“It’s light’s out and away we go” on a new journey with F1 23. After months of waiting, I finally got my hands on the new game and to be fair, Formula 1 is really turning out to be the Pinnacle of Virtual Motorsport as well. After playing F1 22, the difference in gameplay and graphics are on a different level. And with Las Vegas turning up this season, it would be a treat for players to go through the new track before any of the drivers do. Getting in the cockpit this time around feels equally amazing owing to the changes that Codemasters has brought on. The game is simply in a league of its own now with the Career Mode, World Drive, and the latest part of Braking Point that started with F1 21. If you cannot wait for the new game to turn up or have any lingering doubts on whether you should go for the game or not, our F1 23 Review should clear all of them.
F1 23 Review
If you are an F1 fan like me, the visuals, car handling, and driveability will make you want to hop into Career Mode and fire up the car. As a Mercedes-AMG Petronas fan, I quickly started the Career Mode to take a Flying Lap through Bahrain with the new W14. With Red Bull dominance still continuing this season, fans might also want to check out how the RB 19 cockpit feels while on the track. Having said that, the new F1 World was also an interesting game mode to look into. Also, the continued story of Braking Point was no less than a drama. Probably Netflix did it better with Drive to Survive but Braking Point had dramas of its own. Along with that, the iconic voice of Crofty makes some of the starts even more exciting as I wait for light’s out.
Driveability
The gamepad driveability in F1 23 trumps any installments in the series. Although driving in F1 22 was difficult because of the new regulations and heavier cars, those troubles have been comfortably sorted out. Handling these bulky cars is no longer a trouble and even driving them through street circuits is far more comfortable. Last year, I crashed into the walls of street circuits far more than I would like to remember. However, even going through Baku this time around felt like a cruise and if I had a VR set on, I probably would have got the feel of actually going through one of the best street circuits in Formula 1. Additionally, the understeer and oversteer from last year have reduced quite a lot on the gamepad. Although it might come down to skill differences, the tight turns and the slow corners are easy to counter this time.
Career Mode
Apart from multiplayer, Career Mode is going to be the most obvious choice that fans make. You can either create your own fictional team or play with one of the teams as their driver. My obvious choice was starting with Mercedes-AMG Petronas and going for the World Driver’s Championship. However, I did make my team and fought for the Constructors Championship for some time. Although I did not finish it, creating your own team is a different experience, one that players should try. Clarifying my situation, I did not complete it because I wanted to explore the other game modes and drive the W14 of course. However, I would like Lewis Hamilton to sign for my team at some point in the future so I will get back to it soon enough.
F1 23 – The Braking Point Continues
The latest story once again continues with Aiden Jackson as the driver of Konnersport, an eleventh team that has been added for the purpose of the story. However, the story this time focuses on more than just Aiden Jackson. Devon Buttler, the long time-nemesis of Aiden returns to action this time driving for Konnersport and we can also witness the addition of Callie Mayer, an F2 driver with a high potential. The story also features Davidoff Buttler (father of Devon) as the CEO of Konnersport and the resulting drama is quite a lot. And even though most of the flow is quite expected and predictable, there are instances in the story that have been surprising.
Just like the first part, players will have to complete set objectives and if they can exceed expectations, the bonus objectives are the perfect rewards that you need. Even the cutscenes have a better element to them when compared to last time out. Players can even earn a few different interview questions based on bonus objectives so that is worth exploring. It’s fair to say that Codemasters have given a lot of effort on F1 23 and this review certainly reflects a lot on that.
Continuing with Braking Point 2, Devon continues his role as the heel character in the story and Mayer definitely grabs some of the spotlight. Although this does push Aiden a little behind these two (in terms of character development), there is certainly more for us to see in the future. To be fair, even as a heel, Devon does look like a pretty impressive character in Braking Point 2. The one thing about Braking Point that I hope changes in the future is that even in the Hard mode, you find it a little too easy to overcompensate and collect bonus objectives.
F1 World Series
F1 World is a fresh change and even though there will be differences in opinions regarding this, it is certainly a standalone mode worthy of praise. Although it replaces F1 Life, F1 World is anything like it. If it is similar to anything, I would say it resembles the Career Mode. Not in the depths of the mode, but the basic approach feels a lot similar. Players have to complete daily, weekly, and seasonal challenges to claim the rewards. Along with that, there is the entire process of having to upgrade your F1 World Car. As I said, playing this mode will come down to personal preferences and whether you are comfortable with the upgrading process and the rewards.
The rewards and upgrades that players get from the objectives and challenges are miscellaneous and random. You might get one of the parts for your car or even a Race Director that improves your performance. Since this means that players don’t really get what they want, they might choose to play another mode. Although I certainly liked this idea and the entire system, some players might want to have an upgrade for this loot-based system. One of the best things about F1 World is that you can race at iconic tracks without having to go through the troubles of three practice sessions (or two + sprint) and a qualifying. Players can directly jump into the race on their F1 World Car. So if you are short on time to complete an entire race in Career Mode, F1 World is the next best thing for a few random laps.
Verdict
F1 23 is the Pinnacle of Virtual Motorsport and the upgrade packages from F1 22 are working here. Whether you would want to play with your favorite team or relax and race around iconic circuits, F1 23 has it all. With so many changes in gameplay, graphics, and driveability, we expect the Multiplayer mode to be a hit as well. Although I would not want to say that Codemasters have outdone themselves (so that they do it again), they have created an experience way better than I expected. With another exciting chapter of Braking Point coming to an end, players will be looking forward to the next season. And with this, we hope this F1 23 Review turns into a happy racing experience. You can also check out our other Reviews while you are here.
