F1 23 is finally here, and diehard fans of Formula 1 and racing games, in general, can now hit the tracks with a vivid, brand-new experience. F1 23 has many improvements over the previous entry, and overall, it looks like one of the best F1 games ever released. In this review, we shall endeavor to evaluate the game from the aspects of gameplay, story mode, visuals, and other factors that come together to create an enjoyable racing sim for players.
F1 23 Gameplay Review: Own the Tracks
With optimized assist settings and various options to tune the controls to your playstyle, F1 23 offers some of the best gameplay of any racing series. In comparison to its predecessor, F1 22, there are no overriding issues controlling the cars that make it harder than real-life racing this year, so it’s much more of an enjoyable driving experience. The developers at Codemasters have managed to perfect the fine-tuning of F1 23‘s driving mechanics and bring it home with their new game. And, of course, that experience can be further enhanced if you play the title with a steering wheel peripheral.
The Competition Is Real With the New AI System
One of the other issues with F1 22 was the AI and its over-predictive moves. The AI competitors in a racing game like this one must convey a sense of randomness with its moves to offer a varied experience with each new race. On that front, our F1 23 review delivers.
Once playing the Career Mode, you’ll realize how natural the competition feels. The other cars are not there only to finish the race; they compete with you and pull tricks out of their sleeves. And most importantly, they compete against each other to clear a victory. However, there is still some room for improvement, as they can often fall behind and then return to the action so quickly that it seems impossible.
Visuals and Graphics: Looking Great While Ignoring Minor Details
The visuals of this game are dazzling. This is what a gamer should expect from a 9th gen game, and you’ll notice the beauty employed as soon as you start. But this change is mostly in the details of the cars and the story cutscenes. The scenes where you win a trophy or interview are, unfortunately, lifeless and cartoonish. This was a problem in previous years’ F1 titles as well, and sadly, it has gone unchecked.
F1 23 Story Review: Codemasters Shifts Gears With Breaking Point 2
When we think of a racing game, most of us recall the speed, the drift, and the rallying. The story, if there is one, is not usually a primary feature of these games, and the developers don’t often put a lot of effort into fleshing out a narrative. Of course, there are games like Need for Speed Payback that drive the whole game with the story and its objectives. F1 games are much different in this regard.
F1 21 added a story to the series through the Breaking Point chapters. In this new game mode, players had to manage an F1 racer, Aiden Jackson, a young talented driver being mentored by a professional and retiring Casper Akkerman. That story showed what it is like to be on a real Formula 1 team. The team has ups and downs, the drivers don’t always get along, rivalries form, and the integration of racing and business for funding the team figures into the narrative. All of that dramatic flair has been brought back with another set of chapters in Breaking Point 2.
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The narrative of F1 23 is a very clever way of showing the Konnersport team’s conflicts and dramas. Probably the most crucial part of it is the ending, which reflects on the moral values of all the characters, especially the Butler family. But do these story chapters provide enticing gameplay? Unfortunately, no. The problem with this mode is not that you cannot play through an ordinary race most of the time. The objective-based races are challenging. But there are certain choices for upgrades, dialogue, and plays that don’t affect the overall experience.
If you bypass all the emails, updates, and other story beats, you’ll still pass the challenges and catch the cutscenes. There’s considerable potential for improving this mode much further than what Breaking Point 2 offers, and we hope to see that in F1 24. Maybe if you could swap racers and have fewer cutscenes and more gameplay instead, it would be better for a racing game narrative. However, Breaking Point 2 is more of a documentary, and it does just fine in that sense.
Will A Casual Racing Game Player Enjoy F1 23?
The answer to the above is yes and no. Yes, because this is as close as possible to what racing looks like in real life. And no, because you don’t go around maneuvering your way out of the corners just to drift while going over 160mph. This game asks for talent, passion, and a love for racing.
The Career Mode might take an F1 player many days to complete without losing any of its excitement. But, of course, the game is challenging. It’s not like F1 22, where you could lose because you can’t handle the cars. It’s rather a risk of precision and speed. The winner will be the one who can speed up at the right moment and take corners perfectly. But this requires excellent timing and lots of experience.
F1 23 racing game is available to play now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
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