Formula One 2001 by 989 Sports is a decent rush into the world of F1 racing. The title has a good number of officially licensed drivers, tracks, and tons of customize options. But it also has twitchy steering that might throw players off the track and out of the game.
F1 2001 has game modes-a-plenty. There's Quick Race, Test Drive, Single Race, World Championship, Time Attack, and Spectator Mode. In Single Race players can choose or 1 or 2 player race with a select number of cars [the rest have to be unlocked] and tracks. Spectator Mode lets players watch a race controlled by AI in a variety of camera angles.
The World Championship Mode is the meat in F1 2001. Players have the option to customize many aspects of their vehicle, including suspension, tire compression, brake balance, ride height, fuel load, and steering compound. After players adjust their cars, it's off to the races.
The World Championship Races are long. If 16 laps around the same track isn't your cup of tea, you won't enjoy the mode. The AI is standard race AI that act more like drones than actual racers. You can try to knock people out of the way and cause some chain crashes, but it's hard to keep yourself out of the accident.
F1 2001 suffers in its controls - they're real twitchy. A race at high speed is already difficult. But when it feels like you never have traction, it's real difficult. Players have to constantly adjust left and right because the car never feels all that stable.
There's a steep learning curve for gas and brake that'll turn regular race fans away. It's easy to slip off the track in F1. You have to brake on a dime at each turn and if you don't apply enough brake, you'll be ridin' over grass, dirt, or facing a wall.
The physics are average in F1 2001. Most car hits don't do all that much to your vehicle. You can get away with tiny wall hits and race like nothing has happened. One smack into another F1 car doesn't cripple them unless you steer hard into someone.
F1 2001 has decent graphics. The title runs at a constant 60fps but textures are very plain. There are a few tracks [Monaco] that show a lot more detail, such as buildings and sun glare, but for the most part it's a plain get-up. Since the textures aren't the best, the draw distance is very good. There isn't any fog and players get to see far into the action.
F1 2001 isn't for everyone. It has twitchy controls, long races, and stop-n-go gameplay. The title doesn't lack with features, but only F1 fans that need a fix should give it a go.
