TEST F1 23: the new benchmark in the world of Formula 1?

Like every year, EA Games And Codemasters are back with a new officially licensed racing game from the International Federation of Automobiles. This F1 23 notably marks the return of the scripted mode Breaking pointbut the developers also thought of improving the gameplay and review some features and content. So, here we go again?

A well-made Breaking Point 2 mode, ultra inspired by the Netflix series and captivating.

The big novelty of F1 23it is therefore Breaking Point 2a scripted mode with a team and fictional pilots who land in the big leagues. As last year’s opus was not entitled to this mode, the developers opted for a narration in the form of a retrospective interview Formula 1: Drivers of their destinies to come back to the events of the 2022 and 2023 season. We obviously find aiden jackson And Devon Butlerwho are now teammates in the stable of Konnersport Butler Global Racing-Teamfinanced by the father of Devon. The tension is always present between the two men, between the smooth Jackson and the impetuous Butlerbut their profiles evolve over the chapters, and we also follow the rise of Callie Mayersister of Devon which shines in Formula 2coached by Casper Akkerman.

The recipe for Breaking Point 2 remains the same as that of the previous part, but improving many points. The scenarios are more varied and very realistic (even inspired by reality), the dramas between the pilots are omnipresent and it is a treat to follow the evolution of everyone over this adventure. The races are rarely complete, requiring you to accomplish an objective in a few laps such as reaching a certain position or overtaking your rival, all of which is punctuated by very well-made cutscenes with interviews and racing sequences commented by Julien Fébreau and Jacques Villeneuve. Between chapters, we are also entitled to e-mails, calls and social networks to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere, and even to sequences of interviews with journalists or choices to be made within the stable, which can sometimes influence future racing goals. A way Breaking Point 2 well done, ultra inspired by the series of netflix and captivating, even if it must be recognized that the ease of the tests is likely to lull those accustomed to simulation. And above all, the real pilots are never included in the story, for rights and public image issues, but it’s still a shame to see the team Konnersport evolve a bit on her own in her corner.

Another interesting novelty of this F1 2023, the menu F1 Worldwhich in fact brings together a lot of well-known fan modes, adding novelty. This is where we find single or online quick games, ranked multiplayer, time trials and Seriessmall scripted proofs as in Breaking pointbut without continuity or storyline.

La Carrière and Mon Écurie haven’t really changed since last year.

This is the ideal game mode if you are new to the franchise, allowing you to become familiar with the single-seaters, the different circuits around the world and the many racing situations, whether overtaking, defending position or changing tires tonight. And the developers have integrated a progression system with his own little team, the player must complete events to earn vehicle parts to improve his single-seater, win more complicated events and obtain driving licenses (from D to A ) in order to, again, have access to even more content. It’s a real game within the gameincluding car parts to place in the single-seater, team member contracts to manage, special time-based challenges to complete to speed things up, and every race in F1 World advances progress, whether in F1in F2 or in Supercars. The level of difficulty evolves according to the events, the content is often renewed and there are even races and Grand Prizes different every week.

Let’s talk about the other modes anyway, it will be brief, because there Career And My Stable haven’t really changed since last year. The first allows you to join an existing team and meet their expectations, winning the championship, finishing in the points or making an appearance without breaking the car, it’s great fun for a weekend of Grand Prize with free practice and its challenges to earn resource points improving the car, qualifying and then the race. The player can as always set the length of each stage of the weekend, with the appearance of races 35%, a bit longer than the 25% for a Grand Prize which requires a little better management of its tires and its strategy in the pits, without spending two hours on the track. This is also where we can rediscover the red flag, which appears during a big crash involving several vehicles or if the rain becomes too intense, even with blue tires. The race then stops with an automatic return to the pits, and the player can change tires, before reliving a second start, completely reviving the suspense.

On the side of My Stablesame story, we find the same format and the novelties of the Careerbut the player embodies here a fictional pilot in an additional team, with a pilot of F2 or a Icon by his side. This time you need manage the stable as a whole, with the finances and morale of the various research groups, to improve the single-seater and reach the heights. Note however the presence of Nigel Mansell, Kamui Kobayashi, Pastor Maldonado and Jamie Chadwick as newcomers to the Iconswhile in the comments of the races, it is once again Julien Fébreau and Jacques Villeneuve who are there at the start and end of Grand Prize, with always a sacred lack of involvement for the second. And yes, Jeff is still on the radio, no changes to note on the VF side for the race engineer…

Finally, let’s address the subject of maneuverability, central in a racing game. Codemasters did great progress for joystick controls thanks to technology Precision Drivethe player has access to a bunch of settings to customize the intensity of acceleration, braking and steering wheel movement in turns with trigger and joystick dead zones.

The Precision Drive really encourages you to do without aids for real driving sensations.

The difference with the previous opus is obvious, the player feels his single-seater sticking to the track, the tire rubber adheres perfectly to the asphalt and acceleration out of corners is now much more serene. The car spins a lot less, and if it does, it’s much easier to catch it to avoid a spin. Ditto for the degressive braking, the trigger makes us feel the point of slippage, it is easier to release the pedal gradually and at the right time to ensure optimal braking. All this of course applies to players who deactivate the piloting aids, it is entirely possible to take advantage of F1 23 in a more arcade way, but THE Precision Drive really encourages you to do without aids for real driving sensationseven with a simple PlayStation 5 controller, although the steering wheel obviously remains irreplaceable for simulation enthusiasts.

It’s also time to talk about the graphics, because here too, Codemasters made an effort. The game engine remains the same, but we are entitled to nice improvements regarding lighting and rain effects. Suffice to say that driving on the Singapore circuit at night during the deluge makes the experience totally captivating, while the walks on the Barcelona track allow you to enjoy the sun, especially since in the fast part, the player can change the time of day as he sees fit, regardless of the circuit, to admire Monaco by night, for example. Moreover, the developers have added the Grand Prizes from China, France and Portugal, much to the delight of fans, in addition to the new Grand Prize of Las Vegas, right downtown and rich in colorful lighting to impress us. To come back to the graphics, if the lighting and rain effects have been entitled to clearly visible improvements, we are also entitled to a more credible overall rendering, but pilot face modeling hasn’t changed much since last yearwith especially pilots of F2 quite a bit behind, graphically speaking, compared to their counterparts in F1.

So what about this F1 23 ? Well, unlike last year, Codemasters And EA Games propose there real improvements, with huge content. The mode Breaking Point 2 is still as exciting and offers a great introduction for all neophytes who are there thanks to netflixTHE gameplay has actually been improved, as have the lighting effects, while the mode F1 World is a huge evolution of F1 Life, with plenty of content and real progression, all of this will keep players busy throughout the season without feeling like they’re going in circles. Too bad, however, that the modes Career And My Stable were not entitled to some new features, they are real copies of the previous edition. But let’s not sulk our pleasure, F1 23 remains one of the best opuses to date, an unmissable version for fans of Formula 1… but still without the retro proofs.

Clint008 Writer – Tester