Gamabunga

RedCard 20-03

16 / 20

Deus Ex

18 / 20

F1 2002

16 / 20

RedCard

88%
N°128

F1 2002

7 / 10

NGC
7 / 10
États-Unis

I cannot express how disappointed I was when I played my very first game of F1 2002 on GameCube. I was expecting a new game and instead found an old one. As a reviewer, I face an interesting dilemma. On one hand, I am absolutely furious that I was lured by the new box and name to buy an inferior version of last year's racer. On the other hand, I'm happy that GameCube owners get the superior F1 game -- as EA's F1 2002 on PS2 actually manages to be worse than F1 2001 in many respects. Outside of the updated teams, the only notable addition to F1 2002 for PS2 is the inclusion of Madden-style "EA Sports Cards". The PS2 version's challenge mode has been expanded, the car models look nicer, but the overall flow of the game isn't as nice and the graphics chop up much more than the previous version. To make things worse, EA added a "draft meter" complete with silly sound effect whenever you're slipstreaming behind a car... Folks, this isn't NASCAR. Give me a subtle speed boost, but don't elevate a minor factor in F1 racing to be the sole governing strategy. That said, it's very disappointing that absolutely none of the new features in F1 2002 or even in the Xbox version of 2001 were brought over to GameCube. What we're left with is a good racing game that's starting to look and feel dated. Let's quickly recap: F1 2002 for GameCube is F1 2001 with worse audio, less narration, updated teams and rosters, a slightly better framerate, no analog pedal control via the triggers, and a shiny, brand new box. I'd still recommend it over F1 2002 for PS2 (unless you like to hear "woosh woosh woosh" whenever you're tailgating), but if you want the best version, pick up last year's Xbox game instead. GameCube-only owners who haven't played F1 2001 and are looking for a competent racing game, definitely take a look.