by F1 2023 is the new game of the famous racing franchise based on the main category of global motorsport. This year’s release brings occasional improvements, and the return from braking point modewhich tells the story of fictional drivers and teams, seeking a place in the sun in the competition.
However, the game runs into old problems, most notably with the controversial decision to launch a new title, every year, with a full price that may not make up for all it offers. Check out our review now. F1 2023!
More accurate gameplay
As expected with each new version, the gameplay of F1 2023 has occasional improvements. And while it’s nothing so punchy, to the point of slipping by for some less hardcore gamers, it’s still noticeable. Especially if you were still racing on the circuits from the 2022 version until recently.
In F1 2023, driving cars demands a bit more from the player. For example, when performing the process of braking and entering curves, it is possible to feel the vehicle looser, even though most of the car’s drive options are enabled. With this, you have to be more attentive all the time, especially when your tires are more worn.
The gameplay requires more caution from the playerSource: Reproduction/Voxel
And speaking of that wear and tear, it’s more noticeable in this version of the game as well. longer, due to the performance of the car, you are also more vulnerable when cornering and overtaking.
Another element that was also more accurate is the damage your car received throughout the race. From now on, this confusion on the starting line must be avoided at all costs, because a simple touch can compromise the performance of the vehicle, or even take you out of the race, in case it is a more serious damage. This means there is more care on the part of the pilots, which makes the tests even more real.
Damage taken by the vehicle while running has become more accurate.
And this realism also appears in the progress of the race in relation to his opponents. There have been many times when a car has had to stop due to collision damage or even mechanical issues. And the coolest thing about all of this is the way it happens, which is very real, like for example, the moment when Charles Leclerc’s car started to “smoke” in front of me, and on the next lap , it was possible to see her arrested and abandoned in an evacuation zone.
Just like you, your opponents can also experience mechanical issues throughout races.Source: Reproduction/Voxel
Finally, the artificial intelligence of the pilots is always real, but it depends a lot on the level of difficulty chosen for the events. If it’s a bit easy, no opponent will insist on defending the position in a fight for overtaking. But at higher levels, they give no respite, even to the point of causing crashes that can end your run. To complete, the rules have also been updated, and now there is the famous red flag, which paralyzes the race forcing drivers to return to the box, and wait for a new start.
Even more realistic graphics
And if in the gameplay the evolution is not so noticeable, the same cannot be said for the graphics. The comparison with F1 2022 it may not be obvious, but it is still clear in several elements, especially in the context of the races and in the details of the vehicles.
For the realization of this test, I played the game in its PC version, on a machine equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce 3080 video card. intelligent reflection effect, and possibility of playing with all the graphic options at the maximum, without suffering loss of frames per second.
Running in Las Vegas is a show in itselfSource: Reproduction/Voxel
SO, F1 2023 brought a unique visual experience, as if you were really inside a Formula 1 car. And the icing on the cake is the new Las Vegas circuit. Although it has yet to take place in real life, it is possible to play the test which debuts in this year’s season.
And it is no wonder that this same circuit has been the big marketing element in promoting the game. The night race, which will take place in the middle of the city of Las Vegas, brings all the atmosphere of the place, mainly by regarding the local elements and, of course, all the lighting of the “city of lights”.
F1 23 makes good use of ray tracing, especially on the Las Vegas night track.
Driving a vehicle in Nevada is extremely rewarding, mainly due to the reflection effects of Ray Tracing technology, which makes the Formula 1 circus one of the city’s hundreds of attractions. And what about racing at Interlagos? Only those who have been on the circuit know how real the reproduction of the Brazilian track in the game is.
The look of F1 2023 is even more realisticSource: Reproduction/Voxel
Perhaps the only slippage is still in the reproduction of the game’s animations. Whether they’re in the Braking Point, or in Campaign Mode, it’s still strange to see so many characters who are similar, or who don’t have as much detail as the real pilots.
