gp, time trial, season, training,testing and scenario modes the PS2 version lacks the latter two. Training is a very helpful feature in which you can choose any of the seventeen circuits to learn. This features braking, turning, apex, and exit cones, as well as a commentator to tell you exactly what you did wrong. The testing mode in between GP’s is also quite a revelation, you do two or more hot laps and then you can compare the telemetry data from them while watching the replay of the most recent. The scenario mode is easily the most challenging option on the PS, I suppose because they start you in the middle of races well behind who you need to catch, or if you start a race you are normally in the middle to back of the grid. They give you a scenario before you start and tell you where you need to finish. Also on the PS version the qualifying is much better, you can do the whole hour, skip five minutes, or hold down a button to skip seconds at a time. You can also go down the timesheet and watch anyone’s laps and their time through the intervals as compared to yours. A nice thought, this isn’t nearly as cool as it sounds considering the fact that they all drive exactly the same lines just slightly different speeds.
On the PS2 qualifying is very basic, you can do your laps or skip until the end and take your chances. Why they would take such a basic step backward is beyond understanding, the times still come up the same on the PS, but on that format you can actually have the experience without waiting a full hour. ADVANTAGE PS1-BY A LARGE MARGIN
My advice to anyone who enjoys F-1 and owns a PS2? Buy both games; there is joy to be had with both of them, just in different ways.
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