Formula One Championship Edition

Formula One Championship Edition is a racing video game, developed by SCE Studio Liverpool and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, for the Sony PlayStation 3

Gameplay

Formula One Championship Edition follows the 2006 Formula One season, with 18 tracks, 11 teams and 22 drivers. The teams are:

• Renault F1: Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella
  
• McLaren Mercedes: Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya
  
• Ferrari F1: Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa
  
• Toyota F1: Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli
  
• Williams F1: Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg
  
• Honda F1: Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button
  
• Red Bull Racing: David Coulthard and Christian Klien
  
• BMW Sauber: Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve
  
• Midland F1: Tiago Monteiro and Christijan Albers
  
• Scuderia Toro Rosso: Vitantonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed
  
• Super Aguri: Takuma Sato and Yuji Ide

The Circuits are:

Bahrain Grand Prix - Sakhir
Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang
Australian Grand Prix - Albert Park
San Marino Grand Prix - Imola
European Grand Prix - Nürburgring
Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona
Monaco Grand Prix - Monte Carlo
British Grand Prix - Silverstone
Canadian Grand Prix - Île Notre-Dame
United States Grand Prix - Indianapolis
French Grand Prix - Magny Cours
German Grand Prix - Hockenheim
Hungarian Grand Prix - Budapest
Turkish Grand Prix - Istanbul
Italian Grand Prix - Monza
Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai
Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka
Brazilian Grand Prix - São Paulo

The game follows the basic structure of F1 06 on the Playstation 2. The main differences include the updated visuals for the PS3 including a lot more detail, SIXAXIS compatibility, real time reflections, car reflections on wet circuits and new wet weather effects. It was announced early in development that the safety car would be included in the game for the first time in an F1 game since F1 99 for the PS1. However, it was removed before the final release along with the PSP wing mirror integration shown at E3.

The game also boasts dynamic weather, and improved AI. The AI system is called "Live Action Racing" where you can pressure the opposition, causing them to make little mistakes such as running wide on corners, causing them to crash into other cars or spin off the road of their own accord. The AI will seek opportunities to pass the player in a realistic manner.

The game is based on the early F1 season. Hence, Yuji Ide drives for the Super Aguri F1 when in fact he lost his super license just 4 races into the '06 season and Franck Montagny took his seat. Other minor changes throughout the real F1 2006 season are also not represented.

Players begin by running tests for one of three teams (Scuderia Toro Rosso, Super Aguri or Midland F1). The tests given vary between the teams. When the player successfully completes the tests, they are given the role of test driver. After performing well as a test driver, the player will become the second driver of the team. From there the player can compete in race weekends through many different roles. As a test driver the player will try out different car settings in practice, and as a driver the player will have track position targets to meet to keep the seat. The player's performances are subject to review at several points during the season. The game contains unlockable cars and tracks, such as Jerez, which was last used as the final round of the 1997 Formula One season, and can be unlocked and used in time trial mode. The unlockable cars range from a Williams FW18 (Used in 1996 by Damon Hill) to an old yellow Renault and a Lotus that was once driven by Emerson Fittipaldi and Ronnie Peterson. The cars are mostly unlocked by achieving the targets in time trial mode and can only be used in this mode.

The initial release did not include force-feedback support, which is considered by many to be an important feature for simulation racing games used with driving wheel controllers. A subsequent update in early 2008 added force feedback. The game also lacks support for 1080i or 1080p output resolutions.

Release

Formula One Championship Edition was released in North America on 27 February 2007. It was the first Formula One game to be released there since 2003, when Atari released Grand Prix Challenge exclusively for PlayStation 2 and EA Sports released F1 Challenge '99-'02 for the PC, and F1 Career Challenge for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Gamecube.

E3 Videos

The first trailer of Formula One Championship Edition was displayed at E3 2005, during the Sony conference. The trailer shows drivers from the 2005 season, racing on the Suzuka Circuit in Japan. Sony and SCE Studio Liverpool have released a second movie, where 2006 season drivers are seen on the Autodromo Nazionale Monza while demonstrating many new features, such as one where the player can use a PSP as a wing mirror. This feature has since been removed.

Demo

A demo of the game has been available since November 2006 on the PlayStation Network. In this demo, players can race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or Autodromo Nazionale Monza tracks. The European version of the downloadable demo features 2 other tracks from the 2006 season; namely Circuit de Catalunya and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.