The world turns, the EA does not stop. EA, which acquired Codemasters in 2020 and completely incorporated the studio, had the sole say in F1 games. F1 2021 and F1 22 were also the first examples of how EA started to interpret the series.
Finally, another year has come and EA has released F1 23. After a disaster like F1 22, we had no expectations for this game. However, as you can see at the end of our article, EA did a much better job than expected.
F1 23 review:
F1 23 has now added a whole new dimension to the series of Formula 1 games. This dimension is not graphical or mechanical dimensions. The Breaking Point mode, which was introduced in F1 21 but not in 22, is back, and a brand new “world” called “F1 World” has entered our lives.
Of course, only these two game modes could not save the series, which suffered a collapse last year. However, EA managed to learn a good lesson from F1 22 and fixed all the shortcomings we complained about last year, especially the controls. Of course there are flaws, but they are few and far between.
Let’s start with Breaking Point 2:
Let’s summarize for those who haven’t played F1 21 before: Breaking Point is a game mode where we play small sections of a driver’s career through the eyes. Cinematics, chaos, controversy, racing tracks. Breaking Point 2 in F1 23 is no different.
In the new game mode, we see the dirty world of Formula 1 from a first-person perspective, competing with a pilot who races in his father’s team. For F1 fans, it is worth emphasizing this place: The person competing in his father’s team, our troublemaker, is Devon Butler, whom we would turn our heads to if we saw him on the street.
- Look at this stance for once.
When this is the case, you find a different source of gas to crush him. Our coming to this gas actually gives us extra benefits. Because we don’t just see a story, we also partially control our driver and his behavior.
In the game mode, we can get comments based on our behavior before and after each race. We are challenging other drivers who have said irresponsible words to us, and fulfill these challenge missions in our next race. Of course, it’s up to you whether to challenge or not.
Our performance and behavior in the race are also scored under the titles of “Reputation” and “Performance”. So what do these scores do for us? That’s where the game mode has a shortcoming.
No matter how well you compete, no matter how many tasks you complete successfully, the course of the story does not change. A race where you show a superior performance with the resentment of crushing your opponents may end with a cinematic where your car suddenly becomes a hit.
However, this does not mean that the game mode is not enjoyed. Black-backed interviews like Drive to Survive on Netflix, ugly ugly conversations, encountering unexpected events make the story interesting and somehow encourage you to play.
F1 is on its way to EA’s new FIFA alternative: F1 World
The biggest innovation that came with F1 23 was undoubtedly F1 World. F1 World is an online platform where your entire gaming experience comes together, where you showcase your rewards and meet other players.
F1 World has daily events such as Series, which consists of short challenges, Grand Prix and time trial, and ranked races where you face off against pilots of your own level online.
As we play in these game modes, we gain improvements and get more resources for our own Formula 1 car. As a result, our vehicle is starting to perform much better.
In addition, we can customize our own driver and the appearance of our vehicle, display our awards to other players, and even collect supercars. In order to obtain these super cars, we use different types of vehicles and earn ‘Supercar Tokens’, and we also fulfill the tasks given for each vehicle.
But it is possible to say that this F1 World is not suitable for people who want to race for a long time. Because F1 World is completely independent of your career in the game and My Team mode. In addition, the game modes consist of challenges that end in a maximum of 15-20 minutes. Summary: This is the fun and arcade part of F1.
If you’re someone who plays F1 to sit back and spend time with the controller, you’ll probably enjoy F1 World. But if you are a competitive person, all the elements except the competitive mode will not interest you.
Let’s get to where F1 22 explodes: How are the controls in the new game?
For those playing F1 22, we don’t need to remind you of the disaster. But let’s summarize for those who haven’t played it: Technical glitches, crashes, flyaways when you touch the curbs when it can work, the fact that nothing has been added to F1 21 in terms of content, and most importantly, the controls are so unplayable.
The controls of the F1 22 were so bad that it undoubtedly made many resent the series. However, in F1 23, major corrections have been made in this regard. So, what kind of controls does the new game offer?
I played the game on PC with an Xbox controller. And to do a nice test, I turned off all the driving aids. Even so, if you have experience, it will be quite difficult to get the car out of control.
Which actually tells us: F1 23 is more forgiving of mistakes. You can grasp the unassisted gameplay by doing just 5-6 laps, you can press the gas without causing your vehicle to spin, or you can brake without locking your wheels.
If you turn on the supports, the game turns into an arcade racing game where you can sit back and play. Steering feel has also been greatly improved in F1 23. You can calculate and implement your turns much better than the unpredictability of F1 22.
I’ve had all this experience in Miami, Monaco and the Hungaroring, which are tracks that are one-on-one, especially for controller testing. I drove the vehicle on sharp, wide, narrow or highway bends. While I could go crazy every ten seconds in F1 22, I did not feel the slightest negativity in the controls at any point in this game.
However, one factor influencing controls remains…
Kerbs, kerbs, kerbs…
Even though F1 23 is an era ahead of F1 22 in terms of kerb mechanics, it still has a negative point, at least for me. Even in perfect weather in the game, as soon as you get stuck, half of the command you give to the steering wheel is wasted and the vehicle begins to stop turning. You also lose almost all traction.
To sum it up, even though kerbs don’t blow you away in F1 23, they can still punish you. It’s good to stay away.
Let’s get to the performance side:
Hardware I tried F1 23:
- Processor: Intel Core i5 12400F
- Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
- RAM: 32GB
- Storage: SSD (Samsung 980)
- Monitor: 2K ultrawide (3440 x 1440), 165 Hz
In this system, which is mid-high level for today, the F1 23 gave very successful results in 2K ultrawide resolution. I did not encounter any stuttering or freezing during the hours I played the game.
With ray tracing on, I easily reached 50-60 FPS with all settings on ultra, and 100-120 FPS with ray tracing off and all settings on ultra. My FPS values also managed to stay stable in this range in general.
Of course, we have to remind you that we owe this performance to NVIDIA’s DLSS technology. I played the game with the DLSS setting in Balanced. While I experienced an average of 15-20 FPS drops in Quality mode, I observed an increase of 20-30 FPS in Performance mode. I found the Balanced mode sufficient for image quality.
Let’s make our final comments: Will F1 23 be bought or played?
As a person who is upset with the series with F1 22 and has no expectations from F1 23, I can easily say this: EA managed to make a big recovery with F1 23. The game is also very fun and flows smoothly.
The game, which has loot-like mechanics with F1 World, may upset some of us with this aspect. However, this mode is also very inviting for those who want to sit back and play. Competitive F1 players can continue the game from the classic modes.
For the simulation lovers who have never played F1 games, let’s say this: Like every F1 game, F1 23 is a simulation-arcade game. You shouldn’t expect realistic simulation elements like iRacing or Assetto Corsa Competizione from this game.
On the other hand, the game adds the tracks and refurbished vehicles included in Formula 1 with the new season, on top of F1 22. There is no change in My Team and career mode.
In short, F1 23 is a game worth buying and playing if you like racing games and F1. As for the price, unfortunately we no longer have a comment, these are now the standard levels for new games.
If you don’t want to buy it, you can expect the game to come to EA Play in the coming months, just like F1 22. You can expand your game library even further by purchasing an Xbox Game Pass subscription for EA Play.
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