EA Sports F1 2001

Last updated
F1 2001
EA Sports F1 2001 PS2 Cover.jpg
Developer(s) Image Space Incorporated (PC)
EA UK (PS2 & Xbox)
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Series F1
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows & PlayStation 2
  • NA: 2 October 2001 [1]
  • EU: 5 October 2001
Xbox
  • NA: 19 November 2001
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

F1 2001 is a racing video game developed by Image Space Incorporated for the Microsoft Windows version and EA UK for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox version and published by EA Sports for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is based on the 2001 Formula One season. A port for GameCube was planned, but cancelled for unknown reasons, and eventually released with minor changes as F1 2002 . [2] A Game Boy Color version was also cancelled during development.

Contents

The gameplay focuses on a new training mode which allows players to improve their skills and eventually be able to unlock new modes as the progress of training is made.

F1 2001 was well received by critics and received a nomination from GameSpot for their Driving Game of the Year.

Gameplay

Gameplay of the Xbox Version EA Sports F1 2001 Screenshot 1.jpg
Gameplay of the Xbox Version

The game features the 17 tracks and a select choice of 22 drivers who competed in the 2001 season. The modes feature the quick race format where the player gains points to access the 17 Tracks. The premiere mode of the game is called "Grand Prix" which includes five distinct modes of gameplay including: a full championship season with all the 17 rounds of the 2001 season that includes the Practice and Qualifying sessions along with the Race itself, a single race weekend, a custom championship where the player chooses how many rounds he/she chooses to compete, a teammate challenge where the player must defeat every teammate in all the 11 teams, and a domination mode where the player must win every round of the championship without conceding defeat.[ citation needed ]

For the first time in a Formula One game, there is a training mode where players may hone their skills on the track. Such training includes: practice race starts, driving the car with manual gears, learning how to drive in changeable conditions such as rain, the handling of various types of corners such as a Chicane, how to deal with various types of damage sustained to the car and practice pit stops for the player to find out the time it takes to get into the pit lane to take on fuel and new tires before returning to the circuit. This game is unique as the more challenges are completed, the more game modes are unlocked in Grand Prix mode. This format is similar to the license tests in Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec . [3]

Other features in the game are Team Radio, which helps the player with feedback from the driver's race engineer, a replay mode, which allows anyone to go back and view key moments within a limited amount of time, the inclusion of the official FIA rules and regulations, and the ability of all the cars to be fine-tuned as in previous games such as F1 2000 .

Development

The developers had collaborated with insiders who worked for BAR to help capture the essence of real life Formula One racing who provided real-life motion captures, a feedback from key members of the race teams which became part of the game. [3] The executive producer for the game John Rostron said that "they wanted to stretch the boundaries of motor sports gaming and shake up the racing genre all together". [4] The game utilizes the same engine used in F1 Championship Season 2000 . The developers made alterations to the physics model of the cars to make the cars to make them react better to minor collisions and changes in the track surface. For track modelling, the reflections from buildings situated around the circuits were designed to be more realistic. The shadow code was rewritten allowing increased contrast to the shadows of objects. A new dynamic shadow system was added to move the location of a shadow which was dependent on the sun's position for weather changes. [5] One major problem discovered upon release was that the graphics on the PC version would become distorted if newer computer drivers were used, thus rendering the game unplayable. [6] EA Sports released a patch to combat the graphics issue along with fixes in compatibility in video cards. [7] A port was planned for the Game Boy Color but was cancelled before release. [8]

Promotion

Between 16 and 19 July 2001, EA held an event at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza race track that saw Ricardo Zonta race against the game's producers. On 25 July another event called Camp EA 2001 held at Redwood Shores featured all of the latest games including F1 2001 on display. IGN viewed a demo of the game at the event and praised the game for its smooth quality and fun playing style which was down to some of the developers who had worked on Quake III Arena . [3] As a sign of good faith, BAR carried the EA Sports logo on their cars at the 2001 United States Grand Prix and 2001 Japanese Grand Prix. [9] The Xbox version debuted at a pre-ECTS event in September 2001. [10]

Teams and drivers

All teams and drivers are based on the 2001 Formula One season teams and drivers lineup. Pedro de la Rosa is featured in this game, but was not featured in the PS1 and European PS2 versions of Formula One 2001 and F1 Career Challenge for the 2001 season mode.

Soundtrack

The game included the songs Sunstroke, The Drive Home and a remix of Nagasaki Badger by Chicane which are played on the main menu screens.

