While understandably boasting excellent simulation credentials (such as a damage and weather system, a full range of driver assists, pit stops and multiple control systems that can take advantage of the up-until-now sort of pointless Logitech wheel), F1 2009 is aiming to also remain thoroughly accessible to all gamers.
Ideally, Codemasters want to cater to what they’re calling ‘Father and Son’ gaming. Thanks to adjustable driver assistances and skill balancing, in theory two players with different levels of capability should still be able to take advantage of the two-player split-screen mode and blast round the Monaco circuit or the night-based Singapore track on an even footing. It should hopefully be enough to keep Little Billy happy until bed time, when Pops can then get stuck into a full, three season career mode that uses all 19 tracks and features the officially licensed cars and drivers.
Of course, the full race weekend experience could be as comprehensive as the Wii can handle (which, from what we have seen so far, it is), but that would mean nothing if the actual driving itself was the speed of crawling across a carpet of sandpaper. We can quite confidently tell you that this isn’t the case at all. Even though the game isn’t due for release until late this year, our races around Monaco and Singapore showed no juddering or slowdown (even when 20 cars piled into the first corner) and a framerate locked at an impressive speed. And, while it isn’t going to knock Gran Turismo 5 or Forza 2 off their simulation pedestals the racing is certainly a challenge for even veteran driving fans when all the assists are turned off.
F1 junkies may be disappointed that the 360 and PS3 versions are still a way off, but F1 2009 is still a worthy fix, proving there is more to the Wii than pretend exercising and minigame collections.
