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Among foreign phenomena that haven't caught on in America, F1 racing sits somewhere between Bollywood films and fried octopus balls. However, with the current dearth of PlayStation 3 titles, gamers are more than ready to welcome a next-gen variation on Pole Position with arms wide open.

Audience of (F)1

F1 Championship Edition is very much a Formula One simulation -- complete with all the teams, drivers, season races, and meticulous tweaking its diehard fans would expect. Career mode will be the shining star for those in search of realism, while turning off the majority of the gaming populace. It's a land of penalties for "un-sportsman-like" conduct, endless testing to evolve gear ratios or downforce, and crashes that take you out of the entire race. Before a Grand Prix event, you'll have to go through three tiers of qualifications -- not to mention practices and test runs. Simply joining a team is a matter of overcoming a difficult lap challenge. If all of this fits you like a pebble in a tire tread, then break every traffic law to go buy this game.

The rest of us (i.e. the vast majority) will be put off by the anal-retentive attention to detail. Fortunately, what's left after career mode is more general race-fan friendly. In both quick race and championship mode, you'll find a host of options to tune the racing to your specifications. Driver aids like automatic braking and onscreen lines keep you from screwing up too much, and can be removed as your skills improve. Multiplayer is limited to online or LAN and is missing a deep mode, but it's still one of the better online experiences on the platform so far.

Wheel Racing

F1's play is pretty darn tight. The low-sitting cars leave you almost skating along the track, which provides ample challenge without the frustration of a motorcycle race, for example. If you're not on your game, you'll find yourself spinning out and losing valuable seconds. Having a field of 22 racers on one track is a recipe for drama and carnage. Unfortunately, the game seems to be trying to keep you from enjoying yourself and cutting loose -- again, the abundance of penalties is a buzz-kill, and crash consequences will make you turn off the impressive vehicle damage. Still, the sense of speed is there, and the AI will give you a run for your money. Interactive pit stops are also a nice touch.

Default controls more than suffice; but thrillseekers can also utilize the SixAxis controller's motion control. It's a nice novelty and the sensitivity is as good as it could be, even if it's no substitute for a steering wheel -- of which F1 supports more than you knew existed. This is one of the first PS3 games that will leave you genuinely missing a rumble feature. Sadly, careening into trackside gravel just isn't the same.

Earful of Speed

F1 Championship Edition definitely looks great. Vehicles are painstakingly modeled and speed smoothly down the tracks. Each camera angle has its advantages, to the point where you'll experiment with all six. A lack of replay makes no sense, seeing as every PS3 has a hard drive for just such occasion. Load times are a little long, too -- but at least you can learn awesome trivia like how Ralf Shumacher took 6th place in 2005! Pull that one out at your next party or AA meeting, and watch faces light up.

The audio is not so impressive, mainly because the car engine sounds are unappealing. Realistic as they may be, it still sounds like a chorus of chainsaws. Voiceovers are helpful in giving info without making you take your eyes off the road, but music is nonexistent.

Wave the Flag

F1 is a good racing game -- great if you actually love the license -- that could have been a lot more. It seems more focused on appealing to actual F1 drivers than actual gamers. And guess what? We outnumber those guys by a large margin. The tweaking and decent gameplay salvages things, but the caps the game's developers put on things leaves you struggling to have fun instead of it coming naturally. Tony Hawk proves you can simulate and sensationalize at the same time. Too bad F1 Championship Edition is too much of the former, not enough of the latter.

Article by: Justin Leeper
Video produced by: Jonathan Solin