Overview
Formula One Championship Edition is an official
Formula 1 racing simulation game based on the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship season featuring all 11 teams, 22 drivers and 18 race tracks.
The game was a
launch title for the
PlayStation 3 in Europe which was developed by
SCEE Studio Liverpool and released on February 27th 2007 in North America, the first F1 game to be released there since 2003. This is also the last exclusive PlayStation platform first party Formula 1 title to released by Sony Computer Entertainment after losing the rights to the F1 brand to
Codemasters in 2008. This release was the first and only time the F1 series has been released on the PlayStation 3 console up until the release of
Formula One 2010, the first F1 title from Codemasters.
The game is essentially an upgraded version of
Formula One 06 released on the
PlayStation 2 and
PSP in Europe and Japan. Although it uses the same base game released on the previous generation of consoles, it is optimized to take full advantage of the more powerful PlayStation 3 hardware to improve the graphics, visual effects, car damage, driver A.I. and adding in SIXAXIS support.
Although the game came out in early 2007, the driver roster was not updated to reflect the driver changes that took place in the 2006 season. An example of this is the Japanese Super Aguri driver Yuji Ide who lost his Super License which is required to compete in F1, was replaced after the first 4 races by Franck Montagny who was subsequently replaced by Sakon Yamamoto for the final 7 races.
Gameplay
The single-player Career mode starts the player out as an aspiring Formula 1 driver looking to get a permanent race seat by participating in a test session for one of three lower tier teams in the championship; Scuderia Torro Rosso, Midland F1 or Super Aguri.
Once the player completes the test successfully they are given the test driver role at the team, this role will let you test out different setup options for the car during the practice sessions. Doing a good job setting up the car will promote you to an actual race seat as the second driver allowing you to take part in the races. As a driver the player will be set with goals set by the team which need to be accomplished in order to retain your racing seat as a full time driver at the team.
The game features a wide range of driver aids and assists offering players of all skill levels to enjoy the Formula 1 racing experience and not feel completely overwhelmed by the game as well as offering difficulty settings for you to choose from. The assists range from a visible racing line that shows the optimum racing line to take on track and brake assist which automatically slows the car down when coming up to a corner.
Features
- 22 Drivers
- 18 Race Tracks
- 720p HD Native Resolution
- SIXAXIS Motion Support
- Driver Aids and Assists
- Interactive Pit Stops
- Simulated Car Damage
- Customizable Car Setup
- Dynamic Weather and Lighting Effects
- Improved Realistic A.I. System “Live Action Racing”
Cut Features
- Early on in the development of the game it was announced that the game would feature safety cars for the first time since Formula One 99, released on the original PlayStation and PC back in 1999. However this turned out to not be the case and it was decided to remove the safety car feature from the game.
- One of the more interesting features which was first revealed at E3 2006 was the ability to connect a PSP to the PS3 console via Wi-Fi and use it as a rear wing mirror, which streams the live feed of the track to the PSP screen. This connectivity feature was cut from the final retail version of the game and to this day has not been implemented in any game released on the PS3.
- On launch the game did not have rumble support for the DualShock 3 controllers and racing steering wheel controllers, which took away from the immersion of the Formula 1 racing experience. This was later addressed by the developer and updated into the game via a patch update in early 2008.
Gameplay Modes
Single Player
| Mode | Description |
|---|
Quick Race
| Lets you quickly start a single race immediately with any driver on any track without needing to setup the car or take part in qualifying. |
Time Trial
| This mode is a series of lap time challenges set at each race track with a Gold, Silver and Bronze medal awarded to the player for completing the lap within the timeframe given for each medal. Achieving medals at each track unlocks bonus cars to use solely in the Time Trial mode. |
Grand Prix Weekend
| This mode simulates a real life Grand Prix race weekend. First you will start off in practice to find the optimum setup for the car, next you will take part in qualifying to get the best race position on the grid and finally you start the actual Grand Prix race in the position you qualified earlier.
|
World Championship
| Allows you to race as one of the 22 drivers throughout the entire 2006 Formula 1 race calendar.
|
Career
| This puts you in the shoes of an up and coming Formula 1 driver looking to make a name for himself. You will start out as a rookie test driver for a small team and eventually make your way up to a full race seat for one of the big established teams on the grid. |
Multiplayer
| Mode | Description
|
|---|
Play Online
| The online multiplayer mode allows you to test your skill against other people and race with up to 11 players or a combination of both human players and A.I. controlled opponents, all racing together on one of 18 race tracks. |
Play LAN
| Allows you to hook up the PlayStation 3 system to a Local Area Network and play against other people that are connected to your local network. |
Extras
| Mode | Description |
|---|
Menus & Game Modes
| This contains information about the menu system and the game modes featured in the game. |
Learning Centre
| Learn everything there is to know about Formula 1 ranging from the teams & drivers to the car setup and much more. This section is divided into 5 parts.
