Restart: F1 Championship Edition (2006)
Welcome to Restart, a new feature here on the CORE website where I see how games from days past hold up when I pick them up again in the present day.
Time can often be harsh to video games, particularly when you hold the game in high regard from your previous experiences with it - that’s why I felt a mix of high hopes and hesitation when I came across my copy of 2006’s F1 Championship Edition and slotted it into my PS3 for the first time in several years.
F1 Championship Edition was the last in a series of Sony exclusive F1 games produced by Studio Liverpool. Due to the licencing issues that followed, this was the only virtual Formula One experience available on the PS3 until Codemasters launched F1 2010, so this game was the only source of nourishment for F1 fans for almost four years. In essence, the game is a graphically updated port of F1 06, which was released for the PS3’s predecessor shortly before the new consoles launch.
Immediately, the physics caught me by surprise after several months solely playing with road cars on Gran Turismo 6. However, it didn’t take long for me to become comfortable. While the handling isn’t as impressive or immersive as some of the racing games available today, it’s still has a good feel to it. In terms of graphics, the cars themselves still look great nine years later, but some of the tracks haven’t survived upscaling from PS2 to PS3, as well as time, very well. For example, Melbourne looks perfectly fine, however, Nürburgring looks dated and also feels highly inaccurate.
Soon after my toe in the water Time Trials, I started a Career mode campaign behind the wheel of a Super Aguri, with the difficulty turned up to Hard. I’m pleased to report a happy note of authenticity... it’s impossible for me to win in a Super Aguri! For the most part, I was somewhere between the likes of Midland, Toro Rosso and the lower part of the midfield. Admittedly, that’s better than the small Japanese outfit performed during their first season, but I’m a better driver on a PS3 than Yuji Ide was in reality!
So does this game hold up well compared to the Codemasters F1 games? Yes and no. Of course, the game is based off a time when Jacques Villeneuve, both Schumacher brothers, Scott Speed and Christijan Albers were still present in Formula One, so it’s dated in that sense. It also lacks many tracks on the current calendar, including Spa, which was absent from the 2006 F1 season due to renovations.
Despite this, F1 Championship Edition is still a very good game. The AI put up a good fight, the cars look far cooler and sexier than they do today (not the fault of Codemasters), and it’ll give you hours of fun - Since it can easily be found for well under £10 at most game shops, I’d suggest you find yourself a copy if you don’t already own it!
Rating: 8.5/10
So those are my thoughts on F1 Championship Edition. Is there a game in your past that you would like me to try out for a future article? If so, contact us on the CORE Facebook page or inform us in the comment section below!
NOTE: Expect an update on my GT Academy exploits before the end of the week!
