Is Forumula 1: Beyond the Limit really that bad?

[j_factor]

One of the few Sega CD games I've never played. I noticed that the review here gives it a 1/10 and completely trashes the game. On GameFAQs, it has two reader reviews, one giving it a 7 and one giving it a 9. Not that I consider GameFAQs reviews on the same level, but it means someone thought it was great. I have also noticed that on Youtube videos of the game, most of the comments are in praise. Not that I particularly trust Youtube comments as a judgment for anything, but, again, it means some people liked it. Usually if a game is a 1/10, that means everyone agrees it sucks.

So, how is it?

[Barone]

How much do you like F1?

I love F1 since I was 3 years old and this game is like a playable official season review (If you ever watched one of those official reviews you'd know that it's a great thing).
Many videos and lots of info about the tracks, drivers, teams...

I think the bad part is that the tracks are not close to the real ones in terms of looking but, heck, most of the f1 games of those times were like that.
Unlike the sega-16 review says, you can adjust many things in your car and once you get used with the controls and settings the game feels great.
IMO it's better than any F1 game for the Genesis/MD and actually you can have some great fun and challenge with this game. Sound and graphics do make use of the Sega CD capabilities and the whole package is good IMO.

I'd give a 7 to this game.

[Team Andromeda]

No its not bad at all, its just that its aged really badly . At the time it was the best console F1 game by a mile and in many ways was way ahead of its time for a console sim - Real time weather, AI car breakdowns, history mode, All cars handling and sounding different ECT.

Now though those mean nothing and its aged badly , if I was to give it a score today it would be a six our of ten , but back in its day it was a 9 out 10

[sheath]

Ugh, I really don't like scoring systems anyway, but scoring a fifteen year old game against modern polygonal racers seems really wrong to me. I have to say, I have bought and sold Formula One several times since it was new, and I bought it when it was new hoping to really love it and desperate for a solid Sega CD racers. I still have never been able to get into it, I just can't seem to figure it out and the framerate is too low for me to be impressed by the Graphics Coprocessor scaling and rotating the ground. I still prefer to play the original Super Monaco GP, or even Formula One on Genesis, to this. I am also still interested in figuring out what I don't get so I can enjoy Beyond the Limit as a few others do.

[Zz Badnusty]

At the time of it's release; well before, and well after, I considered racing games to be one of my favorite genres.
I played Turbo in the arcades and on Coleco Visoon, I played 100's of hours of Pole Position on 5200, Out Run any chance I get, played Super Monaco GP feverishly... etc. I was so hyped for F1 Beyond the Limit!
I expected it would control vastly different than most other racing games. Still, I could never come to grasps with the control of Beyond the Limit.

I've never read or heard confirmation or support for this, bit it appears to me that the main engine of the game is based off of the bonus stage engine from Sonic CD. It just didn't ever "work" for me. The review and track and car details I couldn't care less about. I suppose as a strict sim it might be awesome for F1 enthusiasts. As a racing videogame it was the least fun game I have ever played.

[j_factor]

Sounds like there's a lot of mixed opinions then. I wouldn't say I'm a Formula 1 fan in general. I played Psygnosis's F1 games on PSX and I thought they were boring. But, looking at this game, it still looks interesting to me. Sometimes being less "advanced" can mean more fun. I guess I'll just have to give it a try.

[A Black Falcon]

Formula One: Beyond the Limit is actually a quite good, visually impressive game. The game's got some of the best graphics in a Japanese Sega CD game, and the gameplay holds up just as well. I just wish that someone had used that engine for an arcade racing game too, because sims just aren't my thing... but yeah, for anyone who does like F1 sims, the game should be something to definitely try. The graphics, gameplay, and design are all done very well, the only issue is that I get really bored by it, like with pretty much every realistic racing game out there. (No, I don't want to do a long practice race, then a long qualifying race, and only THEN race against other cars, which is the only fun part! I want to skip those other parts, darnit... but no, it's a sim, so you can't.)

Anyway, despite disliking the realistic racing genre, I can tell that it's good for its genre, and impressive for its platform, and certainly it deserves at least an 8/10.

