Fishu - its is about competition - to see who can offer the most money for the exclusive licencing.
Back to the game...
Played it for all of about 20 minutes before I had to hit the sack - thus far Im pretty impressed with the minor changes they've made - and I think a few things could have been done better.
Right off the bat, I felt that there was a TON more mechanical grip (remember the complaints?). And after having played GTR2002 for the last few months, these F1 cars may be faster - but you cant spin em unless you try.
Your tires will squeel just before the limit of adhesion now - nice for us non FF users. The traction control sound is very loud... not sure if I like that yet.
The graphics are the same as far as I can tell - maybe a little more shiny, but nothing to write home about - not that they're bad.
The new camera angles are fantastic. Many to choose from in the car, and during the replays, there is an option to watch the race from the positions that TV cameras film the RL race from. In addition, most of the "floating" during replays has been erased... still not up to the "replay standards" of a certain 5 year old Sony franchise, but bearable.
The sound is so/so... I picked DLR's 99 car and the engine sounded like garbage. Ill have to try out the McLarens or Ferreris when I get home tonight and see what they sound like because the last one sounded like a muffled cat screaming in mono.
Physics engine doesnt seem to have changed much - menus are basically the same - the open "credits" look like EA spent about 20 minutes on them (bunch of drivers names flying across the screen to some Euro-Techno trash)
No idea what the multiplayer is like yet... the back of the box said 7 people over lan or broadband, so Im not sure where others are getting claims of 20+ racers. Maybe Im reading it wrong - havent tried MP yet... we'll see.
All in all, its tough to convince yourself that EA didnt take F12002, add a few more cars and tracks, make a different intro scene, and box F1C as a different game.
The ability to race with (and against) past drivers (MIKA!!!) is great, and the small tweaks seem to be working... but if youre expecting a vastly different game, you wont get it. Its a rehash of F12002, just improved. The netcode and moddability will make or break this game, although since it will probably be the last F1 game for some time, its probably worth your time and money to pick it up ($39.95) as the modders will be pumping out games for years to come.
