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Formula 1 '09

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Codemasters have confirmed it will appear on Wii:

 

http://www.cubed3.com/news/10179

 

In an interview with the developer on the Official F1 website, CEO Rod Cousens discussed Wii development - with tilt control confirmed.

 

Q: The first game will be released next year. Talk us briefly through the development process that will be taking place over the coming months?

 

RC: It depends partly on format - portables are a lot easier as they don’t have such a rich graphical experience - but on dedicated consoles and PCs the way we write stems from what we call an ‘engine’, which for us is Codemasters’ EGO Engine. This is what drives DiRT™ and GRID™, so its pedigree on next-generation systems such as PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is already proven. The Formula One games will have the benefit of this. It typically takes us two years to develop such a game, but a lot of the assets have already been created - we have a number of the tracks because they already exist in GRID™, and we have the basics of the car dynamics and handling.

 

Then there’s the issue of which format when - clearly we’ll be targeting formats where there’s been no Formula One experience for a number of years, and the Nintendo Wii, the fastest-selling hardware console in the world today, where the plan is to use the controller like a steering wheel. We’ll go through a parallel development process on that, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. The artwork involved will be intense and a lot of that will be done overseas to make sure we’re up to speed.

VERY Excited!!

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Mmmmmm... Parallelled development between 360, PS3 and Wii... This can only mean good things.

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It's definitely a good thing that this is being developed properly for the Wii and I hope this trend continues. For a game like F1 though I wouldn't consider the Wii version myself, the overall experience would be much better on PS3 or 360. Glad those without those console are looking like they'll get a damn good game too though.

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Think I'd probably get it on Xbox rather than Wii, if the only difference was the controls, but good news nonetheless. I like the sound of "parallel development" between Wii/Xbox/PS3.

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It'll be interesting to see if Codemasters can buck the trend and make a decent Wii racing game that stands up to it's brothers. If anyone can do it, Codemasters can.

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WOW i am so pleased about this. Finally a new F1 game. The last one i played was 2002 on the Cube

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** GO, GO, GO!! **

 

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/975/975696p1.html

 

Formula 1 2009 Preview - Codemasters takes to the grid.

 

The expectation for the tie-in game is reaching fever-pitch among fans whose craving has been stoked by some of the best on-track racing for years, but Codemasters has a surprise of its own. The first fruits of the newly forged relationship between the Midlands studio and the FIA won't be coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or PC, with Formula 1 2009 being limited to releases on Wii and PSP.

 

"The scale of development that was required for the next-gen projects, especially with something like Formula 1, to do it on such a massive high-def scale requires a lot more development time than less powerful platforms like the PSP and Wii," admits brand manager Paul Walters on the choice made by Codemasters.

 

"We definitely looked at whether it would be possible to get a game of high enough quality on next-gen in 2009. It will be a wait, but one that's worth it," adds Codemasters' Communications Manager Adrian Lawton. "And in the meantime we're able to produce a high quality game on Wii and PSP within the timescale. The Wii is the biggest platform in the world now, so why not have a fully featured comprehensive racer for it?"

 

Once the initial pang of disappointment has subsided, the logic behind the decision becomes a little clearer - and from the evidence we've seen, there's no reason to believe that Formula 1 2009 on the Wii and PSP will be anything other than a fully-featured and extensive take on motor racing's premier tier.

 

Sumo Digital, the reliable Sheffield outfit behind Virtua Tennis 2009 among other titles, is on development duties and its intention is to create an authentic recreation of the sport. With Codemasters providing a guiding hand, as well as the physics base from the EGO engine that's powered the racing studio's next-gen output to date, there's every reason to believe the team will be successful in achieving their aim.

 

Firstly, put aside concerns that the lead platform's perceived audience will dictate the gameplay – the team are adamant that Formula One 2009 won't be an infantile take on the sport. Nor, however, will it be the sole reserve of the hardcore who salivate at the prospect of tweaking wing angles. "We're trying to make an authentic recreation of the sport but at the same time we really want an accessible version," declares the game's producer Jason Wakelam.

 

Authenticity is the watchword for Formula 1 2009, so expect to see every aspect of this season up on the screen. All 20 cars will take to all 17 tracks that make up the grand prix tour, with the teams providing assistance in the creation of the in-game models. There's still gaps to be plugged before the game's release – Sumo Digital's realisation of Hermann Tilke's Abu Dhabi circuit is still under construction, though it's still likely to be completed before its real-life counterpart, and at the time of our visit the all-conquering Brawn GP001 was still to be implemented – but come launch day it will present a painstakingly accurate facsimile of the season.

