After some 940 million kilometers, the Earth has reached the point of its 12-month march around the Sun, and it’s time for another F1 race. Given that I feel I’ve driven around 940 million kilometers over the last ten years in this series, it’s probably fitting. Jokes aside, the fact that it’s still fun to get back in the cockpit every year is a testament to the incredible robustness of the Codemasters brand, the magic of open-wheel motorsports, and the F1 23 is no exception. In addition to significant improvements in handling for new-age cars, F1 23 also adds the next chapter of the Breaking Point story mode introduced in F1 2021, plus daily, weekly and seasonal objectives. A new reward-based progression system has also been added. The results are enough to keep us busy, even though individual mileage can vary wildly depending on preferences for both the curated solo campaign and the live service-style game mode.
Last season’s drastic regulation change flooded the field with brand-new F1 cars, with bigger wheels and tires making them the best-looking cars the sport had ever seen. But they were also the heaviest cars in the history of the championship. In F1 22 this was translated into a model, making dealing with that extra bulk very difficult. Relearning the limits of these new cars was certainly an addicting challenge, but not necessarily fun. There was definitely a quirkiness to the car’s tendency to understeer when entering a corner and oversteer when trying to exit a corner.
Drivability has improved dramatically in F1 23. It still feels bulky for a large new-age car, but it feels pretty cooperative. Improved grip and stability, especially when cutting curbs. Even better, for those who don’t have wheels, this year’s gamepad his controls are really great and intuitive. This was most noticeable when navigating slow-speed corners on a tight street circuit or snapping out of an early slide when pushing the throttle a little too hard. I don’t know if any previous F1 game has been able to capture oversteer so effectively with a humble analog stick. The F1 23 is arguably the best the F1 series has felt with a traditional controller. The car feels lively and dangerous, but respects the driver’s orders. It’s like an obedient Doberman walking through a butcher shop.
Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo
Braking Point 2 is a continuation of the story that Codemasters started in 2021 F1, and despite the fact that its 17 chapters ultimately lasted only a few sessions over several days, it’s arguably F1’s 23rd. my favorite part.
To make a good thread, Braking Point 2 adds a fictional 11th team called Konnersport to the grid (just like they’ve done in My Team mode since F1 2020). From the conclusion, it seems that this time it has become a story with a little more content. Both the emotion and the conflict run a little higher than you think might have been possible within the bubble of an existing team with real-world sponsors. And while Breaking Point 2 might go to a sufficiently predictable conclusion, I was pleasantly surprised to at least get caught up in a few unforeseen developments without realizing it.
While the original Breaking Point focused on the chalk and cheese driving pair of rookie Aiden Jackson and retiring Dutch journeyman Casper Ackermann, Breaking Point 2 expands that horizons. The focus here is on the entire Connor Sports team, from the drivers (Jackson and his longtime nemesis Devon Butler) to the likable team principal Andreo Conner. Also featured are Davidoff Butler, Devon’s father and major sponsor of Conor Sports, and up-and-coming F2 driver Curry Mayer, who is overseen by Ackermann.
Like the original Braking Point, the events of Braking Point 2 are a mix of scenarios with specific challenges to complete as Jackson, Mayer, and even Devon Butler himself. Some events are full races, but most are mid-race situations where it’s a matter of finishing ahead of a particular driver or team, recovering or defending positions after dealing with bad luck, or using smart strategy. may be requested. Completing too many will earn you bonus objectives this time around, which will increase your rank within the story mode and unlock new answers to press and internal staff questions, but the overall story will change. not. It just contains small side stories and conversations that go along with the story. the way. That said, I really like the structure. I appreciate diversity and enjoy having goals. Please make a lot of spots. Don’t finish later than everyone else. Maybe I just like being bossy.
Perhaps surprisingly given his role in F1 in 2021, Jackson is a bit on the back foot in Breaking Point 2. This might actually be the best because I felt even less relatable to him this time around, but he’s probably the least fleshed out character yet The fact that. We learned very little about Jackson in the first breaking point, and we don’t learn much more here. Instead, the spotlight shifted to ambitious Mayer and bright Devon Butler. Interestingly, Devon easily emerges from Breaking His Point 2 as the most interesting and hierarchical character, while his stint as Heal of Breaking His Point continues.
Braking Point 2’s cutscenes are vastly improved over the original, with much enhanced capture of facial performances in particular. The interview sequence builds on some clever script continuations, but I wonder if there could have been a more documentary-like, fly-on-the-wall approach to the dramatic scenes as well. I think Not being able to drive the mode with your actual team of choice in the original is a minor mistake, but considering the immersion, it seems like an easy win. As it stands, Breaking Point 1’s recap has Jackson and Ackerman wearing Alfa his Romeo gear. In the game two years ago they were driving for Haas.
the world is enough
Another big new feature in the F1 23 is F1 Worlds. This is a standalone mode that builds on the bones of his F1 Life mode which focuses on the F1 22 lifestyle and apparel. Perhaps the F1 world is a secondary career. In this mode, instead of challenging a traditional championship season, complete a variety of daily, weekly and seasonal objectives and races to earn rewards and upgrade your Formula 1 world car.
I really don’t know what to think about the world of Formula 1, but I know that I keep getting bounced back from it. I can certainly understand the appeal of a mode that’s better suited to enjoying F1 action in a short amount of time than a full race weekend that takes a long time in the usual career mode, but the upgrade loop that comes with it doesn’t appeal to me.
F1 world upgrades come in the form of all sorts of quirky parts and performance boosters like brakes that make your tires last a little longer, but they’re only available on racetracks in the Americas. Or there’s a guy named Robert who, like a motorsport magician, makes the engine more powerful for 60 seconds after a pit stop.
There’s a certain elegance to having an essentially evolving quick play mode all under one umbrella and being rewarded for the time you spend, but there’s a mobile gaming tone here and I’m I don’t know if is suitable for your constitution. If you find yourself in the same situation, the classic Career and My Team modes will also remain intact. It’s basically the same as last year, just with a few extra tracks (Lusail and Las Vegas). It’s hard to say what the street courses of the Las Vegas Strip will really be like racing this November, but the F1 23’s crackly track is covered in a bustling neon backdrop and the borders of the track. When crossing, the verticality is full. very eye catching.
