For diehards or even the new/casual fans of Formula 1, 'EA Sports F1 '24' is a good installment of the franchise and worth your time behind the wheel.
In the words of the great Sturgill Simpson from the album ‘SOUND AND FURY,’ going full speed is the greatest escape for some. However, most of us regular folks must obey the laws of the road and physics so as not to cause major issues. That’s where the beauty of video games and simulations comes into play. I’ll probably never hit over 130mph (legally) but I can get a sense of it by playing games. That’s the beauty of them. I’ll never be a true race car driver, but ‘EA Sports F1 ’24’ allows me to jump behind the wheel.
This year’s installment of the franchise feels different as we’ve seen the hype and popularity of the series in the United States after all the ‘Drive to Survive’ program took viewers by storm. Now, a few years out from both that and EA stepping into the Codemasters team. The franchise has added a lot to the game, but this year’s release has some new spins, both in good and bad ways.
The biggest change or ‘overhaul’ comes with the career mode. As ‘My Teams’ and the Create Driver modes are still part, now you can play as your favorite current driver on the grid. Being able to play as any of the current drivers on the grid and change their careers brings a new element and feel. You can rewrite history in some ways. Like what if Hamilton doesn’t leave for Ferrari after this season? Or what if Stroll is out of his dad’s team cause he’s a bad driver (for legal reasons, this is a joke)?
This opportunity to take control is an exciting feature. It’s similar to other sports franchises where you could take insert team here and go with their respective championship with them. Being able to jump into the world as the greats like Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen is awesome or you can join in helping save careers like Nico Hulkenberg or Valterri Bottas from lower-tier teams. You’re still able to go on with your avatar career or your team, but this adds depth. Also, the added stats on you vs your teammate add to it. It kind of makes it feel like you’re in ‘Drive to Survive’ after every session, your data is broken down into comparisons with your fellow team. Plus you and the teammate are also putting in your resource points to parts and development of the team, adding a new layer.
Another major addition to the career is the ‘Challenge’ mode. A series where you are put into a current drivers show and compete against other players on a global leaderboard. While adding the international aspect to the mode adds something new, this mode feels messy and disjointed. You’re running select scenarios and on select weekends. I once booted into it and didn’t run until late April with Australia. It leaves drivers wanting more. You don’t feel like you can get connected to this as to the other modes for a career. It’s passive, which works for those who want a style like that, but for others it just makes you feel like you’re disconnected from the game. You can still place upgrades on the team like in other modes, but it just doesn’t keep your attention.
Looking to the actual action on the track, well where is there to start?
There are differences and enhancements, but at the end of the day…it feels basically the same. The AI are still aggressive but have tendencies to act like you’re not even there. Awareness feels better than in years past. It’s like being in a long hallway versus a small one. You have a better idea that someone is walking near you, but you have no clue about the closing rate or proximity to someone. They tend to still get the jitters when close on straightaways as well.
One good thing is that the difficulty sliders do feel more tuned than in years prior. Competition has taken a step in a better direction overall. Battles are tighter and better and tenser. It’s like once you get into a battle it is fun, but it’s kind of tough to work into that with the AI still struggling with awareness. It makes those fun moments just a little more special, but they feel like they are hard to come by.
Another positive on track is the tire model. I loved this in ’24. Years prior you really couldn’t feel much of a difference until later in the run. Now though, it’s leaps and bounds better. If you take a lap and punish your tires running full out you WILL PAY the price. You also really feel the difference in compounds, especially when you switch from softs to mediums or hards. The differences are night and day in a good way.
‘EA Sports F1 ’24’ is the latest release for the yearly franchise. While there are always tweaks and additions, this one feels different. Sure the AI still has issues and not a great detail has changed since years prior, but the additions do help it out a lot in the long run. Career mode feels like more fun and less stressful now. You don’t have as much stock or weight in it as with years prior of just ‘My Teams’ or solo career. You’re freed up to have more fun.
For diehards or even the new/casual fans of Formula 1, ‘EA Sports F1 ’24’ is a good installment of the franchise and worth your time behind the wheel.
