F-1 World Grand Prix
F-1 World Grand Prix developed by Paradigm Entertainment is a Formula One racing game/sim first released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64 game console and to later platforms including the Sega Dreamcast, Game Boy Color, PC and Sony PlayStation. The Nintendo 64 version is based on the 1997 Formula One season, featuring each of the 17 circuits from the season and all 22 drivers (as well as two unlockable bonus racers), with the exceptions of Jacques Villeneuve (licensing reason) and the MasterCard Lola team (not recognised, as they did not take part in any races during the season).
| F-1 World Grand Prix | |
|---|---|
 North American Nintendo 64 cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Paradigm Entertainment, Video System, Lankhor |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo 64 Nintendo Dreamcast
|
| Director(s) | Wes Hoffman |
| Composer(s) | Dan Hess |
| Series | F-1 Grand Prix |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, PlayStation, Game Boy Color, Windows |
| Release | Nintendo 64
|
| Genre(s) | Sim racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
The Dreamcast version (also known as F1 World Grand Prix for DC)[1] and Game Boy Color version are based on the 1998 Formula One season and the PlayStation (released as F1 World Grand Prix: 1999 Season)[2] and PC version are based on the 1999 Formula One season.
Gameplay
The game consists of five gameplay modes: Grand Prix, a course-by-course simulation of the 1997 season; Exhibition, a single race; Time Trial, a race against the clock and Challenge, which comprised real scenarios from the 1997 season-examples include trying to win the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix as Damon Hill or beating Jean Alesi as David Coulthard in the 1997 Italian Grand Prix. The final mode allowed 2 players to compete in a single, split-screen race.
F-1 World Grand Prix offered a fairly realistic experience for its time. Prior to races, allowed for the fine-tuning of the player's car; including tyre tread, amount of fuel and wing angle. The cars themselves followed realistic simulated physics and were at risk of damage and wear like their real-life counterparts. Weather (and its effects) was also simulated. Visually, the game offered the same trademark appearance of live F1 coverage, and aimed to have a photo-realistic appeal.
F-1 World Grand Prix was highly acclaimed by most critics, more so than its sequel F-1 World Grand Prix II, which many felt lacked a sufficient number of improvements over the original.
Due to copyright issues, Williams F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve is not featured in the game and in his place is a silhouette of his body and his name is simply Driver Williams. However, his career statistics are correct. This character's name could be customized by the player, either to personalise their driver or to unlock certain extras, such as the Silver and Gold racers, as well as a fictional Hawaiian circuit.
Reception
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At the 1999 Milia festival in Cannes, F-1 World Grand Prix took home a "Gold" prize for revenues above €20 million in the European Union during the previous year.[10]
On release, Famitsu magazine scored the Sega Dreamcast version of the game a 30 out of 40.[7] N64 Magazine's James Ashton said that the game is "the finest driving simulation the world has ever seen."[8]
Greg Orlando reviewed the Dreamcast version of the game for Next Generation, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "F1 World Grand Prix's finely tuned engine purrs to great effect on Dreamcast, but might be too demanding for the casual gamer."[9]
Sequel
Its sequel F-1 World Grand Prix II was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64 and in 2000 for the Dreamcast and Game Boy Color.
References
- http://segaretro.org/F1_World_Grand_Prix
- https://psxdatacenter.com/games/U/F/SLUS-01036.html
- "F-1 World Grand Prix for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- "F-1 World Grand Prix for PlayStation". GameRankings. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- "F-1 World Grand Prix for Dreamcast". GameRankings. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- "F-1 World Grand Prix for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ドリームキャスト – F1 WORLD GRAND PRIX for Dreamcast. Weekly Famitsu. No.915 Pt.2. Pg.50. 30 June 2006.
- Ashton, James (October 1998). "F-1 World Grand Prix". N64 Magazine (20): 62–67.
- Orlando, Greg (March 2000). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 3 no. 3. Imagine Media. p. 86.
- Staff (February 12, 1999). "Milia News; ECCSELL Awards Name Winners". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 30, 1999. Retrieved August 14, 2019.