Braking point feedback and crossplay cleared
The great climax of F1 2023 are its game modes: Career and Braking Point. The first, as its name suggests, allows you to create a driver from scratch, or choose an existing one, and join Formula 1 as a young prospect. As you evolve your performance, new opportunities arise in larger teams, which will allow you to achieve the dream of being champion of the category.
Braking Point, on the other hand, is a kind of story mode that was mysteriously omitted from F1 2022, only returning in this new version. In this one, you follow in the footsteps of fictional pilots: Devon Butler and Aiden Jackson, in a plot similar to films like thunder days.
The plot of Brake Point mode is full of behind-the-scenes battles in Formula 1Source: Reproduction/Voxel
The big news this time around is that both are racing in a fictitious team, the Konnersport Racing Team, which needs the help of combat drivers to have their place in the sun in Formula 1. To top it all off , there’s also the addition of the character Callie Mayer, Butler’s sister, who rose to the category after shining in the youth divisions. Mayer is played by Jamie Chadwick, who is Williams’ actual development driver.
For those who like an extra element beyond running and racing, the mode appeals with its slapstick plot., even if it lasts longer than necessary. However, it is necessary to make sense of the plot of the mode with your attitudes within the test, which makes the element quite frustrating.
For example, if your goal is to finish in the top ten and you win the race, this is not represented in the story. It is as if you had accomplished the least feat. Therefore, it is somewhat disappointing to have to kill yourself to obtain above-average results, but which in the end mean nothing to the development of the plot.
In addition to the brake point, F1 2023 has virtually the same game modesSource: Reproduction/Voxel
And on the other modes, F1 2023 continues to present the traditional Grand Prix, where we simulate a racing weekend, or even a full season, and the Take Time, whose name already reflects the whole context of the race.
In online mode, play continues with cross-play that started in F1 2022. In it, Xbox players can race alongside PC and PlayStation players, and vice versa. Finally, there is also the inclusion of a ranking, in the form of a license, which allows drivers to be separated by their level in ranked matches.
The price does not compensate for all the innovations
F1 2023 it’s just one of many annual games that tap into the same lucrative source. In other words, these are franchises that release new titles every year, but are less and less justified in charging a full price, and even higher in some special editions, for something so similar to the game. previous.
In the case of EA’s racing franchise, F1 2022 was released on June 28, 2022. Already F1 2023, released in stores on June 16, 2023, less than a year from the previous game. Even so, the game’s lowest value is R$350, even in the PC version, which is generally lower compared to consoles.
Current values of F1 2023 on Steam, in its PC versionSource: Reproduction/Voxel
This way it does not compensate the player to pay this amount if he already owns the previous version, which in this case is F1 2022. Even though the new game has news like the return of Ponto de Ponto de Braking, updated circuits, drivers and teams, it’s not worth that steep price. Even more so when it comes to a title that in a few months will have a very reduced value, or even be available for free on EA Play, as happened with the previous chapter.
It is high time for distributors to question this type of sale.
It is high time for distributors to question this type of sale. It is not fair to the player to have an annual “loss” for a game that is not worth that price. The solution could be a discount for those with previous versions, or selling a definitive version, where you only have to pay a lower amount for specific updates.
Is it worth it?
I would answer this question with one sentence: not now! Indeed, as mentioned earlier, improvements and innovations in F1 2023 do not justify the high value of the game, the previous version of which was released less than a year ago. It’s no longer that companies like EA need to revisit the concept of “annual play” because there’s no fan pocket that can handle it.
But, if you are a player who intends to make peace with the franchise, i.e. has not played anything in the series for a long time, in this case, F1 2023 is a great option, as the game is by far one of the most realistic simulators out there.
Return of Braking Point mode is one of the additions of F1 2023Source: Reproduction/Voxel
Voxel Score: 82
Benefits:
- Incredible graphics;
- Gameplay improvements;
- Game modes and cross-play on all platforms
- Update rules;
- The Las Vegas Circuit is a show apart.
The inconvenients:
- Too expensive for a game so similar to its predecessor;
- The animations still leave something to be desired;
- Braking Point needs to be more in the storyline when it comes to its performance in Trials.
