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Formula One 2001 (video game)

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 10 min

Formula One 2001
European cover art
Developer(s)Studio 33 (PS)
Studio Liverpool (PS2)
Publisher(s)
  • NA: 989 Sports
(PS2 only)
SeriesFormula One
Platform(s)PlayStation, PlayStation 2
Release
  • EU: 25 May 2001
  • NA: 2 October 2001 (PS2)[1]
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Formula One 2001 is a racing video game developed by Studio 33 for the PlayStation version and Studio Liverpool for the PlayStation 2 version and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe in PAL regions for both systems. The PlayStation 2 version was published in North America by Sony Computer Entertainment America under the 989 Sports brand. It is a sequel to the 2000 video game Formula One 2000 and was based on the 2001 Formula One World Championship. This is the last game to be released in North America until Formula One Championship Edition.

In some editions, a DVD was given for free. The DVD offers a commentated review of the 2000 Formula One World Championship, race by race, with the option to toggle between viewing the main stream, an on-board car camera, view the pitlane or see on-screen data such as lap times and positions. These features were used in the former pay-per-view F1 Digital+'s interactive coverage.

Gameplay

The game's "arcade" mode followed a similar line to that of Formula One 2000, although incentives were now offered in the form of upgrades to the player's car.

A new mode - "Challenge" mode - was introduced. In Challenge mode, players were given a lap around Spa-Francorchamps in Jenson Button's Benetton B201. Players who achieved a fast lap time were given a verification code, and the opportunity to post their winning times on the Internet to compare their times to other people's if they have an account.

Development

Formula One 2001 was created with the help of Benetton, Jaguar, Jordan and Arrows. Many of the employees from former franchise owner Psygnosis aided in the development.[2] At the peak of development, the game was worked upon by 25 people with a majority of them being programmers and artists.[3]

The game's engine was based upon a Research and Development project that began two years before the release of the game. This was to develop the physics, collision and A.I. for the game.[3] Sony had an extensive reference library for the tracks including aerial photographs, close-ups of the tracks and over 200 hours of race footage from F1 Digital+.[2] The PlayStation 2 graphical capabilities allowed the team to include more detail such as trackside details which were previously omitted and unique cockpit camera angles.[3]

Studio Liverpool managed to contact Formula One Administration who provided audio samples for all the cars, but some of the audio samples provided were believed to be unsuitable. To rectify this, the developers spoke to Jordan and Prost and Sound Engineer Michael de Belle visited the garages to record the engine noises from the cars. The original PlayStation's central processing unit was used for sound processing.[3]

Promotion

At the 2001 United States Grand Prix, Sony held a variety of sport promotions with Jenson Button and a multi-million advertising campaign. The advertising efforts in the United States included a national television campaign via network, cable and syndication sports programming.[4] Promotions in print spreads and online advertising were also used.[5]

A Formula One 2001 American Challenge was held on 29 September 2001 in Castleton, Indiana. The event saw a time trial competition using the game and was played by Jenson Button against consumer Chris Ohanian. Ohanian made it into the final round by scoring one of the top 2 times but in the final, he was defeated by Button who set a lap time of 1:15.6 compared to Ohanian's 1:16.0.[6]

The game features all the drivers and tracks from the 2001 Formula One World Championship, although Tarso Marques' name is never mentioned by Murray Walker. Instead, on the PS1 version Murray Walker calls him "Minardi", but on the PS2 version nothing is mentioned. Depending on which version the player has, one of the replacement drivers (Pedro de la Rosa) that appeared in the real 2001 Formula One World Championship is in the game. The drivers Ricardo Zonta, Alex Yoong and Tomáš Enge were not featured. Despite Toyota unveiled the Toyota TF101 car, the Panasonic Toyota Racing team was also not featured.

