''Formula 1 97'' (known as ''Formula 1 Championship Edition'' in North America) is a
racing video game
Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...
developed by
Bizarre Creations
Bizarre Creations Limited was a British video game development studio based in Liverpool, best known for their racing titles '' Metropolis Street Racer'' ( Dreamcast) and the follow-up ''Project Gotham Racing'' series ( Xbox, Xbox 360, mobile ...
and published by
Psygnosis
Psygnosis Limited (known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999) was a British video game developer and publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984 by Ian Hetherington, Jonathan Ell ...
for
PlayStation and
Microsoft Windows. It is the
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
to the
1996 video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
''
Formula 1'' and was based on the
1997 Formula One World Championship
The 1997 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 51st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It commenced on 9 March and ended on 26 October after seventeen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Jacques Villeneuve and the Constr ...
. This was the last Formula One game to be made by the Bizarre Creations team, who moved on to create the successful ''
Metropolis Street Racer
''Metropolis Street Racer'' (''MSR'') is a racing video game developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Sega exclusively for Dreamcast. The game was intended to be a Dreamcast launch title, however, due to numerous delays it was not release ...
'' for the
Dreamcast
The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...
and ''
Project Gotham Racing
''Project Gotham Racing'' (''PGR'') is a series of racing video games developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Studios (Xbox and Xbox 360) and Sega (Dreamcast). The series appeared on the Dreamcast, Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles, ...
'' for the
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
.
Features and gameplay
''Formula 1 97'' includes all the tracks from the season, including the cancelled
Portuguese Grand Prix
The Portuguese Grand Prix (''Grande Prémio de Portugal'') is a motorsports event that was first held in 1951 as a sportscar event, and then intermittently disappearing for many years before being revived again. In 1964 event was held as a spo ...
circuit. Drivers are included with the exception of
Williams F1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, currently racing in Formula One as Williams Racing, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded by former team owner Frank Williams and automotive engineer Patrick Head ...
driver
Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve ( born 9 April 1971) is a Canadian professional racing driver and amateur musician who won the 1997 Formula One World Championship with Williams. In addition to Formula One (F1) he has competed in various o ...
, who is missing due to copyright issues, and the
MasterCard Lola
The MasterCard Lola Formula One Racing Team, often known as MasterCard Lola or simply Lola, was a British Formula One team that contested only one race in the 1997 Formula One World Championship. It quickly withdrew from the sport after failing ...
duo of
Ricardo Rosset
Ricardo Rosset (born 27 July 1968) is a Brazilian racing driver. He participated in 33 Formula One Grands Prix, making his debut at the 1996 Australian Grand Prix. He scored no championship points. He eventually quit Formula One to focus on devel ...
and
Vincenzo Sospiri
Vincenzo Sospiri (born 7 October 1966) is an Italian former racing driver.
Early career
In 1981, at the age of 15, Sospiri started racing in the Italian 100cc karting championship. In a karting career described by Michael Schumacher as 'dominati ...
, whose team folded after failing to qualify for the opening race of the season.
The game includes a Grand Prix mode, which was designed to be technical and realistic, and an arcade mode, which was aimed towards a broader audience.
''Formula 1 97'' supports two-player racing through a
split screen
Split screen may refer to:
* Split screen (computing)
Split screen is a display technique in computer graphics that consists of dividing graphics and/or text into adjacent (and possibly overlapping) parts, typically as two or four rectangular ...
.
Development
''Formula 1 97'' was developed by
Bizarre Creations
Bizarre Creations Limited was a British video game development studio based in Liverpool, best known for their racing titles '' Metropolis Street Racer'' ( Dreamcast) and the follow-up ''Project Gotham Racing'' series ( Xbox, Xbox 360, mobile ...
and published by
Psygnosis
Psygnosis Limited (known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999) was a British video game developer and publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984 by Ian Hetherington, Jonathan Ell ...
. It uses the same
game engine as the original ''Formula 1''.
[ Psygnosis contacted ITV commentator ]Murray Walker
Graeme Murray Walker (10 October 1923 – 13 March 2021) was an English motorsport commentator and journalist. He provided television commentary of live Formula One coverage for the BBC between 1976 and 1996, and for ITV between 1997 and 20 ...
and arranged a meeting with Bizarre Creations employees. Walker became impressed with development and signed an exclusive agreement with Psygnosis to record English-language commentary for a further two years.
Shortly after the initial release, Psygnosis announced that due to a licensing disagreement with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; en, International Automobile Federation) is an association established on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users. It is the governing body for ...
, Formula One Administration Ltd, and Giss Licensing BV, ''Formula 1 97'' would be repackaged and re-released with a different title and without the official Formula One logos.
