''Formula One 06'' (also known as ''Formula One 2006 Portable'' for

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 Japan) 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 Studio Liverpool and published by

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...

for PlayStation 2 and

. It is a sequel to the

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...

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 One 05 ''Formula One 05'' is a racing video game developed by Studio Liverpool and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for PlayStation 2. It is a sequel to the 2004 video game '' Formula One 04'' and was based on the 2005 Formula One ...

'' and was based on the

2006 Formula One World Championship The 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 60th season of Formula One motor racing. It featured the 57th Formula One World Championship which began on 12 March and ended on 22 October after eighteen races. The Drivers' Championshi ...

Summary

The game continues the tradition of a career mode, an option in place since the 2004 game. ''Formula One 06'' uses the previous F1 game engine but with minor modifications (team and driver select with team mode has a team logo). This is also the last game in the Formula One series to be released on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. In

career mode Career mode is a video game term referring to the mode of gameplay that involves taking control of a single character and guiding the character through a structured career. The mode is normally associated with sports games, where it is referred to ...

, the player begins their career with either Super Aguri, Toro Rosso or Midland F1. Their position within the team, either a test driver; second driver or first driver, depends on how well the player performs during the trial sessions, and thereafter. The test sessions are either held at the

Circuit de Catalunya The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya () is a motorsport race track in Montmeló, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is seen as an all-rounder circuit. The track has stands ...

;

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and B ...

Magny-Cours Magny-Cours () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. It is the home of the ''Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours'', a famous motor racing circuit (whose name is often abbreviated to 'Magny-Cours'). It formerly hosted the Formula On ...

circuits and can also be played out in either dry or wet conditions. The game is based on the early 2006 Formula One World Championship. Hence,

Yuji Ide (born 21 January 1975) is a Japanese racing driver. He is the 2005 Formula Nippon runner-up and the 2010 Suzuka 1000km winner. He competed in Formula One with the Super Aguri team in 2006, but was demoted to third driver after four races and ...

drives for Super Aguri when in reality he lost his super licence just 4 races into the '06 Formula One World Championship, and

Franck Montagny Franck Montagny (born 5 January 1978) is a retired French professional racing driver. He briefly raced for the Super Aguri Formula One team in 2006. Early career Born in Feurs, Loire, Montagny started racing karts there in 1988, winning the c ...

, then later

Sakon Yamamoto is a Japanese racing driver turned politician. He competed in 21 Formula One Grands Prix during the , 2007 and 2010 seasons. Before Formula One Yamamoto was born in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture. He began his racing career in 1994 at the Suzuka ...

took his seat. Other minor changes throughout the real 2006 Formula One World Championship are also not represented, therefore

Pedro de la Rosa Pedro Martínez de la Rosa (; born 24 February 1971) is a Spanish former Formula One driver who has participated in 107 Grands Prix for the Arrows, Jaguar, McLaren, Sauber and HRT teams. He made his Formula One debut on 7 March 1999, becomin ...

Robert Kubica Robert Józef Kubica (; born 7 December 1984) is a Polish racing and rally driver. He was the first and, , the only Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test d ...

. Robert Doornbos, Franck Montagny and Sakon Yamamoto are not featured. Also, the

Midland Midland may refer to: Places Australia * Midland, Western Australia Canada * Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick * Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick * Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador * Midland, Ontario India * Midland Ward, Kohima, Nagal ...

team are not re-branded as Spyker in later Grands Prix in the game. The trial sessions vary from completing one "Flying Lap" to ten laps to beat the Target Time. Also, this target time can be an "Accumulative Target Time" where the player has four or three laps in which to consistently post fast times. The fastest laps are then added together and then compared to the Accumulative Target Time. The player's career lasts a total of five Grand Prix seasons, in which they attempt to become a World Champion. This will most likely happen with the most competitive teams, e.g.

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...

, Ferrari,

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

. In addition, certain prizes can be unlocked once certain criteria have been fulfilled, e.g. winning a grand prix, and unlocking an award such as the test track,

Jerez Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cádiz Mountains. , the c ...

. A trophy cabinet section is also featured so players can view the trophies they have won in different Grands Prix, or in the world championship. The F1 car that a player won the championship with is also displayed. The game also features the new knockout qualifying system, introduced at the start of the

, with three qualifying sessions. Other new additions include the formation lap and a much more competitive AI from previous F1 games in the series. The game also features the V8 engine sound for the first time except for the Scuderia Toro Rosso STR1 V10 engine sound. The new heavy damage system is also included with puncture, front-wing and nose damage. Rear wing damage and wheels off are included during gameplay. Net Play was removed just before the release of the game. It was promised that for the first time the ability to race cross-platform would be possible, allowing PSP players to take on PS2 players, but this did not happen. Studio Liverpool cited time restraints as a reason for this. Also, due to time restraints, ''F1 07'' was cancelled due to the release of ''

Formula One Championship Edition ''Formula One Championship Edition'' is a racing video game developed by Studio Liverpool and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for PlayStation 3. Background The game follows the basic structure of '' Formula One 06'' for th ...

'' (

PS3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...

Classic cars

It was possible to unlock a small selection of classic cars during gameplay, which could be driven in time trial mode. The classic cars available were:

Reception

The game received "average" reviews on both platforms according to the

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website

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. In Japan, ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the ...

'' gave it a score of 31 out of 40 for the PlayStation 2 version, and 28 out of 40 for the PSP version.

References

External links