F1 2009 PSP

Every once in a while a game comes along that you just can’t wait to play. For me that game is F1 2009 for PSP. It is the first official Formula 1 game since 2007, when Studio Liverpool released their interpretation of the sport.

November 19th was the day I finally got to play again with my favorite F1 drivers on some of the best tracks in the world. But was it worth the wait?

Presentation

The menus are very basic. You will first need to enter your name, country, and other relevant information that will represent you in online games and (most importantly) in career mode. The main menu shows a background car and the options you have. You can play a quick race, grand prix weekend, world championship, race, ad-hoc, or challenges. Once you have selected a car in any of the modes, the background car will change to your selected team. This is a nice touch that can help a lot in the overall presentation. Before each race you will see parts of the track, similar to the official TV coverage. The graphics of the game are very decent. The cars look good and the tracks are built to the smallest detail. Although I have to admit that some tracks seem a bit flat. The first real problem arises when you start a race. The frames take a considerable hit at the start of races and when a lot of cars are close together. You won’t notice this in practice or qualifying, but it will compromise your racing experience. The sound is also decent. I like that the engine sounds better than previous PSP F1 titles. But the KERS activation sound is really fake and annoying. As is the music of the main menu.

how to play

The most important thing in a racing title is that it drives well. F1 2009 fails in this department. All the cars spin like crazy; a small touch of the directional buttons will be enough to take even the slowest corners. This is problematic because it makes small fixes really difficult. We also don’t like the inclusion of KERS (button boost for 7 seconds per lap) on all cars in the game. In real life, only Ferrari and Mclaren have ever used it and it’s unrealistic to see it in all F1 2009 competitors. After a few hours of driving, we got used to the steering, which was excellent. But then came the AI. Computer cars tend to hit you from behind. They are too aggressive. But other than that, we have few complaints about the computer-powered cars. They can hit the wall and make mistakes, just like a real person. I was also surprised to see a Brawn car behind me crashing in the first corner of the German GP.

Now I must mention your career, since this will be the place where you will spend most of your time. An agent contacts you by email and keeps you informed of F1 events and tests you have with other teams. At first you can try for BMW and Toro Rosso, if you don’t get a seat you will get a place in the Force India team. So you will drive the Grand Prix no matter what; you cannot be a test driver. We appreciate this, as most people only care about the racing, but it’s just another layer of depth lost in F1 2009. Two other complaints we have about career mode is that emails feel very static. They try to make it more realistic by saying things like, ‘Ferrari feels there’s no competition for the 2009 championship,’ but overall it doesn’t feel human. The other and last problem we have with the race is the fact that it only lasts 3 seasons. When you’re done with your run, two more exciting modes await you. First up is the challenge mode where you try to overcome small challenges like overtaking Hamilton or overtaking as many cars as you can. It works fine on a portable system but doesn’t excite an F1 fan like me. However, Ad-hoc excites me. You can drive an entire season with a friend or anyone around the world. This is a lot of fun, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to test it yet.

compared to the past

It’s hard not to compare this game to the last F1 game on the PSP system, which was F1 06. First, the graphics and sounds are slightly better in F1 2009, but that’s not considered an achievement since the game came out three years ago. after. F1 2009 seems more dynamic when it comes to penalties and AI pace. Causing a collision can cause you to jerk or stop and go. This is very beautiful and very realistic. Also the pace of the AI ​​is commendable. We found that the teams were faster in the curtain GP than in others. Ferrari was driving in midfield in China, but was very competitive in Monaco. This is something we’ve never seen in an F1 game before, ever! Time is also improved in this game. Now your lap times will be compared to the fastest time just like in real life. In F1 06 times were compared to your personal best. However, F1 2006 beats this game when it comes to feedback (F1 2009 doesn’t have it) and gameplay.

Conclusion

F1 2009 for PSP has huge potential. We love the little details like the penalty system and the way the game handles time differences. The graphics are really nice and it’s great to finally be able to play with the latest cars and drivers. But severe frame drops dull the gameplay experience, and the handling isn’t even close to what an F1 car should drive.

7/10