''Formula 1 98'' is a

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...

developed by Visual Science and published by

Psygnosis Psygnosis Limited (known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999) was a British video game developer and publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984 by Ian Hetherington, Jonathan Elli ...

exclusively for

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...

. It is the

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the sam ...

to the

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

Formula 1 97 ''Formula 1 97'' (known as ''Formula 1 Championship Edition'' in North America) is a racing video game developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Psygnosis for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to the 1996 video game ''For ...

'' and was based on the

1998 Formula One World Championship The 1998 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 52nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1998 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1998 Formula One World Championship for Constructors, which were contest ...

Overview

Following the departure of Bizarre Creations, Psygnosis offered

Reflections Interactive Ubisoft Reflections Limited (formerly Reflections and later Reflections Interactive Limited) is a British video game developer and a studio of Ubisoft based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Founded in 1984 by Martin Edmondson and Nicholas Chamberlain, th ...

the chance to develop ''Formula 1 98'', but they pulled out to make '' Driver''. Visual Science were hired to make the game. The game was then rushed for release to coincide with the final race of the 1998 Formula One World Championship. As a result of this, the game ended up being very poorly-received by various gaming publications. Despite this, the game was a best-seller in the UK.

Circuits

The game features 16 official

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...

circuits based on the

plus 2 hidden tracks which can be accessed with cheat codes. One is based upon a Hippodrome, although it says "Coloseum" in the selection screen and the other one is a Stunttrack.

Teams and drivers

The game features all of the official teams and drivers that competed in the 1998 Formula One World Championship, although like with its predecessor, ''

'',

Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve ( born 9 April 1971) is a Canadian professional racing driver and amateur musician who won the 1997 Formula One World Championship with Williams. In addition to Formula One (F1) he has competed in various o ...

's name and image are not featured due to him copyrighting both. The game refers to him as 'Williams Driver 1'.

Reception

The game received "average" reviews according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

. ''PlayStation Power'' gave it a review of 69%, noting that "Psygnosis have managed to cock up the one uncockupable licence on the PlayStation" and that it was far worse than both '' F1 '97'' and the original F1 game on the PlayStation. In February 1999, ''Formula 1 98'' received a "Platinum" sales award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD), indicating sales of at least 200,000 units across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

References

External links

* {{F1 games 1998 video games Formula One video games Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation (console)-only games Video game sequels Psygnosis games Video games developed in the United Kingdom