Monaco Grand Prix (video game)

Monaco Grand Prix: Racing Simulation 2, also known as just Monaco Grand Prix, is a Formula one racing game for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and Dreamcast. It was released in 1998-1999. The game is based on the Formula One World Championship, but does not have the licence to use drivers names, official cars, etc. (the licence was held by Video System at the time, who made F-1 World Grand Prix and F-1 World Grand Prix II). The game does however have a licence to use Formula One's official sponsors; Schweppes and Castrol among others, helping add to the authenticity of the game. The game is unrelated to Sega's Monaco GP series.

Monaco Grand Prix
Developer(s)Ubi Soft Paris
Publisher(s)Ubi Soft
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

The sequel to F1 Racing Simulation recreates the 1997 season, featuring 17 authentic tracks, 11 teams and cars with their 22 drivers. The Monaco license is used, although the teams themselves are not licensed. A total of 22 camera views are provided. Telemetry is stored and analysed in a similar way to Grand Prix 2, and physics are modeled to be realistic. There are eight different modes to race, the new ones being a career mode in which the player starts with a poor team and must drive well enough to earn competitive rides, and scenarios recreating key races for particular drivers. Returning from the first game are Time Attack, a full championship, and a 1950s retro mode. There is also a track editor for the players to create their own tracks.

Reception

The game received "favorable" reviews on all platforms except the Dreamcast version, which received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[3][4][5][6] PC Gamer gave the PC version universal acclaim, months before its U.S. release.[33] An unnamed reviewer of Next Generation said of the N64 version in its July 1999 issue, "With 16 tracks, 22 cars onscreen at the same time, two-player split-screen racing, excellent graphics, detailed physics, and great gameplay, it's a hard title to stop playing."[30] Four issues later, however, Chris Carla of the same magazine (now labeled NextGen) said of the Dreamcast version, "If you've got a Dreamcast and [you] want GP racing, this isn't bad, but we'd much rather play Ubi's Speed Devils instead."[29] In Japan, where the same Dreamcast version was ported for release on March 11, 1999, followed by the PlayStation version on September 30, Famitsu gave it a score of 31 out of 40 for the former,[34] and 26 out of 40 for the latter.[35]

Pete Wilton of Official UK PlayStation Magazine gave the PlayStation version seven out of ten, saying, "Despite minor annoyances (where's the commentary?) and unrealistic arcade looks, Monaco GP is certainly better than the disappointing F1 '98. The trouble is, some 18 months on, it still can't best F1 '97. It seems like the racing leegends of yesteryear still take some beating."[36] Edge gave the PC version a score of seven out of ten in its December 1998 issue, saying that despite the issues, the game "proves one of the most comptent and technical recreations of modern F1 currently available."[37] Seven issues later, however, the same magazine gave the Japanese Dreamcast import six out of ten, calling it "a proficient, F1 simulation title with a respectable set of handling dynamics. It's just that things have moved on a little since its original appearance six months ago, and this version is therefore unable to match its predecessor's impact. Some genuine enhancements -- rather than a seemingly straightforward port -- would have been welcome."[38]

AllGame gave the Dreamcast, PC and PlayStation versions each three stars out of five, with Brad Cook saying of the Dreamcast version, "I have to give this game a higher rating than I thought I would simply because I know it will appeal to its intended audience. Just stay away if you want Arcade-style action";[39] Michael L. House saying that the PC version "crosses the finish line in fairly good shape. I'm a firm believer that all games don't necessarily have to fit exclusively in a restrictive "either/or" category but can fill niches in a sliding scale of desirability. Just as those gamers who do themselves an injustice by adamantly shouting there is only one viable golf simulation because of a strict, narrow mindset, so to[o] will racing fans unwilling to experience alternatives in the Formula 1 racing genre";[40] and Jonathan Sutyak saying of the PlayStation version, "While Monaco Grand Prix more than passes from a technical standpoint, there are a few things excluded that keep it from being a classic."[41]

Jes Bickham of N64 Magazine gave the N64 version 87% in his early review, calling it "a rattlingly good game."[42] Cam Shea of Hyper gave it 83% in his early review, calling it "a semi-sim that would make a good introduction for F1 fans intimidated by steep learning curves."[43] Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, and Nintendo Power gave the European version average reviews, months before its U.S. release date.[10][18][31]

The PC version was a runner-up for Computer Games Strategy Plus's 1999 "Racing Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Dirt Track Racing. Its staff wrote, "Superb graphics and excellent vehicle physics are the hallmark of the latest installment in this excellent series."[44]

Trivia
  • Ubisoft did not have the official FIA license. Therefore they licensed only the Monaco track and named the game after it. All other F1 tracks are also included, but using different names.
  • In the United Kingdom, the title is Racing Simulation: Monaco Grand Prix
  • In Germany, the game is just known as Racing Simulation 2 and has a different cover.

References
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