Play with F1 history

Other promised modes in the final version include a single season mode (where you play as a real driver from the 2009 season), quick race and race weekend modes. The most innovative gameplay addition not seen in Sony’s series is the new ‘scenario’ or ‘challenge mode’. In it you take part in famous situations from the last few years of F1 and attempt to complete quick objectives, such as re-enacting Lewis Hamilton’s championship clinching final lap at Interlagos in 2008, or even changing the events by playing as Timo Glock and preventing Hamilton from passing you for the title. It is very reminiscent of the scenario mode from the early International Superstar Soccer games and should make a perfect fit for the Wii. There are even some co-op challenges, such as blocking a driver to allow your friend to pass, and split-screen racing, but unfortunately none of this is online.

Control schemes come in a variety of different flavors for the various Wii peripherals that are available. You can play with the remote and nunchuck, the remote on its own, the classic controller, the Wii wheel and Logitech’s Wii racing wheel. Criminally there is no GameCube controller support, despite the classic controller being accepted.

Balancing the field

New factors in the current season, such as KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) which can give drivers a temporary 80bhp boost will be included. In real life only Ferrari, McLaren and BMW use this system, but it is likely that every team may have it in the game, for the sake of balancing gameplay. This would certainly take away from the simulation aspect for the hardcore player. Another balancing issue being considered is whether to make the different teams’ cars performance levels closer than in real-life. This has been a major criticism of Sony’s games as it allowed players to win cars which could never do so in reality. Perhaps though it could be more acceptable in a Wii game where family members may wish to play as their own personal favorites and still perform at a competitive level, even if their favorite happens to be Force India.

Of course, being on the Wii, it is hugely important that F1 2009 can entertain the casual crowd. It does this with a wide range of optional driving assists, such as braking and steering assistance, which can be individually turned on or off, to help you tailor your own experience based on your ability level. Hardcore players will also be able to tweak all of the setup options that they usually expect in an F1 game, everything from gear ratios to tire camber.

For the new generation

Formula One 2009 could be a huge success on the Wii, appealing to a whole new generation of young F1 fans. However, it remains to be seen whether or not the hardcore fans will see past the backward presentation and how many of them will ignore the game altogether in favor of the much more exciting prospect of Formula One 2010 on the HD systems.