F1® 23 News

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See what critics and familiar faces from the grid have to say about F1® 23.

Be the last to brake in F1® 23 and experience a new chapter in the "Braking Point" story mode, new Las Vegas and Qatar circuits, fresh rewards to earn in F1® World, updated 2023 cars with the official F1® driver lineup, and more!

Find out more about F1® 23: http://x.ea.com/76542

Full Article Link here = https://www.mirror.co.uk/gaming/f1-23-review-most-complete-30214895

BY Nathan BlissGaming Editor
POSTED: JUN 13

F1 23 is the most complete Formula 1 racing game to-date, with features that will satisfy hardcore fans and engage new ones, offering realistic and graphically stunning gameplay.

With F1 23, EA Sports and Codemasters had the difficult challenge of making a realistic F1 racing game which gives players an unfiltered experience, that's as close to driving an F1 car as possible, whilst also making it accessible and fun for people who've never played an F1 game before. A difficult task, but they've pulled it off.

Whether it's the new updated physics and handling that will delight the sim racers among us, the Braking Point 2 cinematic story mode that will no doubt engage the more casual player base, the new Precision Drive feature for controller players, the My Team and Career Mode for the single player experience, or the league racing overhaul for the multiplayer social community, F1 23 has something for pretty much everyone.

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Handling and physics changes

As we touched on in our F1 23 gameplay preview, the handling and physics have undergone some big changes for this year in three key areas; acceleration, braking, and cornering. Basically, all of the areas in which you can make up, or lose time.

Codemasters engaged with F1 drivers like Anthony Davidson, and the F1 teams themselves, to get feedback on how it could improve the handling for F1 23, and the changes it's implemented have resulted in a significant overhaul to the handling model. Such is the scale of the changes, certain corners that were particularly scary and dicey in F1 22 due to the overall lack of grip, can now be attacked with real confidence, thanks to changes in physics calculations, changes to the floor and changes to torque delivery, which has lead to a more progressive gear to throttle output.


Codemasters engaged with F1 drivers like Anthony Davidson, and the F1 teams themselves, to get feedback on how they could improve the handling for F1 23

Copse corner at Silverstone can now be taken flat out, Maggots and Becketts is faster than ever, Au Rouge in Belgium is not even a corner, Ascari at Monza can be taken at full throttle pretty easily, and the S Curves at Suzuka flow like never before. Overall, you have significantly more grip in high and medium speed corners, where the car feels planted, but you also have way more feeling and traction in slow speed corners, giving you a better opportunity to get that perfect exit. Modern F1 cars have so much traction, and that's been implemented into the F1 23 handling model.

In F1 22, with traction control turned off, the throttle pedal felt like an untameable beast that was ready to send you spinning whenever your foot went near it; particularly out of slow corners, with the wheels continuing to spin even in third or fourth gear. But in F1 23, you still have to be precise and controlled with the throttle, but there's so much more traction that you can pretty much plant your foot when you get into high revs in second gear.

Don't get me wrong, the cars are still incredibly clumsy at slow speed, but that's exactly how they behave in real life. Kerbs were a big talking point in F1 22 – particularly at tracks like Monza and Miami – but these have been changed for this year and are much more predictable; although if you get it wrong and go straight into the kerb, the floor will make contact and you'll go flying into the gravel!

I reviewed the game on PC, using the Next Level Racing GTtrack cockpit and the Logitech G Pro racing wheel, and thanks to the changes to the underfloor of the cars, F1 23 gives you more feedback in all areas, whether that's over kerbs, over rumble strips, or on a set of 50 lap-old tyres. The handling, physics and feedback in F1 23 are remarkably different compared with its predecessor F1 22, with the cars being easier to drive and predict, particularly when it comes to traction and high-speed corner grip, offering a more realistic and enjoyable driving experience.

Braking Point 2

Braking Point, the narrative-driven single-player story mode, makes its return in F1 23 following its debut in F1 2021, with Braking Point 2 featuring a cast of familiar characters and a host of new ones too, and is a direct continuation from where the story left off. Players will once again play the majority of the mode through the eyes of Aiden Jackson, but you'll also get to play as the infamous pantomime villain Devon Butler, who is now Jackson's teammate at the newly-established Konnersport Racing Team.