In the European version of the game, released earlier in the year, Jean Alesi can be seen driving for the Prost Grand Prix while German driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen drives for the Jordan Grand Prix. In the American version, released on October of the same year, both drivers have switched roles as they also did in real life. On top of this, in the European version Luciano Burti drives for Jaguar Racing, while Gastón Mazzacane drives for the Prost Grand Prix. In the American version, Luciano Burti drives for the Prost Grand Prix while Pedro de la Rosa drives for Jaguar Racing as they both did in real life from the Spanish Grand Prix.

All alcohol and tobacco sponsors are censored:

  • Ferrari's Marlboro is completely censored.
  • Williams's Veltins is replaced by the normal colour of the car.
  • Jaguar's Beck's is replaced with "Best's".
  • McLaren's West is replaced by "Mika" and "David" (as in real life).
  • Benetton's Mild Seven is replaced by "Benetton" (on the engine cover) and "Renault Sport" (on the rear wing) (as in real life).
  • Jordan's Benson & Hedges is replaced by "Bitten Heroes".
  • BAR's Lucky Strike is replaced by "Look Alike" (with the logo blocked out on the nose and sides of the car).

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PSPS2
FamitsuN/A27/40[7]
Game InformerN/A8.5/10[8]
GameProN/AStarStarStarStar[9]
GamesMasterN/A91%[10]
GameSpotN/A7.2/10[11]
GameZoneN/A7.1/10[12]
IGNN/A7/10[13]
Jeuxvideo.com15/20[14]16/20[15]
OPM (UK)N/A8/10[17]
OPM (US)N/AStarStarHalf star[16]
BBC SportN/A91%[2]
Aggregate scores
GameRankings70%[18]78%[19]
MetacriticN/A73/100[20]

The PlayStation 2 version of Formula One 2001 received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[20] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 27 out of 40.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "PlayStation - News". 2001-12-30. http://www.scea.com/news/press_example.asp?ReleaseID=9653. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Gibbon, David (29 May 2001). "Let's play... Formula One 2001 (PS2)". http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/1357826.stm. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Presenter: Walker, Murray: The Making of Formula One 2001
  4. ↑ "Formula One 2001 for PS2 Accelerates Marketing Programs". 26 September 2001. https://www.gamezone.com/news/formula_one_2001_for_ps2_accelerates_marketing_programs. 
  5. ↑ IGN staff (26 September 2001). "Marketing Programs For Formula One 2001 Commence". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/09/26/marketing-programs-for-formula-one-2001-commence. 
  6. ↑ IGN staff (2 October 2001). "The Formula One 2001 American Challenge". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/10/02/the-formula-one-2001-american-challenge. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "フォーミュラワン 2001 [PS2"] (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=9323&redirect=no. Retrieved 12 February 2019. 
  8. ↑ "Formula One 2001". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (103): 108. November 2001. 
  9. ↑ Dr. Zombie (11 December 2001). "Formula One 2001 Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/19063.shtml. Retrieved 12 February 2019. 
  10. ↑ "Formula One 2001 (PS2)". GamesMaster (Future plc). 2001. 
  11. ↑ Satterfield, Shane (4 October 2001). "Formula One 2001 Review". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/formula-one-2001-review/1900-2816447/. 
  12. ↑ Krause, Kevin (12 October 2001). "Formula One 2001 Review - PlayStation 2". http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r17432.htm. 
  13. ↑ Edwards, Ralph (8 October 2001). "Formula One 2001". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/10/08/formula-one-2001. 
  14. ↑ Jihem (31 May 2001). "Test: Formula One 2001 (PS1)" (in fr). Webedia. http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00001394_test.htm. 
  15. ↑ Jihem (23 May 2001). "Test: Formula One 2001 (PS2)" (in fr). Webedia. http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00001383_test.htm. 
  16. ↑ "Formula One 2001". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis): 153. November 2001. 
  17. ↑ "Formula One 2001". Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine (Future plc). 2001. 
  18. ↑ "Formula 1 2001 for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/580857-formula-1-2001/index.html. 
  19. ↑ "Formula One 2001 for PlayStation 2". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/453387-formula-one-2001/index.html. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Formula One 2001 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/formula-one-2001/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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