Formula 1

I feel like this is the game that started the less-arcadey, semi-simulation racing type of Formula games before the obvious crowned title that is "F1 Challenge '99-'02" came out.

I played this game casually from time to time before and just decided to do a full season championship. I played with no assists, with fuel, tire wear, damage, etc. All turned on. I also set the race length to 50%, which turned the gameplay turn into a constant test of focus and endurance to not make a mistake. I picked a Minardi, which is a lower-end performance car on the grid. You actually do feel the performance difference during races and even if you optimize your laps and push as hard as you can, sometimes you just can't catch up to the Ferraris, Bennetons or Williams'.

For the visuals of the game, it does look advanced for a PS1 game, but if you are try-harding for tenths of a second per lap, the old VHS tape look doesn't help you at all. You try to eye reference points for turns and you can barely see anything than a few pixels. Also, the game being fast in its nature does not help with that motion sickening feel at all.

The game still carries a lot of charm though. Tracks and cars are mostly faithful to their real life counterparts. And, the legend, Murray Walker actually commentates the races. He drops some one-liners, reacts if you crash and will compliment or roast you from time to time. But after a while, you start to realize that, there are like 30 voice lines and they do get stale pretty quick. So, I ended up turning off everything except the car and enviormental sounds after a few races.

And lastly for the AI. It literally does not exist at all. They drive on set lines and never give any space at all. Which if you know you know, all the time you have to leave the space.