 

Naturally, that authenticity extends to the inclusion of the new rule-set that's turned F1's pecking order on its head. Indeed, the most fundamental of the changes seems to have been plucked from the world of videogames in the first place. KERS, or Kinetic Energy Recovery System to give it its full moniker, is a complex system that stores the force dissipated under braking and puts the extra power at the driver's disposal. Put simply, it's a push-to-pass button that allows drivers a temporary boost for around six seconds every lap – think of it as your own little Mushroom power-up to be used at will.

 

Realistic weather, accurate damage and fully customisable race strategy all feed into the game's realism, but the authenticity is also going to manifest itself in some more novel ways. Instead of delivering a slavish recreation of the television coverage, the game's aim is instead to mimic the driver's experience on a race weekend. That means no sassy remarks from Brundle or Legard, but instead commentary will come from the pit crew themselves – and some of F1's unsung stars could be playing a part. Rob Smedley, Felipe Massa's race engineer who's become a vocal presence in coverage of the sport over the past few years, has expressed an interest in lending his Northern tones to the game, as have several other notable Formula 1 personnel. [haha] "Felipe Baby" [/haha]

 

It's one example of Codemasters and Sumo trying to replicate some of the personality of the sport in the game: but will this be extended to mimicking some of each driver's traits in-game? Will Trulli's race pace fail to match the standard he lays down in qualifying? Will Vettel prove mercurial in the wet? And will Kazuki Nakajima spend most of his time frolicking in the gravel?

 

"We've definitely got the capabilities," says Walters. "The fact that the McLaren car last year was hard on its tyres – but that made it good in the wet and it handled better than the Ferrari did – we've got the ability to do that, and that's something we're looking to building in there. As to people being better at qualifying – that's still something to be confirmed."

 

Either way, Formula 1 2009 will definitely have the credentials to satiate the hardcore fans of the sport who have been left without an official game for over two years. But Codemasters has got its eye on the new audience that Formula 1 is drawing. Both the Wii and PSP are well placed to reap the benefit of a sport that's been rejuvenated by a new generation of heroes, the stultifying boredom of Michael Schumacher's metronomic dominance giving way to an exuberance personified by the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. The fact that this is Hamilton's videogame debut isn't lost on Codemasters, which is keen not to alienate the younger audience that the Briton's successes have attracted.

 

"We did a lot of focus groups and research before we embarked on this, and Formula 1 was a turn-off because they expected to spend an hour qualifying only to crash off a few laps into an 80 lap race," warns Wakelam, going on to express the importance of a game that can appeal across the vast spectrum of the sport's audience.

 

That calls for a game that inhabits the world of both simulation and arcade racing, with comprehensive driving aids facilitating both extremes as well as each and every degree in-between. Assists are available in the staple flavours, applicable to brakes, steering and traction control, but the twist comes in their implementation. The game will employ a system entitled 'Fair Race', an analytic that will tailor the driving model to the driver's skill, allowing father and son to compete on a balanced playing field.

 

Other modes will condense the F1 experience into more digestible elements; splitscreen gameplay on the Wii (and four-player ad-hoc wireless on the PSP) brings full multiplayer support, while a series of F1-themed challenges brings more bite-sized play. This extends to the inclusion of scenarios – so it's possible to take charge of Hamilton and try to recreate his last lap heroics from last year's Brazilian Grand Prix. For the longer game, a three year career mode will supplement a straight up run-through of the 2009 season, allowing players to guide their own driver from the back of the grid.

 

So Formula 1 2009 on Wii and PSP is looking like a serious prospect, but we can't help but be curious about next year's instalment that's to hit the more powerful platforms. Is what we've seen of Formula 1 2009 indicative of what to expect for 2010's game? "There is a longer term plan, but for now we just want to focus on this one," says Wakelam, although a single presentation slide outlines the direction that Formula 1 2010 is going to take. 'Be the Driver, Live the Life' is the slogan suggesting that the engaging career modes that have marked out Codemasters recent efforts such as GRID and DiRT will play a part in the game.

 

That game won't be out until the middle of 2010, but Formula 1 2009 looks like it's going to be more than just a stop-gap when it comes to Wii and PSP this Autumn.

 

formula-1-2009-preview-20090423015925703-000.jpg

 

formula-1-2009-preview-20090423015927766-000.jpg

 

formula-1-2009-preview-20090423015922344-000.jpg

 

 

Hope the Wii version ends up getting more polish than the PSP version.

 

However all the options sound REALLY good so far, and as it will be the ONLY home console version of the '09 season, I'll definately be getting this game/version!

 

Then I'll prob buy a PS3/360 and move on to the HD console for the game of the 2010 season!

Edited by Retro_Link

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Looking quite good so far, I think both 2009 and 2010 games will be day one purchases for me. Reading through the article it looks like both could be fantastic games.

