''F1 2009'' is a

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 ...

based on the 2009 season of the

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 ...

motor racing series. It was released on the Wii and

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 200 ...

in 2009 on 16 November in North America, 19 November in the

PAL region The PAL region is a television publication territory that covers most of Europe and Africa, alongside parts of Asia, South America and Oceania. It is named PAL because of the PAL (Phase Alternating Line) television standard traditionally used i ...

and 20 November in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The game was also released on

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

on 14 December for £6.99. The

version was also available as a download from the

PlayStation Store The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The store offers a range of downloadable conte ...

from 16 November. This is the first game in Codemasters' F1 video game series upon acquiring the licensing rights for Formula One video games in 2008, with all subsequent sequels based on further F1 seasons released annually on non-Nintendo consoles and the PC. It eventually became the only F1 game to be available on the Wii and one of only two F1 games that Codemasters released for a Nintendo console, with the other one being the spin-off, ''

F1 Race Stars ''F1 Race Stars'' is a video game developed by Codemasters, released in November 2012. It is a kart racing game loosely based on the 2012 Formula One season, with circuits redesigned to feature loops, jumps and short-cuts. It is a spin-off fro ...

'', for the

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. Th ...

Development and features

''F1 2009'' marks the first time since

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted th ...

' ''F1 Challenge '99–'02'' that a Formula One game has been released on multiple platforms.

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

previously held the rights to F1 and released games only on their own consoles: PlayStation 2,

and

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

. The game engine is based on the Ego Engine that

Codemasters The Codemasters Software Company Limited (trade name: Codemasters) is a British video game developer based in Southam, England, which is a subsidiary of American corporation Electronic Arts. Founded by brothers Richard and David Darling in Octo ...

have used on past racing games ''

Dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a genera ...

'', '' Race Driver: Grid'' and '' Dirt 2''.

released limited bundles of ''F1 2009'' with Formula One-style wheels; the

Wii Remote The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact ...

slots into this. In addition to supporting

motion-controlled Motion control is a sub-field of automation, encompassing the systems or sub-systems involved in moving parts of machines in a controlled manner. Motion control systems are extensively used in a variety of fields for automation purposes, includi ...

steering and steering wheel peripherals like the standard

Wii Wheel The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact wit ...

, the Wii version also supports

analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analo ...

steering via either the Nunchuk or

Classic Controller The is a game controller produced by Nintendo for the Wii home video game console. While it later featured some compatibility with the Wii U console, the controller was ultimately succeeded by the Wii U Pro Controller. In April 2014, Ninten ...

. ''F1 2009'' features all the circuits that are on the 2009 calendar including the

Marina Bay Street Circuit The Marina Bay Street Circuit (otherwise known as the Singapore Street Circuit) is a street circuit around Marina Bay, Singapore, encompassing the planning areas of Downtown Core (Turns 4 to 23) and Kallang (Turns 1 to 3). It is the venue fo ...

for night racing and the new

Yas Marina Circuit The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is situated on Yas Island, near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Yas Marina ...

. The game only features the 20 drivers that started the

2009 Formula One season The 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 63rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 60th Formula One World Championship which was contested over 17 events commencing with the on 29 March and ending with the in ...

, and does not include the driver changes that were made during the season. There are 15 driver aids each switchable on and off for first time and experienced players, and in the multiplayer version, the level of help changes according to the player's skill, by using a "Fair Play" system. It features slick tyres, as well as the newly introduced KERS concept that functions like a turbo boost, although the game has the feature on all the cars, not just the few that actually used it in the motor racing series. There are several different gameplay modes: Quick Race, where players can choose from a multitude of options, from driver and track to damage and weather, Time Trial, where players compete to set the fastest lap possible by tuning car setups, a two-player split-screen mode on the Wii, and wireless multiplayer option on the PSP for up to four players. The game also offers the choices of playing through a whole Championship season, or taking part in a Grand Prix weekend. It includes the possibility of participating in all the practice sessions, qualifying and the race. A career mode, involving three seasons of the

Formula One World Championship 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, ...

, is also included. The game features technical settings for the player to change if desired, including aerodynamics, car balance, gear settings and suspension settings, wheel geometry, tyre compound and pressures, suspension spring rates, individual gear ratios, ride height and wing adjustments. About 70 smaller mini-game style challenges in "Challenge Mode" are also included.

Promotion

In August 2009,

released the first gameplay footage of ''F1 2009'' showing the Wii version at the

Valencia Street Circuit The Valencia Street Circuit ( ca-valencia, Circuit Urbà de València, es, Circuito Urbano de Valencia, links=no) was a street circuit in Valencia, Spain which hosted the Formula One European Grand Prix for five years (2008–2012). The first ...

. As the

calendar visited each track after Valencia,

released a video showing footage of the track: the

Autodromo Nazionale Monza The Monza Circuit ( it, Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, , National Automobile Racetrack of Monza) is a race track near the city of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. Built in 1922, it was the world's third purpose-built motor racing circuit after ...

, the

Suzuka Circuit The , more famously known as the , is a long motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Honda Mobilityland, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co, Ltd. It has a capacity of 155,000. Introduction Soich ...

