Formula One

aka: F1, F1 World Championship, Fórmula 1, Vroom Multi-Player, Vroom! Multiplay
Moby ID: 15930
Genesis Specs
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Included in See Also

Description official description

F1 is an Official Formula One Racing Game. There are two modes of play available: "Arcade", "Grand Prix". In both of these modes you complete a certain number of laps (4, 8, or 12) and select which circuit that you want to race on. The circuits include San Marino, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Japan, and Australia. Some circuits are easy, while some are difficult.

There are slight differences between the two modes. For instance, "Arcade" allows you to select the circuit in any order that you like, whereas "Grand Prix" only allows you to fine-tune your car before starting a race. You also need to race a circuit in the order that they appear on the circuit selection screen, but you can skip a track if you want.

F1 is a 1-2 player game, meaning that if you have another player handy, you can compete against each other.

Groups +

Screenshots

Credits (Genesis version)

16 People

Programmed by
Graphics by
Additional Graphics by
  • The Kremlin
Music by
  • Tiertex
Produced by
Developed by
  • Lankhor
Manual by
Testers

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 75% (based on 37 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 26 ratings with 2 reviews)

Simple, but very enjoyable.

The Good
The fact that it is an official game, because back then (the year in which I was born) it wasn't so usual as nowadays to have the official licenses. Also, I find quite funny the fact that, apart from standard points given every race, you have a slot-machine style points counter that gives you points for records by at least a hundred each time, that happens when you overtake, when you negotiate turns properly, etc. All in all, I guess this was one of the first official Formula One games which were ever released on a hand held system, probably the only one that could compete face to face with Game Boy.

The Bad
Too few circuits. Back then Formula One had 15, 16, or 17 races per season, and, although all of them are real circuits, only 8 appear here, which is a little bit too few. The fact that you can only save the game with passwords is something I will never get used to. My first hand held was the Game Boy Color and back then you could already save games by selecting the proper option in the game.

The Bottom Line
For the time, impressive, specially if you had a Game Boy, which back then was black and white, and decided to make an upgrade, go to SEGA, and get yourself a Game Gear.

Game Gear · by Carles Carlos (23) · 2022

Great racing game!

The Good
This game probably flew off the shelves when it was sold in 1993! This game's graphics are all very solid; the only bad part is that the pits aren't drawn; they're just a small area to the side of the starting grid marks. But still the graphics are a nice aspect of the game.The horizon changes from course to course, giving you a slight feeling that you're actually racing in that course. The sound is solid, everything from the main menu theme to the sound of the cars. When you pass a car, you get that nice fooooom! sound. And, the main menu theme is quite catchy! The gameplay is also very good! You can pick from two modes: the arcade mode, and the Grand Prix mode. The arcade mode lets you pick the race length (4, 8, or 12 laps) as well as the circuit; not to mention the difficulty (Hard or Easy). The Grand Prix mode allows you to qualify for a race, as well as fine-tune your car (e.g. wing degree, transmission, etc.) Both modes let you make a name for yourself (literally). Also, as a nice extra, all the driver names (besides yours of course) and team names in the Grand Prix mode are authentic, giving a slight touch of realism. Also, last but not least, the game features eight whole tracks, which all differ. It's a nice extra.

The Bad
The only thing not to like in this game is the lack of a save or password function! Luckily, the "select circuit" option in the Arcade mode, and the "Skip Track" option the Grand Prix help partially alleviate this matter.

The Bottom Line
The best racing game I have ever come across on the SEGA Game Gear. A must!!!

Game Gear · by Kyalami (2) · 2006

Trivia

Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna (then in McLaren) was absent from the game, most likely for his endorsement for Sega 's Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II (which went to have his name), and the two McLaren drivers are Michael Andretti and Mika Häkkinen.

Both ran for McLaren in the 1993 season, but with Häkkinen replacing a under-achieving Andretti mid-way through the season.

References

Jim Tripp, your team mate, is probably none other than producer James Tripp.

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Related Games

Formula 1: Championship Edition
Released 2007 on PlayStation 3
Formula One 05
Released 2005 on PlayStation 2
Formula One 04
Released 2004 on PlayStation 2
Formula One 06
Released 2006 on PSP, PlayStation 2
F1 Championship: Season 2000
Released 2000 on PlayStation, Windows, PlayStation 2
F1 Championship: Season 2000
Released 2000 on Game Boy Color
F1 Circus '91
Released 1991 on TurboGrafx-16, Genesis
Sunsoft Grand Prix
Released 1990 on Game Boy
F1 World Grand Prix
Released 1999 on Windows, PlayStation

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 15930
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Katakis | カタキス.

Atari ST added by Jo ST. Amiga added by Martin Smith. Game Gear added by Игги Друге. Genesis added by Luis Silva. DOS added by Nanoha Feit.

Additional contributors: chirinea, Xoleras, Martin Smith, Luis Silva, Patrick Bregger, Jo ST.

Game added December 18, 2004. Last modified January 21, 2024.