Review: Formula 1 2006 (PSP)

The world of Formula One seems to exist on two levels. For every person interested precise engineering and admiration of the life-risking dedication to the fastest lap time times, there are those that just don't care about such things. They care for the life that surrounds it, the vast amounts of money, the exclusive yachts and private parties and the semi-nude pit girls. They'd almost certainly be at their happiest if it was announced that every race was going to be cut down to 10 laps and only held at Monaco.

It's fair to say that the second group of people will find nothing here to tempt them in. Even by sitting on your own playing videogames standards this is pretty unglamorous, with poor graphics, dull presentation and pretty much by numbers features list. The graphics are the main cause for complaint, courses look bare, cars look rough and while the frame rate is smooth the sense of speed isn't great. It's thoroughly unimpressive and the only positive thing about them is that the PS2 version looks almost as bad.

Speaking of the PS2 version, one of the more exciting features that was publicised, to quote the Sony press release "players can now compete online across platforms to see who the fastest Formula One 06 racer is" has been completely removed. Not only is it not possible to race against PS2 players which would have been a great feature it's also not possible to race against other PSP owners as there isn't a single multiplayer mode in the game. This is strictly single-player.

Your first time on the track will probably be quite a boring experience as well. Opting for a single race places you on the grid and you'll race, possibly winning and more likely losing. It feels distant and largely pointless. If you happen to go into the pits the almost rhythm-action tyre changes feel bizarre. Combined with the things mentioned above it gives you a very worrying feeling about your purchase.

Dare to progress into a championship or racing weekend and things suddenly seem better, and before long it becomes clear that this was a game made by real Formula One geeks, a racing weekend gives you access to every practice session, every bit of tuning, the full qualifying series and options on pit strategy before you're even on the starting grid. A single race weekend can easily take over an hour and it's hard to complain about any aspect of it. Practice in particular is great, changing things, learning the track, paying attention to slower cars leaving the pit lanes and cars that occasionally act a little erratically.

In the midst of all this, it soon becomes clear that the problem with the single race wasn't due to the game entirely but the hand-holding driving aids that are turned on by default. They become glaringly obvious as you progress through a race weekend and they literally sap the fun out of the game. With the careful inclusion of everything around a race weekend culminating in the starting grid and then the first corner, before feeling your car brake for itself and a line drawn on the track for you to follow feel almost bizarre. It's good to have things included to make the game more accessible but they feel badly calculated here.

In order to experience the game at its best, head to the options and turn off as many of the driving aids as possible and make the game as difficult as possible. You'll spend hours and hours spinning out, you'll lose control too regularly and it still leaves occasional question marks about the handling and in races the AI has a few problems too, odd crashes and generally seeming unrealistic. But even despite those problems it still becomes quite compelling and the first podium finish - GameStyle will have to admit third was it's best performance - was genuinely a moment to savour.

Whether or not this is something that you want on the PSP is open to debate. Certainly games like Ridge Racer and Outrun 2 feel more suitable to portability than this does. But the option to practice, flick the PSP into sleep mode and then come back to qualify, then again before qualifying and then again before the race itself makes it all a lot more manageable. After all, the real thing isn't done in one sitting and it makes the time spent going around the same track seem much more acceptable. So suitable for a handheld, yes, definitely. Suitable to be taken on the train or the bus? Probably not.

It's been said a million times before in reviews such as this one, but this time we really do mean it. This is a game for Formula One fans only. It isn't an arcade game, it doesn't provide quick thrills and it isn't even good to look at. This is for people that understand the '06 qualifying system, recognise the tracks and watched at least most of the races last season and recognise that all the tracks and drivers are correct. If none of that applies to you take three or four from the final score, it's near pointless. If any of that does apply to you this is an excellent game that may spend many hours in your machine. If you’re looking for even the smallest glimpse into the glamour that surrounds F1 then there is nothing here.

Rating: 7 / 10

Words by Andrew Revell