| Formula One 2003 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Studio Liverpool |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Series | Formula One |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Formula One 2003 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 2002 video game Formula One 2002 and was based on the 2003 Formula One World Championship. [1]
The game features all ten teams and twenty drivers competing in the 2003 Formula One World Championship (except for mid-season changes), as well as the sixteen circuits and Grands Prix that formed the championship calendar. The game also includes the new one-shot qualifying rules and points system introduced for the 2003 Formula One World Championship, as well as the alterations to the Hungaroring and Suzuka circuits. [1]
There are eleven game modes available for single and multiplayer, including single-player arcade and simulation single race, time trial and championship modes, multiplayer for up to 4 players and a non-interactive spectator option. [1] Online connectivity is not supported. [2]
The game features all the drivers and tracks from the 2003 Formula One World Championship, but does not represent the replacement drivers that featured in the real 2003 Formula One World Championship, therefore Nicolas Kiesa, Zsolt Baumgartner, Marc Gené and Takuma Sato are not featured.
Formula One 2003 was announced in a press release from Sony Computer Entertainment on in June 2003 with a July release date. [3] [4] The game was the first Formula One series to have an exclusive license from the Formula One Administration (FOA), which is responsible for the commercial rights and promotion of the Formula One world championship. [3] The exclusive license granted Sony Computer Entertainment the sole rights to the Formula One series for four years. [3]
The game features 16 official Formula One circuits based on the 2003 Formula One World Championship.
Similar to the FIFA series, Formula One 2003 has different cover art depending on the region. David Coulthard's McLaren MP4-17D is used on the European/Global release. [5] Fernando Alonso's Renault R23B was used on the Spanish release. [6] Michael Schumacher's Ferrari F2003-GA is moved from the second car to the leading car for the Italian release. [7] Heinz-Harald Frentzen's Sauber C22 is featured on the Swiss and Dutch releases. [8] Mark Webber's Jaguar R4 is used on the Australian edition. [9]
Formula One 2003 gained mixed to positive reviews upon release, holding an aggregate score of 67.20% on GameRankings . [10]
Kristan Reed of Eurogamer praised the controls and the graphics, stating "every track is packed with detail, down to the individual trackside adverts, yet there is never any hint of pop up or the kind of draw distance issues that have blighted just about every F1 game ever made". [11] He did however have reservations about the game's car damage and crash physics. He gave the game 8 out of 10. [11] Brodie Gibbons of Futuregamez also praised the graphics but criticised the sound and replay value, scoring the game 77%. [12] Writing in The Guardian , Jack Schofield noted that the game did not offer a large improvement over its predecessor outside the rule changes, but concluded that it "offers more than enough to keep casual gamers happy". [2]
Alberto Ascari was an Italian racing driver and a two time Formula One World Champion. He was a multitalented racer who competed in motorcycle racing before switching to cars. Ascari won consecutive world titles in 1952 and 1953 for Scuderia Ferrari. He was the team's first World Champion and the last Italian to date to win the title. This was sandwiched by an appearance in the 1952 Indianapolis 500. Ascari also won the Mille Miglia in 1954. Ascari was noted for the careful precision and finely-judged accuracy that made him one of the safest drivers in a most dangerous era until his death.
Fuji Speedway is a motorsport race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing. Originally managed by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Fuji Speedway was acquired by Toyota Motor Corporation in 2000. The circuit hosted the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix in 2007 after an absence of nearly 30 years, replacing the Suzuka Circuit owned by Honda. After Fuji Speedway hosted the 2008 race, the Japanese Grand Prix returned to Suzuka for races from 2009 onward. The Super GT Fuji 500 km race is held at the racetrack on Golden Week.
The Hungaroring is a 4.381 km (2.722 mi) motorsport racetrack in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtain. Bernie Ecclestone wanted a race in the USSR, but a Hungarian friend recommended Budapest. They wanted a street circuit similar to the Circuit de Monaco to be built in the Népliget – Budapest's largest park – but the government decided to build a new circuit just outside the city near a major highway. Construction works started on 1 October 1985. It was built in eight months, less time than any other Formula One circuit. The first race was held on 24 March 1986, in memory of János Drapál, the first Hungarian who won motorcycle Grand Prix races. According to a survey put together by the national tourism office of Hungary, Mogyoród ranks third among Hungarian destinations visited by tourists, behind the Danube Bend area and Lake Balaton, but ahead of Budapest. The circuit has FIA Grade 1 license.
The Suzuka International Racing Course, more famously known as the Suzuka Circuit, is a 5.807 km (3.608 mi) 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.
The Monza Circuit is a 5.793 km (3.600 mi) 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 Brooklands and Indianapolis and the oldest in mainland Europe. The circuit's biggest event is the Italian Grand Prix. With the exception of the 1980 running, the race has been hosted there since 1949.
The Mexican Grand Prix, currently held under the name Mexico City Grand Prix, is a motor racing event held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. It first appeared as a non-championship event in 1962 before being held as a championship event in 1963–1970 and 1986–1992. The Grand Prix returned in 2015 at the Mexico City circuit.
The Argentine Grand Prix was a round of the Formula One championship, held intermittently from 1953 to 1998, all at the same autodrome in the Argentine national capital of Buenos Aires.
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a 4.304 km (2.674 mi) motorsport race track in Mexico City, Mexico, named after the racing drivers Ricardo (1942–1962) and Pedro Rodríguez (1940–1971). The circuit got its name shortly after it opened when Ricardo Rodríguez died in practice for the non-Championship 1962 Mexican Grand Prix. Ricardo's brother Pedro was also killed behind the wheel nine years later. Since 2015, the track has once again hosted the Formula One Mexican Grand Prix, an event it previously hosted in two separate periods on a different layout, the last occasion of which was in 1992.
The Autódromo de Buenos Aires Oscar y Juan Gálvez is a 45,000 capacity motor racing circuit in Buenos Aires, Argentina built in 1952 under president Juan Perón, named Autódromo 17 de Octubre after the date of Loyalty Day until Perón's overthrow. It was later renamed after Argentinian racing driver brothers, Juan Gálvez (1916–1963) and Oscar Alfredo Gálvez (1913–1989).
Formula One 2002 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 2001 video game Formula One 2001 and was based on the 2002 Formula One World Championship.
Formula One 04 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 2003 video game Formula One 2003 and was based on the 2004 Formula One World Championship.
F1 Grand Prix is a racing video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for PlayStation Portable.
Mugello Circuit is a motorsport race track in Scarperia e San Piero, Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The circuit length is 5.245 km (3.259 mi). It has 15 turns and a 1.141 km (0.709 mi) long straight. The circuit stadium stands have a capacity of 50,000.
The San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the World Motorcycle Racing season. The name of the race is a misnomer as the race has always taken place in Italy, but because there is already an Italian motorcycle Grand Prix, it was called the San Marino Grand Prix because of the track location's proximity to San Marino. The event is due to take place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli until at least 2026.
The Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling road racing event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Championship.
The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.
The Autódromo Internacional Miguel E. Abed is a racing track located in the town of Amozoc, 30-kilometre (19 mi) east of the city of Puebla in the Mexican state of the same name. The track has a capacity for 42,500 people.
Ever since Pole Position in 1982, Formula One (F1) has always played a part of the racing genre in video games. Early Formula One games were typically arcade racing games, before Formula One Grand Prix (1991) popularized Formula One racing simulations on home computers.
The Monza Grand Prix was an automobile race held at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza at Monza, Italy.
The Circuito di Ospedaletti commonly known as the Ospedaletti Circuit was a motor racing road course in the north-western coastal town of Ospedaletti, active from 1947 to 1972.
