It's finally here. After 2 years or so of development and a seemingly forever amount of waiting involved for this, it's finally here for us all to enjoy, love, get frustrated at and blame despite our lack of ability really being to blame, and just general stare in awe at the awesomeness that is the Formula 1 2010 videogame. Whether it be on the 22nd Sept in the US, 23rd in Europe or 24th in the UK and elsewhere, many of us will be scrambling open that devilishly claustrophobic cellophane wrapping around their copy of F1 2010 or furiously clicking the download button to get their copy from Steam or other online distribution services. Yes, folks, F1 2010 is here.

People have been asking in the past about PC requirements, so here they are for those who want to know thanks to Codemasters' support section and Guille finding this:

Minimum requirements

• Windows XP/Vista/7
• DirectX 9.0c
• Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.4GHz or Athlon X2
• 1GB RAM (2GB for Vista)
• Graphics Card: GeForce 7800 / Radeon X1800 or above
• DirectX Compatible Sound Card or motherboard audio
• Dual Layer Compatible DVD-ROM Drive
• 12.5 GB Hard Drive Space

Recommended requirements

• Windows XP/Vista/7
• DirectX 9.0c
• Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.66GHz or Athlon X2 4200+
• 2GB RAM
• Graphics Card: GeForce 9800 or ATI Radeon HD 4850 series
• DirectX Compatible Sound Card or motherboard audio
• Dual Layer Compatible DVD-ROM Drive
• 12.5 GB Hard Drive Space

Supported graphics cards

• ATI Radeon x1800, x1900, x1950, HD2400, HD2600, HD2900, HD3XXX Series, HD4XXX Series, HD5XXX Series
• NVIDIA Geforce 7800, 7900, 7950, 7950Gx2, 8400, 8600, 8800, 9600, 9800, 9800Gx2, GeForce 210, GT220, GTS250, GTX2XX Series, GTX4XX Series

I'm sure plenty of people will be dying to get their hands on this game, or perhaps waiting till Christmas in some cases, but nevertheless with the game finally here it would be wrong to simply ignore a discussion into what we're all making of the title. Plenty of Formula 1 fans have been waiting for a more sim-orientated F1 game for several years now. The recent Formula 1 2009 game for the Wii was definitely an enjoyable game to play but it's fair to say that it wasn't directed towards the more hardcore Formula 1 gaming fan in general but more accommodating to a casual Wii audience.

In fact, the last 'real' Formula 1 game would be Sony's final installment in their long running series with the Formula 1: Championship Edition released in 2006 for the PS3. Thankfully, Codemasters have brought the sport we love back to the modern consoles of PS3, Xbox 360 and PC after a barren spell of little gaming related fun for Formula 1. In fact, did you know this is Codemaster's largest ever game launch? Shows how much dedication has gone into making this a special game.

If you've missed out on all the updates and hype around the development of the F1 2010 gane, let me bring you up to date with what to expect from the game. First off, it looks quite stunning. Codemasters are a highly reputable developer in terms of their racing genre pedigree, with a rich and illustrious catalogue of titles in their past. They've created an absolutely stunning graphical which F1 really makes the most of with it's various locations around the world.

Codemasters have created a brand spanking new dynamic weather system for the game too and my goodness, does it look something. Expect the game to be very realistic in it's approach but still totally modifiable for those that was a more casual and relaxed experience. Of course, then you have the game's big 'Live the Life' Career Mode in which you pretty much live the life of a Formula 1 driver. Media questioning, contract deals, research and development sessions, building your way through the sport. Then you have the online racing aspect of the game with 12 player online races as well as leaderboards and more. Phew. It looks and sounds brilliant, so what more can we ask for?

There are plenty of places to find reviews if you're still interested and haven't heard much about the game. Here's a nice little reference list for you to refer to with some cracking reviews of the game:

• Eurogamer
• IGN
• IncGamers
• The Guardian
• VideoGamer

Whilst I've chosen out a few certain videos that you may be interested in viewing about the game:

• UK Television advert for F1 2010 - Courtesy of Codemasters
• Playr Video Review of the game - Courtesy of Playr
• Direct feed of Bahrain gameplay - Courtesy of FrontMedienTV
• Onboard Jenson Button gameplay from a wet Spa- Courtesy of MichaelVigars
• Multiple looks at F1 2010 in different parts (currently 8 videos) - courtesy of TeamVVV

The general overview of things is very, very positive which is no surprise. Luckily with this thread here on Sidepodcast it can provide a fantastic discussion place for all of us picking up the game this week as we wrangle our way into the game. Make sure you let all of us know about how you're doing, or perhaps just posting your opinions on the game. In fact, I do reccomend you follow Scott Woodwiss' Living the F1 Dream blog as he keeps us updated on his career in the game. I was planning to do a similar idea but I really don't think I could give it the time it would deserve whereas I know Scott will do a top notch job!

As well as this Gavin has put together a page on the Sidepodcast Wiki which will play host to all of our various tags on the different consoles should you want to find new friends to race against. Of course, keep us updated on your own progress in the game and the choices you've made. The comments are always around to listen and chat, and with everyone experiencing this game for the first time, I'm sure there'll be plenty of excitement from the many who buy it. You'd be a fool not to.

So, Formula 1 2010. It's here guys - are you ready to live the life?