This year's Electronic Entertainment Expo saw the global gaming industry take some huge steps forward, from the gesture control‎led Microsoft Kinect, to the glasses-free Nintendo 3DS. Of more interest to F1 fans was a live, in-depth demo of Formula 1 2010 from Chief Game Designer, Stephen Hood.

When UK publisher Codemasters first picked up the licence to create Formula 1 games back in summer 2009, there were a few reservations from fans about the company's ability to nail a quality F1 racing title. As time has worn on, the more previews we see the more we're convinced the right people were selected.

During this year's expo, Hood provided assembled media with an in-depth preview of work gone into Formula 1 2010's weather system. You can watch that preview, courtesy of GameTrailers.com, The video quality is superb so make sure you hit the full screen icon, as Stephen does a lap or two of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in changeable conditions.

Stephen notes that during a race, weather conditions are unpredictable. The sun can dry out the circuit, which affects performance of the car, driver visibility, and even engine temperature. Tyre compounds will also react differently during the race, while your race engineer has access to weather radar information should you fancy pre-empting a strategy change before the rest of the field.

The preview shows cars carrying this year's liveries, as well as an interactive replay feature. We learn that teams will have rational objectives, so Ferrari expect you to win, while new teams would be happy with an occasional point. Small teams can be turned into a championship challenger over time, and even paddock media get to offer you feedback about your abilities.

If that isn't enough realism for you, Stephen says the game goes yet further when it comes to inter-team battles.

You can be the number one driver in a team. This feeds in to whether or not you're likely to get upgrades before your team mate. If you're the number one driver and you've got a particular driving style, over time you can actually meld that construction of the car to suit your preferences. Sometimes to the detriment of your team mate. -Stephen Hood

This staggering feature set looks to redefine the racing game genre and on top of all that, it looks absolutely gorgeous. The rain, the reflections, the cars, 24 person multiplayer... I already love everything about it.

The title will be available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and is released 21 September in the US or 24 September in Europe. The staggered release date seems to be the sole annoying thing about the game. Cheers goes to RG for the heads up.