Reception
''Formula 1 97'' was a best-seller in the UK. In August 1998, the game's PlayStation version received a "Platinum" sales award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD), indicating sales of at least 200,000 units across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Reviews for ''Formula 1 97'' were overwhelmingly positive. ''IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' stated the game is a "significant jump" from ''Formula 1''. ''GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' said "Formula 1 CE is so much more than a racing game. It is a world-class simulation that offers such depth of gameplay, you'll think most other racing games are just '' Pole Position'' with a better graphics engine." Critics widely applauded the comprehensive Formula 1 licensing,[ numerous car setup options,][ realistic sound effects,][ and overall authentic Formula 1 feel.][ At the same time, the majority were enthusiastic about the arcade mode, saying it both opens the game up to players other than simulation fanatics and offers simulation fanatics a more relaxed way of enjoying the game.] '' GamePro'' dissented on this point, contending that the arcade mode's "power-slide-heavy style feels almost silly and lacks the oomph to attract arcade gamers."
Critics laid the most praise on the controls in the Grand Prix mode, commenting that they are maximally accurate, realistic, and challenging yet fair and rewarding.[ ''GamePro'' summed up, "If you have the skills, they come shining through, but rookies will have a tough time staying on the track."][ Most critics were also highly satisfied with the varied A.I. displayed by different drivers, saying it makes racing unpredictable and forces the player to pay close attention and continuously adjust their strategy rather than relying on a single method of overcoming opponents.][
Most critics also praised the detailed graphics.][ While they also noted a good deal of pop-up,][ ''GameSpot'' argued this was a necessary trade-off for the game's combination of high detail and absence of slowdown,] and Kelly Rickards argued in ''Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
'', "Ironically, he pop-upadds realism as it's difficult to see far away in a real F1 car at speed."[
'']Official UK PlayStation Magazine
An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their ...
'' said it was a big improvement in every regard over the previous game, and that the "graphics engine is faster, running at 25 fps
FPS may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* "F.P.S." (''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''), an episode of the TV show ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''
* '' fps magazine'', a defunct magazine about animation
* ''The Fabulous Picture Show'', a televi ...
, even with a dozen cars on the screen. The increased detail is most apparent in Grand Prix mode. All the cars are now fully deformable, and stray bits of debris stay on the track. Prepare to be stunned."
Legal issues
The game was hit by legal wranglings with the FIA
FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used.
Fia or FIA may also refer to: People
* Fia Backs ...
(Formula One's governing body) objecting to the use of the FIA logo on the game's packaging. The game was withdrawn from shops six weeks after its release. It was re-released without the offending logo, but the FIA were still unhappy. However, the FIA lost the court case, and the game continued to be sold without the logo.F1 Racing
''GP Racing'', formerly ''F1 Racing'', is a monthly magazine focused on Formula One racing that launched in March 1996.
Launch and development
''F1 Racing'' launch was the culmination of a year of preparation by UK publishers Haymarket. The ...
magazine, December 1997 issue, page 20, British edition as imported to America Another problem faced was the use of the name and image of then-Williams F1-driver Jacques Villeneuve, after he had copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...
ed both. The game shows a silhouette for the driver's image. Murray Walker
Graeme Murray Walker (10 October 1923 – 13 March 2021) was an English motorsport commentator and journalist. He provided television commentary of live Formula One coverage for the BBC between 1976 and 1996, and for ITV between 1997 and 20 ...
refers to him as "Williams Numberone" or "The Canadian", however on the game menu, they list him as Driverone Williams; this problem is easily sidestepped by the addition of a driver name edit function. The game also has unused voice clips for Jacques Villeneuve, that can be found via hacking methods. This idea proved popular and re-appeared in ''Formula 1 98
''Formula 1 98'' is a racing video game developed by Visual Science and published by Psygnosis exclusively for PlayStation. It is the sequel to the 1997 video game ''Formula 1 97'' and was based on the 1998 Formula One World Championship.
Overv ...
'', but was not used for any of the following games. The driver name edit function is also used to enter codes to unlock the Aida, Adelaide, Silverstone (1960s look), a mirrored version of the original game's bonus track, and others, such as raining frogs and the cars having the ability to hover.
All alcohol and tobacco sponsors are censored, for example trackside adverts saying Faster instead of Fosters, since such advertisements were illegal in some countries.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1997 video games
Formula One video games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
PlayStation (console) games
Split-screen multiplayer games
Video game controversies
Video game sequels
Windows games
Formula One controversies
Psygnosis games
Video games developed in the United Kingdom
Bizarre Creations games