Braking Point, the narrative-driven single-player story mode, makes it's return in F1 23

The graphics within said cutscenes are seriously impressive. The facial expressions of the models combined with brilliant voice acting are a huge step forward compared to what players experienced in the original Braking Point story, and without spoiling too much, it's thoroughly engaging and genuinely worth putting time into – even if the challenges are a bit too easy, even on the hardest mode.

Not only that, but you'll also get to step into the shoes of Andreo Konner, team principle and owner of Konnersport, making decisions about how the team is run. You'll also meet Davidoff Butler, Devon's father, and F2 champion Callie Mayer, who is hungry for a shot in Formula 1. Codemasters has really pushed the envelope with Braking Point 2, introducing new storytelling elements including Netflix Drive to Survive-inspired cutscenes, as well as the more traditional fare between certain characters.


One of the highlights of Braking Point 2 is Mayer's story, and you'll get to step into her shoes at key points throughout

One of the highlights of Braking Point 2 is Mayer's story, and you'll get to step into her shoes at key points throughout. With the investment that Formula One is putting into its all-female racing series, F1 Academy, it seems only a matter of time before we'll see a woman among the men on the F1 grid.

New features and new tracks

There's a number of new features that have made their way into F1 23 thanks to community feedback, including the addition of a 35% race distance mode (which is often used in esports events) and Red Flags, which play a huge role in the result of real-life F1 races that offers more drama and a chance to rethink your strategy.

The F1 World Hub is a new menu option for F1 23, which houses all of the more traditional modes including Grand Prix, Time Trial and multiplayer, so if you can't find these modes from the main menu, that's where they are! There's also new daily, weekly and seasonal content and challenges which players can compete in with their very own F1 World car, which can have its own custom livery.


The F1 World Hub is a new menu option for F1 23, which housing all of the more traditional modes including Grand Prix, Time Trial and Multiplayer

As you progress through these challenges, you'll notice an increase in your Tech Level, which in turn increases the performance of your F1 World car and opens up new challenges. As a multiplayer and time trial sim racer, these challenges didn't really draw me in, but for the more casual players, it's a new way to play the game and learn the ropes without getting into the serious stuff.

The league racing overhaul is right up my street, with Codemasters now allowing players to create, join, schedule and manage custom multiplayer championships directly from the EA Racenet web app, where you can also analyse telemetry data, lap times, and more just by linking your EA account.

One of the most impressive things about F1 23 is the inclusion of the Las Vegas Street Circuit, which has been added to the Formula One World Championship calendar for the first time this season. But, with the race scheduled for November, the track itself doesn't actually exist in real life yet.


Codemasters has used thousands of reference photos, photogrammetry and CAD data to re-create the Las Vegas Street Circuit in F1 23

Codemasters has used thousands of reference photos, photogrammetry and CAD data to recreate the circuit in F1 23, which features a 1.181 mi flat-out section through the Las Vegas Strip, showcasing some of the area's most famous hotels and casinos. The fact it's been able to do it at all is seriously impressive, and it looks visually stunning to boot.

For those who enjoy My Team and single-player Career Mode, there have been some minor changes including the new tracks, new driving ratings and facilities, stability improvements and new presentations, including the introduction of Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham. But unfortunately, it's largely the same mode as last year.

As a wheel and pedal racer, I was a bit dubious about the new Precision Drive feature, which Codemasters claims delivers more control, precision and finesse for controller players, thanks to a tech rewrite. And although I'm not going to be putting my trusty wheel away just yet, there's definitely an improvement when playing with a controller, and it should mean controller players aren't at as much of a disadvantage as they once were.

Overall thoughts

Hardcore players, sim racers and pro esports players alike will absolutely love the new physics and handling changes introduced for F1 23. But so will the more casual players, and with the variety of different assists, AI levels and more chilled challenges and modes, it's accessible for players of all skill levels.

Thanks in part to the the popularity of Netflix's Drive to Survive series, and part due to Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton's intense championship battle in 2021, Formula One is no longer a sport only for petrolheads. It has a whole new generation of fans that enjoy the racing, but equally, that can relate to the personality of the drivers. And the same thing has happened with F1 games, which were once pretty niche, but that's no longer the case.

Codemasters and EA Sports had to deliver a complete experience with F1 23. It had to be a game that could be used as the basis for a professional esports championship series, but at the same time, can also be enjoyed by complete newbies and more casual players. And, they've delivered.

