Digitalchumps was privy to a preview of F1 ’23 this past week. Unsurprisingly, the game series just keeps getting better with every new release. From what we could tell having played the grand prix mode, time trials, and the Braking Point campaign (clever name, btw), this year’s F1 game is on the right track.
So, dear readers, sit back, rev that engine a little bit, and let’s talk about what Codemasters delivered in this PC preview. Let’s get our engines started.
A story that makes it all the more exciting
I had no idea there was so much drama in F1 racing. I know that NASCAR has hilarious drama, but always thought that F1 was so stylish and bougie that a tiff over dinner might be the most that would come out of an argument. I was wrong and gladly wrong. When the speedometer is high, the stakes are higher, so there is no room for error. Well, maybe a little, which creates the drama in F1 ’23.
Codemasters appears laser-focused on keeping and maintaining what made last year’s game great on the campaign side of the racetrack with their character drama Braking Point. For this year’s game, they pitted character drivers Aiden Jackson and Devon Butler against each other under the Konnersport Racing moniker. As we found out early on in this preview build, they are competitive as hell against each other and unapologetic when it comes to bumping heads or bumping bumpers. Or just lifting a car right off the track and pushing them to the side.
What’s remarkable about the short time that we spent with the first three chapters of this campaign is that you can see the complexity that went into a few different areas. Firstly, the drama between the drivers bodes well when paired with the racing. Codemasters did a great job of putting in the right amount of racing to match the drama both drivers experience with each other. For example, chapter two starts with Devon blocking the way for Aiden mid-race. The game throws you into the middle of the race and gives you the goal of passing Devon and then sub-goals of getting in the top ten and so forth and so on. The integration of campaign moments within a driven race helps magnify and deliver a somewhat flawless story system. While pure racers may not fully appreciate the story and how it works with and reacts to the actual gameplay, it’s hard not to appreciate the masterful narrative work that was done here. At this point, it feels like they have balanced out dialogue, branching narrative, and racing beautifully.
The branching narrative is interesting. Years ago, Codemasters introduced branching narrative to their gameplay. It was a correct fit for the game and created a more unique and memorable experience. Last year, they expanded upon that and put together some amazing drama that contained moments for the branching narrative to grow and add to the overall story, thus capturing the attention of the gamer and getting them connected with characters and the ‘right decision’ to make. This year, it’s more of the same, except I feel like they have refined those branches and made the moments more meaningful and not overbearing. For example, once you get through the initial campaign moments of drama, you fall back to branching narratives that relate to said drama. Maybe Devon and Aiden get in a fight, then your head pit person must decide who to send to an interview or who to feature in a movie being made about the team. The decisions made on a more basic level are created through character connection and understanding of the moment. Those minor decisions craft and move the story in a particular direction, but also fit within the context of the main storyline. It’s simple but at the same time complicated. While the moments are there to go either way, choosing one means that you’ve created another dramatic branch for the story to feed from and to heighten the experience for the gamer. Again, the way the branch presents itself seems smoother, more intentional and just works better overall. Compared to the Maddens and MLB The Shows of the world, it just seems more streamlined and thought-through, as if it wants to entertain and not become unnecessary filler. Anyway, from what I have seen from chapters 1-3, Codemasters got it right.
Overall, the story seems right on track. It is surprisingly engaging and easy to connect with as sports stories go. I’m anxious to see how Devon and Aiden’s rivalry plays out, but so far it has been fun to watch unfold, as well as participate in.
Just drive
Beyond a promising story and campaign mode, I put some preview time in the Grand Prix and Time Trial modes.
Time Trials
While I don’t understand the fascination with time trials, I know that a lot of hardcore racers out there enjoy them. They are good ways to prep on a track before hitting the circuit and getting real race results. I know the brief time I spent in this mode I was able to refine my turns, braking, and acceleration – three basics you must get used to in order to fully enjoy the F1 game. It was essentially great practice for me on the track and at one point I was racing to see if I could better my timing, which is pretty much the point of the Time Trials. It serves its purpose, but maybe not my first mode I would dive into.
Grand Prix
This is a single-player mode that puts you on a bevy of different tracks against CPU-driven cars. In the sports gaming world, this is akin to playing against random teams in a game like Madden without too much of a detrimental consequence. You only stand to improve how you play the game through this mode and experience cool tracks and challenges.
Beyond the basics of this mode, this was the best way to experience new improvements to the series. One of the more significant improvements, something that has plagued my enjoyment of F1 over the years, is how the cars handle intense racing situations. Years ago, this game drove me nuts with slipping, sliding, and generally messing up turns without much effort. I enjoy realism in sports games, but I’m not preparing to drive in an F1 capacity anytime soon, and I would rather have fun than be too serious.
Anyway, as the years went by, the F1 series became a bit friendlier to us filthy casuals, and I’m happy to report that F1 ’23 has some of the most enjoyable physics with racing and has immensely improved its precise handling. Those always got in the way of me completely falling for this series. Having grown up on Monaco GP (Sega Genesis) and a bunch of Gran Turismos, I’m always looking for a fun experience, but nothing that takes itself too seriously. From this preview time, I think that the F1 series has finally arrived at that point. By the third game of Grand Prix, I felt the turns and knew when to brake during my time with this preview. It felt more grounded than it has in years, which pushed me to keep playing it. While I was playing on casual mode, and you hardcores out there can rev it up to a more suitable difficulty if you want, it still felt like racing. It was more forgiving than it has been in the past, but it never took away that F1 feeling in the process. Whatever magic Codemasters did to make this a game for a bigger audience, it worked. The driving felt phenomenal, while still maintaining the authenticity of the F1 moment.
Visuals
Last year’s game set a new bar for visuals with the F1 series. Ray tracing and performance balance played a heavy role in delivering a top-notch racing experience. This year, everything has improved in this area. The campaign features some of the more accurate face captures with characters and well-tuned environments. People looked and acted like actual people, especially in dramatic situations. They didn’t visually harm the experience, which is what you want when you’re trying to convince people to connect with the story.
And that isn’t it.
The cars seemed a lot shinier and more detailed when compared to previous years. The racetracks and the perceived graphical speed of an F1 race also seemed more refined and gorgeously captured in F1 ’23. Visually, this was an outstanding game, especially on PC. The lighting and colors were both vibrant and alive, and they never pulled the player out of the experience, rather they pushed them into it. Everything screamed eloquent and visually stunning in this preview, and it isn’t even finalized yet. I can’t wait to see how it all ends up.
Anyhoo, this game was pretty to play. You won’t be disappointed in its visuals.
On that note, let’s wrap up this preview.
Coming along quite nicely
In our short time with F1 ’23, Codemasters seems to be on the right track with improvements, impressiveness, and delivering an accurate and accessible F1 experience. We look forward to more of this when it arrives in its completed version.
Until then, keep those engines warm for more details.