Reception

The game received "favourable" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [11] [12] [13] In Japan, where the PlayStation 2 version was ported for release on 20 September 2001, Famitsu gave it a score of 28 out of 40. [17]

Peer Schneieder of IGN called the Xbox version "a barely enhanced but still enjoyable Formula One racing experience". [28] Ralph Edwards noted in the PS2 review that Formula One games were a "hard sell in the United States" but praised Electronic Arts commitment to appeal to Formula One enthusiasts. [27] GameSpot nominated the game as one of its nominees for Driving Game of the Year for 2001. [32] Olivier Panis tested the game at the 2001 Japanese Grand Prix and commented that the game was close to real life Formula One Racing. [33] In May 2012, the game along with the rest of the EA F1 series was rated the 4th greatest Formula One gaming series by readers of the website RaceFans winning 8% of the vote. [34]

Related Research Articles

<i>Madden NFL 2003</i> 2002 video game

Madden NFL 2003 is an American football simulation video game based on the NFL that was developed by EA Tiburon and Budcat Creations and published by EA Sports. The 14th installment of the Madden NFL series, the game features former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk on the cover. This edition of Madden was the first to have EA Trax, the Mini Camp mode, and to feature Al Michaels as play-by-play announcer, who took over for Pat Summerall. Although it featured the expansion Houston Texans and the relocation of the Seattle Seahawks to the NFC, it was actually the second to do so. The game was released on August 12, 2002, for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The PlayStation version also includes the Sega Genesis version of John Madden Football 93.

<i>Madden NFL 2002</i> 2001 video game

Madden NFL 2002 is an American football video game. It features former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper on the cover. Pat Summerall and John Madden are the commentators. The Madden NFL 2002 commercial first aired during Super Bowl XXXVI, three days after Madden NFL 2002 started selling in Japan. Notably, it does not feature the Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, who is included on later editions of the game as a roster update. It is also the first game to be developed by Budcat Creations.

<i>NFL 2K2</i> 2001 video game

NFL 2K2 is a 2001 video game for Dreamcast by Sega and developed by Visual Concepts. It is the last game for the Sega Dreamcast in the series after being discontinued before Sega shifted to a third party publisher. Because of this shift, it was released later for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is also the first Xbox game published by Sega, and the last game in the NFL 2K series to feature Randy Moss as a cover athlete.

<i>Formula One 99</i> 1999 video game

Formula One 99 is a racing video game developed by Studio 33 and published by Psygnosis for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to the 1998 video game Formula 1 98 and was based on the 1999 Formula One World Championship.

<i>Formula One 2001</i> (video game) 2001 video game

Formula One 2001 is a racing video game developed by Studio 33 and Studio Liverpool and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. The PlayStation 2 version was released in North America by 989 Sports. It is a sequel to Formula One 2000 and was based on the 2001 Formula One World Championship. This is the last game to be released in North America until Formula One Championship Edition.

<i>Battle Engine Aquila</i> 2003 video game

Battle Engine Aquila is a 2003 video game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox developed by Lost Toys and published by Infogrames Europe. In the game the player pilots the Battle Engine for the Forseti military in their wars against the Muspell to decide who will rule what's left of the world. Battle Engine Aquila received little attention from the public despite overall good reviews from critics. It was listed as #86 in the Top 100 Games for PlayStation 2 by IGN. A later Microsoft Windows port was published by Encore Software.

<i>NASCAR Thunder 2003</i> 2003 Racing simulator video game developed by EA Sports and Budcat Creations

NASCAR Thunder 2003 is the sixth edition of the EA Sports' NASCAR racing simulator series. Developed by EA Tiburon and Budcat Creations and published by EA Sports. It was released for PlayStation, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox on September 18, 2002, and for Microsoft Windows on October 21. The product features Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the cover. It was the first time the NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award recipient was featured on the cover, although he did not win the award for the first time until the following year. Dale Earnhardt appeared in the game as a driver as a result of entering his name as a Create-A-Car driver's name; he did not appear in the previous game due to his death. He appeared as a legend in subsequent games.

<i>F-1 World Grand Prix</i> 1998 video game

F-1 World Grand Prix, developed by Paradigm Entertainment, is a Formula One racing game/sim first released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64 game console and to later platforms including the Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, Sony PlayStation, and Game Boy Color. The Nintendo 64 version is based on the 1997 Formula One season, featuring each of the 17 circuits from the season and all 22 drivers, with the exceptions of Jacques Villeneuve and the MasterCard Lola team.

<i>NASCAR Thunder 2002</i> 2001 video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports

NASCAR Thunder 2002 is a 2001 racing simulator video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports that came out for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. It is the fifth game in the EA Sports NASCAR series of video games following NASCAR 2001, and is the first of the series to have a new title.

<i>Splashdown</i> (video game) 2001 video game

Splashdown is a water racing video game developed by Rainbow Studios and published by Infogrames originally for the PlayStation 2 and was later ported to the Xbox. It was released under the Atari brand name.

<i>Test Drive: Off-Road Wide Open</i> 2001 video game

Test Drive: Off-Road: Wide Open is a racing video game developed by Angel Studios and published by Infogrames for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is the first game in the Test Drive series to be developed for the sixth generation of gaming systems, and the fourth and final installment of the Off-Road series. Trucks from General Motors make a full return as playable vehicles after being sort of absent in Test Drive: Off-Road 3.

<i>TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed</i> 2002 racing video game

TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed is a racing video game developed by Pitbull Syndicate and published by Infogrames for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Windows.

<i>NFL Blitz 2002</i> 2001 video game

NFL Blitz 2002 is a video game published by Midway for Game Boy Advance in 2001, and for GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2002.