, the

Autódromo José Carlos Pace The Autódromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos, is a motorsport circuit located in the city of São Paulo, in the neighborhood of Interlagos. It was inaugurated on 12 May 1940, by the federal intervener Adhemar de Barros. The tr ...

and the

were all shown, although the race held immediately after Valencia, the

Belgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix ( French: ''Grand Prix de Belgique''; Dutch: ''Grote Prijs van België''; German: ''Großer Preis von Belgien'') is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The first national race of ...

was missed out. The game features all the drivers and tracks from the 2009 season, but does not represent the replacement drivers that featured in the real F1 season, therefore

Luca Badoer Luca Badoer (born 25 January 1971) is an Italian former racing driver. Badoer has raced for the Scuderia Italia, Minardi, Forti and most recently, Ferrari teams. In addition to his racing duties, Badoer was one of the active test and reserve dri ...

Romain Grosjean Romain David Jeremie Grosjean (; born 17 April 1986) is a Swiss-French professional racing driver, competing under the French flag in the NTT IndyCar Series, driving the No. 28 Honda for Andretti Autosport. Grosjean had previously spent nin ...

Kamui Kobayashi is a Japanese professional racing driver who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) and in the Super Formula Championship for KCMG . He previously competed in Formula One, Formula E, the GP2 Series, and ...

Jaime Alguersuari Jaime Víctor Alguersuari Escudero (; born 23 March 1990), also known as Jaume Alguersuari (), and Squire is a Spanish DJ and retired racing driver best known for competing in Formula One between and , and for being the 2008 British Formula 3 ...

and

Vitantonio Liuzzi Vitantonio "Tonio" Liuzzi (born 6 August 1980) is an Italian professional racing driver who formerly raced in Formula One for the Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India and HRT teams. Karting Born in Locorotondo, BA, Apulia, Liuzzi, like many a ...

are not featured, although

Giancarlo Fisichella Giancarlo Fisichella (; born 14 January 1973), also known as Fisico, Giano or Fisi, is an Italian professional racing driver, also captain of the official ''Nazionale Piloti'' association football team (composed of the racing drivers). He has ...

who replaced

(substituting for the injured

Felipe Massa Felipe Massa (, born 25 April 1981) is a Brazilian racing driver. He competed in 15 seasons of Formula One between 2002 and 2017, where he scored 11 Grand Prix victories, 41 podiums and finished as championship runner-up in 2008 by one poi ...

) at Ferrari is featured in the

Force India Force India Formula One Team Limited, commonly known as Force India and later Sahara Force India, was a Formula One racing team and constructor based in Silverstone, United Kingdom, with an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 20 ...

team (although he had spent over half of the season driving for

anyway).

Reception

''F1 2009'' received generally mixed reviews from game critics, for both Wii and

versions. The graphics of the game were heavily criticised by reviewers:

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...

said that the textures were "murky" and the models "half-hearted", while the

Official Nintendo Magazine ''Official Nintendo Magazine'', or ''ONM'', was a British video game magazine that ran from 2006 to 2014 that covered the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U video game consoles released by Nintendo. Originally published by EMAP as ...

said that "visually it's a dog's dinner". ''GameZone'' continued the theme, saying that "the graphics... are super plain and are often ugly", and also commenting that the game "looks like it should have been released for the PSone".

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

said that the physics were "not up to scratch", also commenting that "your car will bounce off walls and other vehicles with little regard for what would happen in the real world". The AI was singled out as a failure of the game, with

calling it "underwhelming", while ''Eurogamer'' said that the computer-controlled cars followed the

racing line In motorsport, the racing line is the optimal path around a race course. In most cases, the line makes use of the entire width of the track to lengthen the radius of a turn: entering at the outside edge, touching the "apex"—a point on the insid ...

"too rigidly", commenting that "they appear just as likely to run into your gearbox as attempt to overtake you". The fact that the game contained only the 20 drivers that started the

, and did not take into account the driver changes that happened during the season, was another complaint. The sound was also criticised, with

calling it "uniformly poor". Critics gave much praise to ''F1 2009s gameplay and handling, however.

said that the "cars have a good sense of speed", and

commented that the game has "a handling model that's at once accessible, rewarding and – most importantly – fun", while also calling ''F1 2009'' a "driving game that's without compare on the Wii". VideoGamer.com also praised it, stating: "Racing in an F1 car should feel fast, dangerous and put you on the edge of your seat... This Wii simulation captures that feeling superbly, with a sense of speed that even genre rivals on more powerful hardware can't better". The

praised the gameplay as well, saying that the "handling is perfect and if you switch to the in-car cockpit view this is one of the most immersive racing experiences on the Wii". Reviewers also praised the "Challenge Mode" of the game; ''IGN'' strongly praised it on the PSP version, stating that "''F1 2009'' is best played in the Challenge Mode".

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...

summarised by saying: "This may not be the revolution the

Formula 1 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, ...

subgenre has been waiting for, but you're not likely to find many Wii owners complaining".

summarised the game by saying: "If you're looking for an arcade-style racer with a Formula 1 badge, then ''F1 2009'' may fit the bill and is likely to keep you busy for quite some time. Unfortunately, if you're looking for a game that captures the essence and challenge of the pinnacle of motorsport, you're going to be disappointed". ''GameZone'' recommended that customers play the game before they bought it, while

said that "for fans of the sport deprived of an F1 game for so many years this does just enough to satiate the thirst". VideoGamer.com looked forward to the game's sequel, ''

F1 2010 The 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 64th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. Red Bull Racing won its maiden Constructors' Championship with a 1–2 finish in Brazil, while Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the ...

'', to be released on

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

and PC, stating that "there's undoubtedly something better coming next year, on platforms that can do the sport justice". VideoGamer.com summarised the general consensus: "This is a perfectly competent racer, one of the best on the Wii, but it's not a classic by any stretch of the imagination".

References

External links