Thanks to the new handling upgrades, improved graphics, Braking Point 2, F1 World, League Racing overhaul and the already established My Team and Career modes, F1 23 is the most complete Formula One game I've ever played.

Play F1® 23 now and experience a new chapter in the thrilling "Braking Point" story mode that delivers high-speed drama and heated rivalries.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2108330/F1_23/?snr=1_4_4__118

Race wheel-to-wheel at new Las Vegas and Qatar circuits and earn rewards and upgrades in F1® World.

New Red Flags add an authentic strategic element, and the 35% Race Distance feature delivers more action and excitement.

Drive updated 2023 cars with the official F1® lineup of your favourite 20 drivers and 10 teams.

Create your dream team and race to win in My Team Career Mode, compete in split-screen or in the expanded cross-platform multiplayer, and be more social with new Racenet Leagues.

Full Article Link here = https://www.pcgamer.com/f1-23-review/
BY Justin Towell
POSTED: JUN 13


After the disappointingly diminutive F1 22, F1 23 has lit up the timesheet purple—essentially delivering three great F1 games in one lap. One for the Netflix generation, one for the hardcore and one for loot addicts. Yes, seriously. Add in eSports shenanigans and you might just question whether Codemasters has spread itself too thinly. Surely it can't all meet the benchmark of that impeccable career mode? Incredibly, it's very, very close.

Foremost is the return of the fictional Braking Point story, which takes pride of place at the top of the main menu. Sceptics would argue there's only so much you can do with an F1 story script because it's basically going to be about teammates colliding, maybe an old veteran training up a new driver and perhaps one cocky antagonist making jokes at your expense until you get your revenge in the final act. And yes, that's literally the synopsis of F1 21's original Braking Point. But, impressively, there's some originality here. It's properly engaging, too. You won't find spoilers in this review, but know that the cast of characters is deeper, more convincing, and elicit far greater emotional responses than before. That's helped by improved facial expressions, though any one of them could still easily be voted mayor of Uncanny Valley.



Also, being given direct control of several key characters at various points really changes your perception of them. 'Put yourself in their shoes' takes on a whole new meaning as you suddenly empathise with an apparent antagonist's plight. The writing's strong and the game translates these relationships into simple, multi-tiered race objectives well, seamlessly incorporating this fictional soap opera into the fully-licensed F1 world and the super-slick game engine.

It's also impressive how your actions and interview answers are believably reflected in the in-game social feed and newsreels, with the scripting rarely missing a notable takeaway from your results. At around 10 hours long, Braking Point 2 is arguably enough to justify the game's purchase alone, yet it's just one pillar of the experience.

Which brings us to the second pillar: career mode. Career really came alive around F1 2018 and it's been perfected by this point, allowing you to start a brand new team and either be a driver or be both driver and manager. Aside from new scenes presented by Natalie Pinkham, the career mode is largely unchanged from last year's excellent game, though you now can add three bonus tracks from the second year onwards, namely Shanghai, Paul Ricard and Algarve.



To the Max

So what's the third 'game' here? Well, it's basically (deep breath) a Fortnite-ified version of F1. That will no doubt raise a few eyebrows, but here we are with a 'Podium Pass', loot with varying degrees of rarity, and various challenges sometimes linked to the real-world calendar. It's called 'F1 World', which is funny when you take part in a Grand Prix, because then it's read as 'F1 World Grand Prix' which will have old-school N64 fans unwittingly recreate that DiCaprio pointing gif. This mode makes far more sense than last year's weird living room section, allowing you to customise a unique F1 car, as well as your avatar's clothing and your crib, then build up your tech rating from 100 to 1,000.

Here we are with a 'Podium Pass', loot with varying degrees of rarity, and various challenges sometimes linked to the real-world calendar.

Here's where it gets complicated.

Your F1 World car is essentially a blank canvas, ready to be upgraded with parts and perks. As you play, you'll win upgrades and team member contracts, which can be swapped out, boosted or just destroyed to gain stickers. The stickers are fragments of real photos you can view in the compendium screen, learning trivia about the cars, drivers and circuits, and winning even more loot by collecting a whole picture. Each upgrade or team member has a numerical value, and an average of this determines your car's tech level, which you can use to judge how hard an event is likely to be. Enter a 90-rated series with a 295-rated car and you're likely to experience what it's like to be Max Verstappen this year, winning races by over 20 seconds every time.



