The summer break for the Formula One season is right around the corner and this means the latest virtual version is now available. F1 23 has brought back its narrative mode, Braking Point 2, along with introducing the new F1 World and making physics changes that will benefit all racers in the game no matter their controller. The official video game of the 2023 Formula One season looks to capture all the excitement and drama seen during race weekends as Codemasters, once again, does a proper replication of the sport. While the improvements across the board are positive, does the game offer enough over the previous year’s game?
Being the officially-licensed Formula One game, players can expect the 2023 drivers, their ratings and all the circuits. This means Las Vegas and Qatar have been added to this year’s game while also carrying over China, Portugal and France as optional circuits that are not on this year’s calendar. This means you will see a boost to Fernando Alonso and the Aston Martin team as performance benchmarks will match those of the current season. The development team has also addressed some community feedback with including red flags and the choice for a 35% race distance, which comes off as more of a sweet spot for those that want a better representation of tire degradation and strategy without having to fork out two hours for a full race.
A big and welcome change comes in the form of retooling the physics engine and introducing Precision Drive for controller players. The team has taken actual F1 team feedback for this year’s cars and this is clearly felt in the game. The standout is removing all assists as the car can now lose traction and be saved, or even drifted to a degree. There’s a small of window of being able to countersteer, but the ability is actually here this year whereas last year the car would simply lose the backend and could only possibly be saved by the best drivers. It still takes skill to race these cars, but advanced users who understand how a car feels in the heat of the moment can find traction.
The grip on sweeping corners tends to be more misleading, along with navigating slower corners. The car doesn’t turn through corners as easy and this makes street circuits more difficult. It’s also possible to get a better launch from the grid. While a wheel is the best solution for immersion, the changes to the controller setup seem to stand out best thanks to DualSense. Braking hard without ABS will lock up and propel the car forward while not turning, and this is realistic. ABS is smooth, but the braking resistance from the L2 button is distinct based on the pressure. On the other side of that, balancing wheel spin is much more distinct on acceleration and allows for better management of the car with R2. The controller tech was completely rewritten to better accommodate controller. This is the most intuitive that playing one of Codemasters' F1 games has ever been with a controller.
Braking Point 2 is the sequel to the narrative mode that was introduced two years ago as it took a year off last year. If you’re a fan of Drive to Survive, the “documentary” series on Netflix, this may be right up your alley. The star Aiden Jackson returns with other familiar faces in new places from the first story. This time, Konnersport Racing is a new team that is run by teammate Devon Butler’s father as they now sit on the same team. This is a revisit that was filmed after the fact and remains solidly written with solid acting. The only drawback was the story design as it focuses on three main characters and the way it flows is questionable. It seems that Aiden is largely left out after his stint and you’re supposed to feel for Devon after being portrayed as the villain for so long? Answering questions in interviews can provide boosts to either the PR side or the performance side. It isn’t that impactful in the long run, but overall it’s a good experience. There are some races that seem too long just for the sake of filling time and there aren’t necessarily any story context during these longer races. The idea is to basically complete necessary challenges to progress the story, but there should be more tie-in to story elements during the races. Politics and drama reign supreme in the story and it feels like something pulled straight from Drive to Survive.
The other big addition to F1 23 comes with F1 World, which is a redesigned hub that keeps every racing mode outside of career and Braking Point 2 in one area. It also contains the return of your customizable home that people can visit. What I didn’t expect was the idea of an RPG in a Formula One game, but it is here. Players will build their car to race and achieve a higher tech level, which is a leveling system. Competing in races and challenges unlock upgrades to the car and team in the way of badges that add boosts to certain aspects. These can also be increased individually. It’s lowkey addicting and more straightforward versus the Career Mode or My Team. This is where the online races are as well. This also gears towards different driving styles as the cars will behave different based on the badges that are installed or the personnel that’s hired. This was a pleasant surprise and players can choose to use their car or official F1 cars in different modes.
All XP for the Podium Pass, which unlock rewards, is now earned in all modes. A new License Level and Ranking system exists to better identify the racing level of the player. The online racing options here now include a lobby system and ranked matchmaking. Players looking for more serious action can start Leagues directly in the game to allow for better league customization and management. This including analyzing data from races to see where improvements can be made. The actual online experience in finding races and connectivity is currently good. The lobbies already have a good bit of races and cross-play returns to add the player count.
Codemasters has improved the color pallet and lighting in the game to help bring a more authentic look to the visuals. While not a large leap over last year, the look of the cars, player models and environments to see a change. The player model faces still look great, and the cut scenes in Braking Point 2 are extremely realistic. The game still runs in 4K at 60 FPS at its base with the option for a performance mode, once again. There have been some subtle changes to the pre-race and post-race animations, but a lot doesn’t get changed up. It is also worth noting that the visual changes seem to shine best at the night sky in Las Vegas. The team did an excellent job replicating the environment filled with bright neon lights and a good ambiance of the lighting on the track.
The audio experience remains excellent with cars sounding fantastic and different based on the model. The car audio stands out more when in the third person view, and it remains properly replicated. A lot of the voiceovers from engineers does remain the same. The voice acting in Braking Point 2 is solid quality and the soundtrack offers a ton of EDM options to listen to. The overall experience still remains solid, but not a lot has changed on this.
Closing Comments:
F1 23 makes welcome changes and additions to the series with the most beneficial being the racing. My Team, Career and Two-Player Career have surface updates, but is largely the same. The new icons in the Champions Edition aren’t much to write home about outside of Nigel Mansell. I don’t think many would clamor to have Pastor Maldonado as a teammate. F1 World is a surprising addition that adds a whole new element to the series while Braking Point 2 is a good follow up if you’re in the mood for some drama. The team did include the Supercars again, but it’s buried in F1 World and the cars are exactly the same. There are still no classic cars or track options, which was a great addition but has been phased out in recent years. Also, a lack of a PSVR2 version when PC has VR is disappointing. The best element still comes with the actual updates to the racing physics and how the car behaves. F1 23 is a solid improvement in some regards over F1 22, but one can question if it’s enough.
Reviewed on PlayStation 5