<i>F1 2000</i> (video game) 2000 video game

F1 2000 is a racing video game developed by Visual Science for the PlayStation version and Image Space Incorporated for the Microsoft Windows version and published by EA Sports for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It is based on the 2000 Formula One season. F1 2000 was the last Visual Science F1 game to appear on the PlayStation. With an official FIA Formula One license, it includes the full 2000 World Championship season, including the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Jaguar Racing team.

<i>F1 Championship Season 2000</i> 2000 video game

F1 Championship Season 2000 is a racing video game based on the 2000 Formula One season, and was released by EA Sports for PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Color, and Mac OS X.

<i>IndyCar Series</i> (video game) 2003 video game

IndyCar Series is a racing simulator developed by Brain in a Jar and published by Codemasters. The game was released in 2003 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Windows. The game is based on the 2002 Indy Racing League. A sequel to the game, IndyCar Series 2005, was released in 2004 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Windows based on the 2003 IndyCar Series.

<i>MotoGP: Ultimate Racing Technology</i> 2002 video game

MotoGP: Ultimate Racing Technology, known in the United States as simply MotoGP, is a Grand Prix motorcycle racing video game for Game Boy Advance, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, mobile phones, and N-Gage. It is based on the 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season.

F1 is a racing video game series by Codemasters under the EA Sports banner since 2021. The series holds the official license of the FIA Formula One World Championship, with the FIA Formula 2 Championship available since the 2019 game. A total of twenty-two games have been released to date, with the series' latest installment, F1 24, released in May 2024.

<i>ESPN NFL PrimeTime 2002</i> 2001 video game

ESPN NFL PrimeTime 2002 is a sports video game developed by Farsight Technologies and published by Konami for PlayStation 2 in 2001, and for Xbox and Windows in 2002.

References

  1. Walker, Trey (28 September 2001). "EA ships F1 2001, sponsors Formula 1 racing team". GameSpot . Retrieved 28 September 2001.
  2. Schneider, Peer (2002-07-01). "F1 2002 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  3. 1 2 3 IGN staff (26 July 2001). "F1 2001 (Preview)". IGN . Ziff Davis . Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  4. "Electronic Arts ships F1 2001 for the PlayStation 2 and PC-CD". MobyGames . Blue Flame Labs. 3 October 2001. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  5. Petri. "F1 2001 PlayStation 2 Interview". F1Gamers.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007.
  6. Kosh, Bryan (25 March 2002). "F1 2001 Review". GamingExcellence.
  7. "F1 2001 News". EA Sports . Archived from the original on 27 January 2002.
  8. "F1 2001 [Canceled] (GBC) - Overview". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  9. "EA Sports Takes to the Track; EA Sports Sponsors British American Racing Formula One Team at US Grand Prix". Business Wire . 28 September 2001. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  10. GameSpot staff (3 September 2001). "ECTS 2001 New Media: F1 2001 [date mislabeled as "September 4, 2001"]". GameSpot . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  11. 1 2 "F1 2001 for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive.
  12. 1 2 "F1 2001 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive.
  13. 1 2 "F1 2001 for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive.
  14. Thompson, Jon. "F1 2001 (PC) - Review". Allgame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  15. Goble, Gord (February 2002). "F1 2001" (PDF). Computer Gaming World . No. 211. Ziff Davis. p. 96. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  16. EGM staff (February 2002). "F1 2001 (Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 151. Ziff Davis. p. 168.
  17. 1 2 "F1 2001 [PS2]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain . Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  18. "F1 2001 (Xbox)". Game Informer . No. 106. FuncoLand. February 2002. p. 92.
  19. G-Wok (October 2001). "F1 2001 Review (PS2)". Game Revolution . CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  20. G-Wok (December 2001). "F1 2001 Review (Xbox)". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 8 April 2004. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  21. Ajami, Amer (23 October 2001). "F1 2001 Review (PC) [date mislabeled as "February 25, 2004"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  22. Ajami, Amer (15 October 2001). "F1 2001 Review (PS2) [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  23. Ajami, Amer (7 December 2001). "F1 2001 Review (Xbox) [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  24. Lafferty, Michael (1 November 2001). "F1 2001 Review - PC". GameZone. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  25. Krause, Kevin (21 October 2001). "F1 2001 Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  26. Sulic, Ivan (12 November 2001). "F1 2001 (PC)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  27. 1 2 Edwards, Ralph (8 October 2001). "F1 2001 (PS2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  28. 1 2 Schneider, Peer (10 December 2001). "F1 2001 (Xbox)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  29. "F1 2001". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . Ziff Davis. January 2002. p. 128.
  30. "F1 2001". Official Xbox Magazine . Future US. February 2002. p. 76.
  31. Mahood, Andy (January 2002). "F1 2001". PC Gamer . Vol. 9, no. 1. Future US. p. 72. Archived from the original on 15 March 2006. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  32. "The Best and Worst of 2001 (Best Driving Game)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 27 January 2002. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  33. "Tournament Games in the BAR F1 2001 Suzuka pit!" (in Japanese). 24 October 2001. Archived from the original on 3 September 2001.
  34. Collantine, Keith (17 May 2012). "Codemasters' F1 2010 and F1 2011 voted best F1 games". RaceFans. Collantine Media. Retrieved 20 January 2019.