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..well, I can't claim to be into F1 but I do enjoy racing games and those screens looks bland and boring :hmm:

 

I think I'll continue to stick to F1 World Grand prix on the N64 when I get the urge for some Formula One :heh:

 

F1WGP3--article_image.jpg

 

That game was great :yay:

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..well, I can't claim to be into F1 but I do enjoy racing games and those screens looks bland and boring :hmm:

 

I think I'll continue to stick to F1 World Grand prix on the N64 when I get the urge for some Formula One :heh:

 

F1WGP3--article_image.jpg

 

That game was great :yay:

 

Haha that game is epic :D Absolutely loved the way your race engineer would say 'Schumacher is 5 seconds infront of you....ONLY 5 LAPS LEFT!' and just as he says that you've overtaken him, brilliant.

 

Ah well up for a F1 game, haven't played one for a long time. Would LOVE to play it online aswell, would be great if you could compete in an online season. That said, I want it to be as Sim like a possible and not so arcady like GRID was.

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Why on earth put this out there when the season's at its end? Not to say that I'm not excited for this though, far from it.

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..well, I can't claim to be into F1 but I do enjoy racing games and those screens looks bland and boring :hmm:

 

So they've perfectly captured the spirit of F1 then...!

 

:santa:

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You Out! :heh:

 

Why on earth put this out there when the season's at its end? Not to say that I'm not excited for this though, far from it.

To get a game out for the '09 season and because it wont be ready until then!

Well it depends what they class as Autumn - September, October, November?

or Q3 'Autumn' - July, August, September.

 

Either way the season goes on until November so they'll be some time left.

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Don't know about anyone else but in my opinion, from those initial screenshots, this looks pretty bad. I mean MotoGP on the Wii bad. Capcom said it'd be all about the controls on that one yet it sucked badly in all departments. I'm hoping Codies will pull the finger out and stop the model/asset sharing between the Wii development and the PSP one because you can tell that what's shown in the screenshots is taken straight from the PSP version. Just lazy development if you ask me.

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Teaser Trailer:

 

 

 

Don't know about anyone else but in my opinion, from those initial screenshots, this looks pretty bad. I mean MotoGP on the Wii bad. Capcom said it'd be all about the controls on that one yet it sucked badly in all departments. I'm hoping Codies will pull the finger out and stop the model/asset sharing between the Wii development and the PSP one because you can tell that what's shown in the screenshots is taken straight from the PSP version. Just lazy development if you ask me.
Whether they are cross developing between Wii and PSP or not, I'd imagine the realistic physics, dynamic weather, accurate damage, all the modes, customisable features etc... are gonna take a lot out of the Wii anyways!

 

Heck they're putting the HD console back a season because they say there is SO much they have to do for this game and alot that they want to include.

Edited by Retro_Link

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:nono:

 

 

Looks aweful, just like what they've done with Grid 2!

 

Also looks like it might be slightly unrealistic, because that nose change pit stop seems finished after 8 sec!

 

And Valencia as a showcase for the game... please!!

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To be fair I don't think its that bad for a Wii game, I still don't understand why they're bothering to release it on there though.

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To be fair I don't think its that bad for a Wii game...

 

It is. That is very sorry looking for a Wii game imho. Just as Retro says above, it's the same as they did with Grid 2. Appalling.

 

The console might be a generation behind the Xbox 360/PS3 graphically, but no, there's no excuse for N64 quality graphics on it. It's frankly disrespectful to Wii gamers imo.

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To be fair I don't think its that bad for a Wii game' date=' I still don't understand why they're bothering to release it on there though.[/quote']Come on, surely the Wii is at least capable of matching Forza 1 on the original Xbox:

 

 

Or our old friend Burnout 2 on the Gamecube:

 

 

I'm appalled at what some developers are now getting away with on Wii!!

Sure Nintendo have fallen behind the HD consoles, but it's like no efforts being put in at all!!

Edited by Retro_Link

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OK I was probably a little quick to say it was ok, I guess thats become the quality I expect from the wii - worrying in itself.

 

I doubt expectations are too high for the Wii/PSP versions so probably a low dev budget has left them little room to create something of top quality here. Very questionable bothering with it in the first place.

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The problem with it is that it's clear, and has been clear from the start, that assets for both the Wii and PSP version were getting shared. Watching the video, it would seem that the PSP title is the lead format with everything being carried over to the Wii and getting little in the way of a touch up graphically. At least with something like DiRT 2 on the Wii you thought 'this looks crap' when you saw the screenshots but it actually turned out to look decent in motion. This hasn't changed and does look like a port of the PSP game.

 

Timing clearly hasn't been an issue with the development. I think the fact that the Wii version doesn't look great is because of pure lazy development.

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