| Formula One 04 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Studio Liverpool |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Series | Formula One |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Formula One 04 is a 2004racing video game developed byStudio Liverpool and published bySony Computer Entertainment for thePlayStation 2. It is a sequel toFormula One 2003 and was based on the2004 Formula One World Championship.
The game features allten teams and twenty drivers competing in the 2004 Formula One World Championship (except for mid-season changes), as well as theeighteen circuits and Grands Prix that formed the championship, including the newBahrain International Circuit andShanghai International Circuit.[3]
It is the first Formula One game developed by Studio Liverpool to contain a 'Career Mode', which allows players to work their way through theFormula One teams over the course of a fixed number of seasons[4] (albeit a repeat version of the 2004 Formula One World Championship each time). Players start out testing in a generic Formula One car, and if they are doing well enough in the test they are offered a contract by a small team such asMinardi. Players then work their way up the grid throughout their 'career' through a mixture of good tests and impressive race performances. This game also hadNet Play available.
This is the only F1 game in the series to be changed in terms of gameplay after the original release. In the original version, there was a bug which during the timing of AI pitstops all the field crawled at pit lane speed, then they sped up once a few of the AI cars had made their stop, and it was common to be following a car which suddenly came to a halt and the player would end up hitting their rear and ending their race. Studio Liverpool responded to the fans' concerns about this issue and fixed this bug upon the release of the Platinum version.
Formula One 04 was released in Europe (PAL) andJapan (NTSC). The game features all the drivers and tracks from the 2004 Formula One World Championship, but does not represent the replacement drivers that featured in the real2004 Formula One World Championship, thereforeTimo Glock,Marc Gené,Antônio Pizzonia,Jacques Villeneuve andRicardo Zonta are not featured.
Formula One 04 was announced in April 2004 bySony Computer Entertainment, and was the second game in the exclusive deal between Sony Computer Entertainment andFormula One Administration, followingFormula One 2003.[4] The game was officially launched in London ahead of the2004 British Grand Prix with modelEmma B acting as the face of the game.[5]
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| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 77/100[6] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Famitsu | 30/40[7] |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 13/20[8] |
| PALGN | 7.5/10[9] |
| The Guardian |   [10] |
| The Times | [11] |
Formula One 04 received "generally favorable reviews" according to thereview aggregation websiteMetacritic.[6]
Steve Boxer ofThe Guardian praised the graphics, the car handling, and the inclusion of all eighteen tracks but criticized the difficulty of the career mode and the lack of help in the car setup.[10] In Japan,Famitsu gave it a score of 30 out of 40.[7]
Release date: 6th August, 2004. List price: AU$99.95.
