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Formula One 2002 for PlayStation 2
Formula One 2002 for PlayStation 2 lets you race with the teams and drivers of the 2002 season. You climb into a single-seater and drive the circuits on that calendar, including the drastically shortened Hockenheim. Familiar colours, the pit lane and the starting procedure place you in a Grand Prix weekend. You can quickly begin a race through Arcade or use Simulation to focus more on preparation, setup and the decisions that shape a longer race.
During practice, you look for braking points and try to tailor the car to the track. Every fraction of a second then counts in qualifying. Fuel load, tyres and setup influence your approach to the race. At the start, launch control helps get the car moving, but timing still matters. Rain, smoke and dust show what is happening on track; traffic and the different reactions of computer-controlled drivers require you to look beyond the very next corner.
Alongside individual races, you can contest a full world championship and try to collect points across several weekends. Up to four participants can also play Hotseat: you take turns driving and pass the controller around. This is not a simultaneous four-person split-screen race and does not require a Multitap. The offered edition also includes a separate DVD Movie Disc; the film is separate from the playable season on the game disc.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 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.
This edition of Formula One 2002 is offered with the DVD Movie Disc. This extra DVD contains the official review of the 2001 Formula One season and is not a separate racing game.
Manual
Formula One 2002 for PlayStation 2 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 2002
Studio Liverpool developed Formula One 2002 for Sony Computer Entertainment. The European PS2 release arrived in 2002 and followed Formula One 2001. Sony continued to build around the official championship, with the teams, cars and circuit changes of the new season. It is not the same game as EA's F1 2002, which also appeared that year. The nearly identical names belong to different publishers and development projects, even though both draw on the same real motorsport.
This annual step changed more than team colours. Hockenheim received a much shorter layout for 2002, and other circuit alterations were also incorporated into Sony's game. The presentation used captured movements of mechanics and drivers for pit work and podium celebrations. In its original announcement, SCEE presented the more involved Simulation approach alongside Arcade and turn-based Hotseat. The release thus combined following a real sporting calendar with different ways of playing a race.
The edition with DVD Movie Disc links two separate seasons: the game focuses on 2002, while the included film is an official review of the 2001 world championship. That extra disc adds neither a new playable season nor additional circuits to the game. It provides background footage of the sport underlying this annual series. The combination of game and film thus gives you both an interactive version of 2002 and real race footage from the previous year.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Formula One 2001 is the direct predecessor from the same PS2 developer and shares its race weekends, setup and official drivers. Formula One 2002 moves that structure to a different grid and altered circuits. The shortened Hockenheim in particular shows why a new year means more than different packaging. Playing both lets you apply the same preparation techniques, but altered corners require new braking points and laps adapted to the different layout.
F1 Championship Season 2000 comes from EA and uses the teams and circuits of 2000. Like Formula One 2002, it offers a full championship and scope for car setup. Multiplayer requires a distinction, however: EA lets four people drive simultaneously with a Multitap, while Sony's Hotseat has four participants alternate. The cars and some track layouts also come from different years, giving you a different historic grid and different conditions.
Grand Prix Challenge is also based on the 2002 Formula One season, but was made by Melbourne House and published by Infogrames. Many names and locations are therefore familiar, while its controls and presentation come from a different design. Formula One 2002 belongs to Studio Liverpool's annual Sony series and emphasises the detailed race weekend. A shared licence makes these PS2 games related, but does not mean their handling or race structure is identical.
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec also has you search for a faster line and better car setup on circuits. However, it gathers varied road and racing cars in a career involving licences and prize money. Formula One 2002 limits its world to one year's official championship. You play as an existing driver in a fixed team, so progress is mainly about race results and points rather than buying and expanding your own garage.
Like Formula One 2002, WRC II Extreme has an official sporting licence and focuses on recognisable teams and events from 2002. On rally stages, your car travels over changing surfaces and you follow a co-driver's instructions. The Formula One racer keeps you on tarmac circuits with qualifying and a shared starting grid. Both reward practice on a course, but a gravel rally corner requires different corrections from braking among single-seaters for a slow chicane.
