Photo Finish
F1 Championship Edition is one of the most excruciatingly technical racers out there. It's also awesome.
Published: February 28, 2007
Day Four
Jeezus fuck, what is wrong with some of these people playing online? I can now completely understand why there was an option to turn off collisions. It's clear who has and hasn't gone through some of the single-player Career Mode stuff, because people just plow into you instead of trying to take the corner like a non-mongoloid. Granted, you'll respawn, so it's not like things are over instantly if everyone just decides to play bumper cars on the first turn of every track, but faaaack.
The thing of it is, I'm pretty sure I would have played in much the same way (albeit accidentally) if I'd just hopped online without bothering with the Career Mode lessons. I can tell this is going to be a game where people just get off on fucking with the guys that just want to race, and it's going to send me over the edge. It's probably a good thing that there's no voice chat or someone would have blackmail material on me in no time.
Final Impressions
With the online pool starting to grow now that people have had the game for a while, things are really starting to get awesome. Setting up online races so that you have to qualify with lap times to set the starting positions is a brilliant idea, as it shows immediately who the serious racers are, and doesn't allow for things like cutting corners. You have to stick the lap and drive better than the other people. Playing against other people is a wholly different experience from the offline game, and both actually meld so well that they make for an experience that not only looks next-gen, but feels... complete?
It's not all universally perfect, but for a first PS3 outing, it's awfully solid. Bravo Studio Liverpool, you've totally converted me. I actually have a level of respect for real drivers that I would never have approached had I not had to suffer through the painstaking tests and slow, methodical approach to racing. In the past, I admired the fact that these guys could drive fast, but now I realize just how much there is to taking even one little hairpin. I actually want to watch some F1 races now.
So there you have it. F1CE looks amazing, it plays unlike anything else on the PS3 and it actually feels like something you can bust out to show off your system. The obscene learning curve and unending challenge of every corner counting isn't for everyone, but with assists that help ease you into things and a growing online community, it really does feel like Sony nailed it, and I hope this is a sign of things to come from the Worldwide Studios.
