F1 2009 (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

After years of releases on all major home consoles before becoming a Sony exclusive, the F1 franchise went on a hiatus due to changes in developers which occurred over the last couple of years. Thankfully, the F1 series of racing games are finally making a return to the consoles this year thanks in large to Codemasters picking up the rights to the franchise. With this year's game taking pride of place on the Wii as the only home console to receive an iteration until next year's title, hopes were high that this could bring about a sterling return to form for the franchise and provide some much needed, high octane racing on the Wii.

Gameplay

F1 2009 brings a return of the sport in the simulation form, albeit one that isn't quite as fully realised as hoped. From the main menu, you have access to a good selection of modes to fill your racing needs. There is of course the obligatory Quick Race option for those who don't have a significant amount of time to play the game, allowing you to jump into a race on any of the available circuits and as any of the available 20 drivers while fine tuning the options for laps, tire wear and fuel usage, amongst many other things to your want. If you have a bit more time, the Grand Prix Weekend mode allows you to take part in all aspects of a traditional race weekend from the Friday practise sessions to the multi-layered qualifying session to the eventual race, all the while allowing you to fine tune your car's setup to find something that better suits your racing style. This is something which carries over to some of the game's more substantial modes, of which there are two of great lengths.

Firstly, you have the championship mode allowing you to take part in a single world championship season of the sport by taking control of one of the drivers and taking to the full season of circuits to try and win the world championship. It provides a substantial amount of content for you to take part in the single season but once done, you'll be taken back to the main menu with all notion of your done championship done besides the memories you have of it. Luckily, there is a much more fleshed out option in the Career mode whereby you take your created profile through 3 seasons, acquiring a drive for one of the lower teams and trying to work your way up to the top. It's great and provides you with some continual content to come back to in the single player realm. Your final, major offering in terms of modes is the challenge mode where you'll have to take part in a series of challenges centred on different themes, such as time trials, checkpoint or scenarios with many more awaiting you in the game. Each of these has to be unlocked progressively and you're graded depending on your performance throughout each of them. It's a nice alternative to the main racing types giving you short snippets of gameplay that vary enough to keep you entertained. But of course, it wouldn't be a racing game without multiplayer and F1 2009 provides some good content in that form allowing up to two players to play against one another in split screen races, challenges or even in a full championship which is a very nice touch.

So the game has the modes but where it really matters is the driving and luckily, the developers have managed to create a robust experience that works extremely well. During many of the game's modes you have access to tuning tools for the cars you'll drive and this slight customisation allows you to tailor the gameplay to your wanted driving style. As a result of this, the racing, which comes with a selection of difficulty settings, feels tight and realistic, meaning that if you get the right line and braking you'll be able to drive seamlessly around the circuits but miss the braking zone and you'll run wide or even off track in a realistic fashion, and will really push your skills to the test as the AI puts up a good fight for positions.

Controls

F1 2009 offers you 3 types of control method and all work extremely well. You can use the Wii-mote on its own, with or without the complimentary plastic shell steering wheel which comes with the game, using motion to steer and it's surprisingly robust, working far better than it does in many other racers that have employed the setup on the console with it never feeling difficult to take a corner at high speed. Using the shell does feel natural but due to having to use the 1 and 2 buttons for braking and acceleration respectively, extensive play can lead to cramps. You can also use the Wii-mote in conjunction with the Nunchuk or the Classic Controller and both of these setups work equally as well. No one setup is better than the other as they all work as they should but using the Wii-mote on its own feels the most natural and most intuitive.

Graphics

Having initially been announced as a Wii only title before being announced for other consoles, it's clear that assets have been shared as the game doesn't take many inroads to utilising the full capacity of the Wii's power. Car models are decent enough in design, all looking as they should do, as do the tracks, with all circuits from this year's calendar being recreated faithfully as far as their layouts. But there is a lack of attention to detail in all areas throughout, with muddy textures and just a general lack of detail to models, such as the pit lane paddock, the scenery and some of the design work on the cars. And it's not as though you have to look hard to see these issues as they are very apparent the entire time while driving, even at full speed. But these issues don't, in the long run, hamper the game much as you'll start to move your attention elsewhere, specifically to the racing which is thankfully great. A smooth frame rate is maintained for most of the game but it does dip, quite drastically at times, when you turn to view the paddock or any substantial buildings that make up the scenery.

Sound

The game is accompanied by a single piece of music which punctuates the menus. It holds no relevance to the sport or the overall gameplay and does become a little tiresome after hearing it for the twentieth time. There is, unfortunately, no commentary whatsoever throughout any of the race weekends you'll drive in the championship and career mode options. It's not a big deal but it would have been nice to hear about some of the action taking place behind or in front of your car through some commentary. The only things you'll hear while driving are your engineer, whose voice will grate as the same things become repeated or only slightly changed from the normal, and your car's engine, which is recreated to a standard that's close enough to the real thing. The use of the KERS system, regardless of which car you're driving, makes a noise that wouldn't be out of place in a sci-fi type game and doesn't really fit the premise of an F1 racing title. But because the developers wanted to give some feedback for the KERS being used, other than a small visual cue, it fits its purpose well enough.

Final comments

After a short break, F1 is finally back on the consoles but the end result might not be as fulfilling as many would have hoped. There are some significant drawbacks in the key areas such as graphics and sound but where it really matters is the racing and F1 2009 handles it exceptionally well. There are a decent slew of modes to sink your teeth into, some of which will provide you with months of entertainment and throughout all of these the driving maintains its high standard thanks to expertly done gameplay and fantastic controls. It might look more like a set of foundations but if subsequent years maintain this level of gameplay and controls and simply fix the other areas, the Wii is in for some great racing games in the near future.

Pro: Excellent handling accompanying some fantastic gameplay, plenty of modes on offer, split screen multiplayer is good
Con: Graphics aren't of the highest standard, frame rate issues, lack of commentary
Final score: 7.6

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