The Formula One racing season has turned into a damp squib with Michael Schumacher winning the championship title in record time and Ferrari winning the constructor`s title. Enthusiasts are left to wonder just who can stop the Italian team`s dominance of the sport.
Not only is this a ridiculously expensive pastime (some steering wheels are worth more than a fleet of cars), it is also difficult for the uninitiated to understand the fascination some people have with watching cars going around in circles for nearly two hours.
Computer games dealing with Formula One racing are almost as plentiful as the number of times Juan Pablo Montoya threw away perfectly good pole positions this season. Barring a few exceptions, these games focus on the arcade side of racing. Even the ones which combine simulation with arcade play do not give fans adequate room to modify their racing cars.
For people who have never played an EA Sports game, bear in mind that the company is one of the best developers of sporting titles. Its games have earned a reputation for combining good game play with realistic graphics and (barring their cricket and rugby titles) contain almost all of the nuances of the different sporting codes.
F1 2002 is no exception. EA has secured the rights to the 11 teams (including debutants Renault and Toyota) and their drivers for the current racing season. The game also features the redesigned Hockenheim track.
The first time you play F1 2002 you have to choose a team, driver and nationality (SA is included) and then you are ready to go racing. There are five game modes to choose from: driving school, test day, race, championship and multiplayer.
The driving school gives you the chance to get to know the play dynamics. You can select either a Minardi or an Arrows to train in. There are seven track options, including Monza and Indianapolis, with a brief description of each. Like most driving schools, you have to pass each test before you can move on to the next one. Essentially, you need to finish a sector of a track or a lap within the specified time.
A very useful feature in the training school is the addition of driving school aids. These show you everything from the correct racing line to the braking and acceleration points.
Next up is the test day. These test days work like the ones in real life, enabling you to fine tune your car to best suit the specific conditions of the selected track. You can also specify the weather conditions to get a feel for different track conditions.
The race game mode takes the form of a typical racing weekend with four practice sessions, qualifying, a warm-up session and the race itself. Again, you can specify which sessions you want enabled and start directly with the race if you are pressed for time.
To truly experience what racing is all about, it is advisable that you go for the full weekend. There is a certain thrill when setting a good time and then seeing some of the other drivers go out to beat it. With the excellent car modification features of the game, you can go back to the drawing board and see how you can shave those precious milliseconds off your lap time.
The championship mode enables you to race a full season and fight it out with David Coulthard, Michael Schumacher and friends for valuable points.
F1 2002 offers the player a good combination of arcade style racing with simulation elements thrown in for good measure. Just sitting around modifying your car can turn out to be almost as much fun as racing. The user can literally change any setting on the car from shortening the gears to increasing the brake bias to prevent oversteering.
This is definitely a must-have for anyone who wants a decent racing simulator. While you can race with your keyboard, a force feedback steering wheel and pedals are a must if you truly want to experience the speed and control of Formula One racing. The graphics are beautifully done and the sound is suitably realistic with the screech of the tyres and the roar of the engines almost deafening at times. F1 2002 should prove to be a favourite among racing fans for some time to come.
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