On another note, the Sega CD's racing game lineup really is very weak, which is bizarre given how great a racing game developer Sega is. Of course, Sega didn't MAKE any racing games for the Sega CD, which explains an important part of why... the ones they published, like this or Racing Aces, were externally developed. But yeah, Racing Aces tries to do FAR too much for the Sega CD to be able to handle it at a reasonable framerate (it's an incredibly ambitious and interesting game, but it just tries too much for the system), Beyond the Limit is good but boring, Jaguar XJ220 have never excited me that much (graphics aren't great either), and BC Racers isn't that good either... and that's pretty much it. Yeah, it's kind of disappointing.

I think the bad part is that the tracks are not close to the real ones in terms of looking but, heck, most of the f1 games of those times were like that.

It looks more realistic than anything on the Genesis, for sure, because the tracks are actually (Mode 7 style) 3d, not fake-3d stuff like most Genesis racing games used...

[tz101]

Best Formula 1 game I have played is on N64, but I will have to be on the lookout for this one because I really love racing games.

[bultje112]

this game is great. don't believe the hate. it's the formula 1 fans wet dream. especially back in the day. this game is so detailed and made by real f1 fans you can tell. the racing takes some getting used to be if you are willing to give it a chance it;s really a fantastic game. another hidden gem in my sega cd collection

this game gets mixed reviews and I think most of the hate comes from people that don't like and don't understand formula 1 and don't like their sim games. I wouldn't reocmmend this game to non f1-fans simply because only if you are a formula 1 fan you would notice how much went into this game and you want to really give it a chance. otherwise it will just appear be some random racer to you from the outside

[Zz Badnusty]

You wouldn't believe how much I gave the game a chance.
I was desperate to like it. I don't think it's a stretch to say it was the least enjoyable game I ever played on Sega CD, I suppose there were other boring and less enjoyable games I've played on other systems through the years, but F1 Beyond the Limit was a profound let-down for me, not at all what I am looking for in a videogame.

It is interesting and enlightening to me that some people really enjoy this.

J-factor, I'm particularly interested to hear your take on the game once you've given it a few days or weeks of playtime. It certainly isn't a pick up and play racing game, you'll need to devote some time to it for sure.

[Bones Justice]

I couldn't get in to this game, either. I think the graphics are okay for SegaCD. I like F1 racing but the control in this game seems impossible. I've watched other people play this and watched videos of gameplay and nobody can even stay on the course let alone drive a good racing line. Even driving a straight line is extremely difficult.

[Barone]

I've watched other people play this and watched videos of gameplay and nobody can even stay on the course let alone drive a good racing line. Even driving a straight line is extremely difficult.

ROM'ers that know nothing about F1 and even less about car setup.

My qualifying at Kyalami with Ayrton Senna/Mclaren (1993 version of the track) (I could have done it better but considering that Benetton and Williams had far better cars and motors for that year, fifth is not a bad position):


Ayrton Senna's driving at Kyalami's GP in 1992 (Williams already had a far superior engine in 1992; you can see how it had much more torque in low revolutions per minute - let alone their intelligent suspension):


Damn close for a 16-bit racing game if you ask me. The stereo panning of the cars engine noise is awesome IMO.

[sheath]

Dang Agostinho, those videos make Beyond the Limit look really freaking good. I'd love to know how to tune the cars so driving like that is more possible.

[Barone]

Dang Agostinho, those videos make Beyond the Limit look really freaking good. I'd love to know how to tune the cars so driving like that is more possible.

Setup used for that video:
Tires: C
Handling: Under 2 (probably Under 3 would be a bit better, more handling capability but you would have to be more careful to stay on the course)
Brakes: Rear 1 (probably Normal 3 would be a bit better in some cases)
Front Wing: Type 3
Rear Wing: M1
Steering: Slow 3 (The game's steering is way too fast by default but Slow 2 would be fine too).
Transmition: Automatic

Mclaren's car suffer with its weak Ford engine of that year, so we should use less wing to achieve better results but it would led to a more unstable car and even losing the control in speeds higher than 170-180mph depending on how less wing you use.

But also, you have to use much less d-pad taps than you'd usually do in other 16-bit F1 games. Usually one tap is enough to place your car in the direction that you need.
The game is very complex about the braking usage. Usually in this game is much better to break before or at the very beginning of the turn. The controls work better if you break first and close your turn and then accelerate and let the car slide until the limits of the track.

[Barone]

I have pushed a bit more. 4 seconds faster: