(continued from previous page) ...individually respond to your speed. Go slow, and the water stays in the center, go fast and the water runs off the sides of your visors. It’s amazing how something as simple as weather can add another level of difficulty to a game.

On the grim side, the lack of the advertised PSP mirror function is quite unnerving, as even though it is present in the PAL version of the game, it isn't functional. The developers have been tight-lipped on whether an update will allow this feature in the future.

Luckily, the controls in F1 are fluid, and cruising through turns won’t be your biggest frustrations with the game. It must be mentioned that even while the controls work well (and they really do), the lack of force feedback is a major loss. As a result, there is a very light "feel" of the wheel as a result, and the sensitive steering requires very steady hands. Those with steady hands may be able to make very precise, acute turns while those without will most likely find the biggest amount of difficulty in trying to stay on the road, not spin out, and not get rammed into a sandtrap by an opposing driver. There is a bounty of things that can go wrong, and if they can, then they will. Getting back into the pack after getting stuck in 40 feet of dirt and grass can be extremely difficult and tedious, and you might find yourself restarting in an angry rage after missing a key corner. Even with driving aids on, F1 is certainly no walk in the park.

Generally underwhelming, even at 200 mph

Online play is featured in F1, but it doesn’t quite feel all there. All the necessary parts are present and accounted for, but the small number of people playing, and general lack of interest from the people that were playing made F1 feel a bit more boring than other online offerings from Sony. F1 fans will be upset that they can't even compete in a full race online, as each race is limited to 20 laps. There is also a lack of "car setups" in the online mode (tweaking your setup offline is useless, as you cannot use that setup Online). On a final note, who thought of the system in which you can drive through AI controlled cars but not through human contenders?

Overall, I would not immediately recommend Formula 1 to someone who is not an F1 fan. If you’ve played the downloadable demo available on the PlayStation Store, and enjoyed it, then the full version of F1 will likely be your cup of tea. With amazing graphics and an exciting amount of features, F1 is definitely a top notch, though possibly niche, racing title. It’s a shame the online play is so drab though.