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Formula One Arcade for PlayStation 1
Formula One Arcade for PlayStation 1 turns Formula 1 into a series of short races with bonuses and a countdown clock. You drive the cars, teams and drivers of the 2001 season across seventeen real circuits. Checkpoints keep your race going, so a good position alone is not enough: you also have to reach the next checkpoint in time. Direction signs help you recognise approaching corners early.
Items lying on the asphalt change the race immediately. A turbo adds speed, larger tyres provide more grip and a protective bonus helps you through tricky sections. Repair items fix damage, and a temporary automatic driver can take over the steering. Choosing your line therefore also becomes a choice between a shorter route and a useful bonus. You do not need to work through extensive setup or qualifying beforehand to start racing.
Alongside individual races, you can play a series in which your performances earn grades and unlock more cars and circuits. Different aspects of your race count towards this, not just your finishing position. With two controllers, you can race each other in split-screen without a Multitap. A PlayStation memory card stores your progress. The game supports standard and analogue controllers and revolves around short, repeatable races in which you try to produce a better performance each time.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 1 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Formula One Arcade for PlayStation 1 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Formula One Arcade
Studio 33 developed Formula One Arcade, and Sony Computer Entertainment released it for PlayStation in 2002. The studio already worked on Sony's Formula One series but chose a separate arcade interpretation here. The official licence remained: its cars, teams, drivers and circuits come from the 2001 championship. The release year and the racing season depicted are therefore different. This is not a converted version of a PS2 simulation with the same name.
That design choice mainly changed what you have to do during a race. Where earlier Formula One games also focus on a complete race weekend, Arcade puts short races, time pressure and collectible aids first. The original packaging emphasised that direct approach alongside the official names. The result paired real circuits with things that do not belong to the actual sport, such as suddenly enlarged tyres and a bonus that makes the car drive itself temporarily.
That change of direction drew varied reactions on release. A French review from July 2002 sharply contrasted its strong driving assistance and limited difficulty with Formula One 2001 from the same studio. This is an important part of the context: Arcade sought to offer a different kind of competition within an existing Formula 1 series. Grades and unlockable circuits meanwhile give you reasons to revisit courses. This PlayStation release thus preserves a separate experiment from the original console's later years.
Similar games for PlayStation 1
Like Formula One Arcade, F1 2000 uses real teams and Grand Prix circuits, but focuses its races on the 2000 season. Setup, practice and qualifying play a larger role there. Arcade uses the 2001 entry list and adds checkpoints and bonuses. In both, you try to overtake opponents on a circuit; in Arcade, the countdown clock also decides whether you have maintained enough speed to continue the race.
Formula One 2001 shares its developer and racing season with Formula One Arcade. Its cars and circuits are therefore immediately recognisable, but the earlier game places more emphasis on the official sport, including damage and different race settings. Arcade builds around short races with turbos and other bonuses. Both reward learning the same corners, while Arcade also constantly asks you to decide which collectible items to include in your route.
Crash Team Racing shares turbos, collectible aids and the search for a fast line with Formula One Arcade. Crash uses fantasy circuits, karts and weapons that let you interfere directly with others. Arcade sticks to real Formula 1 circuits and mainly provides aids for speed, grip and repairs. Crash also puts considerable emphasis on generating your own drift boosts; Arcade explicitly ties its short races to checkpoints and a clock that keeps counting down.
Like Formula One Arcade, Ridge Racer Type 4 lets you unlock more cars through good racing performances. Namco's fictional circuits and vehicles mainly ask you to master their grip or drift handling. Formula One Arcade uses real Grand Prix venues and places bonuses on the asphalt. You repeat races in both to improve your execution, but in Type 4 the extra speed comes from your driving technique rather than a collected turbo item.
Alongside its rally stages, Colin McRae Rally 2.0 offers direct circuit races, so like Formula One Arcade it includes short competitions with visible opponents. Colin McRae revolves around rally cars, changing surfaces and managing damage. Arcade uses Formula 1 cars and gives bonuses and driving assistance greater influence. Both ask you to read a route through corners, but turbos, extra time and temporary automatic steering belong to Formula One Arcade's approach.