- Part 1: Inside F1 - Contains information about the Formula 1 Season, Teams and Drivers, Circuits and the F1 Race Day.
- Part 2: Rules & Regulations - Contains information about the different Race Strategies and rules on the Flag system, Sportsmanlike Behavior and Penalties.
- Part 3: Race Like A Pro - Contains information on General Racing, Cornering, Overtaking, Driving Aids and other support.
- Part 4: Car Setup - Contains information on how to setup the handling balance, fuel load, tyres, optimize downforce and the brake settings.
- Part 5: The HUD - Contains information on what each on screen indicator means and how to customize the layout of the HUD to your liking.
|
| A-Z Glossary | The glossary contains helpful information on the various Formula 1 related terms that are used throughout the game. |
F1TV
| Mode | Description |
|---|
Replay Mode
| Allows you to watch any one of your previously saved replays.
|
Spectator Mode
| Allows you to setup an A.I. run race and watch it unfold like you would a televised Formula 1 race. |
Commentary
The race commentary in the game is provided by former Formula 1 racing driver Martin Brundle and racing journalist James Allen both of whom provided the race commentary for ITV F1 television coverage in the United Kingdom until 2008.
The Teams, Cars & Drivers
| Team | Car | Driver #1
| Driver #2
|
|---|
 Renault F1 Team |  Renault R26 | ![[1] Fernando Alonso](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==) [1] Fernando Alonso | [2] Giancarlo Fisichella |
| Team McLaren Mercedes | McLaren MP4-21 | [3] Kimi Räikkönen | [4] Juan Pablo Montoya |
| Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 248 F1 | [5] Michael Schumacher | [6] Felipe Massa |
| Toyota Racing | Toyota TF106 | [7] Ralf Schumacher | [8] Jarno Trulli |
| Williams F1 Team | Williams FW28 | [9] Mark Webber | [10] Nico Rosberg |
| Honda Racing F1 Team | Honda RA106 | [11] Rubens Barrichello | [12] Jenson Button |
| Red Bull Racing | Red Bull RB2 | [14] David Coulthard | [15] Christian Klien |
| BMW Sauber F1 Team | BMW Sauber F1.06 | [16] Nick Heidfeld | [17] Jacques Villeneuve |
| Midland F1 Racing | Midland M16 | [18] Tiago Monteiro | [19] Christijan Albers |
| Scuderia Torro Rosso | Torro Rosso STR1 | [20] Vitantonio Liuzzi | [21] Scott Speed |
| Super Aguri F1 Team | Super Aguri SA05 | [22] Takuma Sato | [23] Yuji Ide |
2006 Grand Prix Race Tracks
Unlockables
The game features bonus unlockables awarded by winning the Career or World Championship mode and by achieving the target times in the Time Trial mode. The unlockables range from a number of different historic Formula 1 cars which can only be used in Time Trial mode and the Jerez test track used by the F1 teams.
Jerez Test Track
To unlock the Jerez test track for use in Time Trial mode, you must first achieve a Gold medal in the Time Trial mode on each of the 18 racing circuits.
Historic Formula 1 Cars
| Car | Driver | How to unlock
|
|---|
| 1950 Alfa Romeo | [#6] (Juan-Manuel Fangio) | Win the Career mode or World Championship mode on any difficulty setting. |
| 1960 Cooper T51 | [#34] (Olivier Gendebien) | Available right from the start. |
| 1970 Lotus 49C | [#3] (Jochen Rindt) | Win any Quick Race on any difficulty setting. |
| 1973 Lotus 72E | [#2] (Ronnie Peterson) | Available right from the start. |
| 1978 Williams FW06 | [#27] (Alan Jones) | Get a bronze medal or better at every track in Time Trial mode. |
| 1979 Renault RS01 | [#15] (Jean-Pierre Jabouille) | Available right from the start. |
| 1996 Williams FW18 | [#5] (Damon Hill) | Get a silver medal or better at every track in Time Trial mode. |
Demo
The demo for the game was released on the PlayStation Network in late November 2006. The demo allows the player to race at one of the two following race tracks; the Italian Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit and the well known American Indianapolis Motor Speedway race track, home of the annual Indy 500 race.
The demo that was released in Europe differs from the rest of the world by offering two different race tracks which include; Circuit de Catalunya located in Spain and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada.
Log in to comment