It almost works as it should, though events tend to have at least a few overpowered drivers compared to the event's rating, which means you may well do enough to pass the primary objective, but still come up short on the two bonus objectives, which is annoying. Beside all this, 'vendor objectives' let you set yourself bonus tasks like driving 50 miles on European tracks. Tick them off, collect the loot, Simple. You don't have to pay for the Podium Pass itself, though you can pay extra to speed it along and access additional items. You won't need to, but the option's there. It's also worth noting that F1 World requires an internet connection to work, so if the server's down, there'll be no progression for you.

Tally ho

Into all of this is woven into an increased emphasis on sportsmanlike driving. You start with a C rating, which (hopefully) goes to B and A as you race without hitting other drivers or incurring other penalties, such as venturing outside track limits, which is all-too easily done. Some events are even locked behind license ratings, and restarting a race doesn't delete any damage to your reputation, so you can't just keep restarting as a wrecking ball until you get a clean run.

Interestingly, lower license rankings also lower the difficulty setting, so C-licensed drivers will have their crashed car automatically reset to the track at near-enough full racing speed, and online races will even see the first lap being completely collision free, with contact detection only switched on for lap 2 onwards at one tier, which is a fantastic idea considering the first corner is always bedlam in less civilised lobbies.



F1 World offers the most genuinely new gameplay in years, though it does feel like it's stopped short of redefining the experience—in-game it feels just like career races, only shorter. One event is even marked 'Arcade', yet doesn't offer anything obviously arcadey; it's just another race like all the others. Indeed, F1 World isn't likely to wholly convince hardcore fans, nor arguably win over anyone already invested in the lootbox shenanigans of, say, Disney Speedstorm, despite the outwardly similar DNA. F1's just too serious. Thankfully the loot-centric stuff is wholly contained within the F1 World mode, so you can mostly avoid it if the mere mention of the word 'loot' makes you nauseous. That said, if you want to play some online modes or start a driver-only Grand Prix season, those elements are unlocked by playing the first few hours of F1 World.

No diving
On the track, F1 23 is a fast, precise and technical racer, with fathoms of tactical depth. AI drivers' behaviour has been improved over last year, and while they'll still occasionally make stupid lunges like real drivers, they do now mostly refrain from turning in on you when you're passing, and even leave a car's width when alongside, as they should. Racing is closer as a result.

F1 23 is a fast, precise and technical racer, with fathoms of tactical depth.

Every couple of hours you might see an AI car skip a chicane, but mostly you'll spend your time driving carefully around the beautifully-realised real-world tracks, managing your 'overtake button' and its boost gauge, wondering whether to extend your stint on the medium tyres by an extra two laps so you know you can go full-tilt on the softs for the last 6 laps. You'll find yourself really getting into each track, learning to manage the oversteer-happy cars and how to maintain good adhesion with the track surface on the exit of smooth-surfaced corners. It's a very convincing recreation of the real sport, with all the positives and negatives that brings. Lootphobia aside, the only real criticism that can be levelled at this otherwise phenomenally well-produced game is that—like real F1—it's all a bit straight-laced.

That said, the new Las Vegas track is suitably larger-than-life and some tweaks have undoubtedly made existing tracks better, like the removal of the final chicane in Barcelona, Melbourne's new ultra-fast middle section and even this umpteenth subtly different version of Singapore.



The game looks great as usual, even on High settings on a 1080p laptop running an NVIDIA RTX 2070. Performance is smooth, sharp and responsive, and is still playable on Ultra with ray-tracing enabled, though you'll need slightly beefier hardware to run that at the racers' standard 60 fps or above. Most bizarrely, however, the game simply doesn't run on Steam Deck. You can install it and start it up, but it then displays a low-fi message to say it's unsupported and that's that. You can still use Steam's Remote Play function to play via the Steam Deck, but some fuzzy visuals and occasional hitches mean you'll probably revert to your desktop very quickly. Considering F1 22 is so good on Steam Deck, the lack of compatibility here is disappointing.

F1 23 has been criticised by some for being expensive, but nobody could realistically argue it represents poor value for money. The best-in class career mode is complemented by a best-yet story, with an entirely separate progression-based economy in F1 World. Add in online ranked play, eSports championships and last year's F2 cars and you've got a simply phenomenal package. A little too po-faced at times, sure, but still phenomenal.