The latest iteration of the official Formula 1 videogame – F1 24 – developed by Codemasters and EA Sports is out. But is this year’s game a step forward from F1 23? EA Sports at least, have billed F1 24 as the most authentic F1 experience to date.
F1 24 boasts an overhauled Driver Career Mode, the addition of Challenge Career, and a fully reworked physics and handling model. After playing the game on PC, here are the first impressions of F1 24.
Physics and Handling
EA Sports has reportedly collaborated with three-time world champion Max Verstappen to guide their physics and handling department this year. The result is a huge shift from what fans had gotten used to with the game’s previous versions.
First off, the cars seem loaded with grip. The front end is noticeable and translated into a very pointy turn-in experience. However, get ready to experience sudden snaps of oversteer mid-corner. This brings us to another quick caveat. These slides are effortless to catch and make this year’s handling that much more forgiving.
Other notable additions to the driving experience are the revamped ERS system and a less powerful DRS. The former has to be used tactically, but the battery pack is much easier to recharge (one or two laps).
That being said, it is not all bells and whistles. Many e-sports drivers like Jarno Opmeer and content creators like Alex Gillon have given the handling this year a lot of flak. The ease with which wonky setups can lead to ridiculous results has kept a lot of the F1 gaming community divided in opinions.
However, it has been reported that Codemasters is going to release a patch to address these issues. The date of this patch has not been revealed.
Career Mode changes
Moving on to the meat and bones of the F1 24 experience – the Career mode. The Driver Career mode was pretty much the same between F1 2016 and F1 23. However, this year, EA and Codemasters have brought some meaningful changes to make the experience more enjoyable.
Firstly, one can now jump into a driver career with one of their favorite F1 drivers. They can also pick an F2 driver or any one of the playable icons (Ayrton Senna, Mark Webber, Nigel Mansell, etc.). F1 24 also retains the option of customizing a driver and starting from scratch.
Jumping into career mode, the new driver rating system adds the thrill and peril of being an F1 driver. Performing well on track against one’s teammates and rivals will increase the driver’s rating. This leads to perks such as the user being able to spearhead the development of the team.
There are also targets set out at the beginning of the season, which if not met, can lead to sacking.
Another added incentive to perform well on track is the secret meetings feature. Throughout the season, the user will be lured into secret meetings with rival teams. As the conversation progresses, their R&D development, race results and contract offers will be put on display. But if the driver’s existing team catches them, their internal reputation will take a hit.
F1 24 also sees the introduction of accolades. It is a compilation of a real life driver’s career stats and gives an incentive to forge their legacies.
The My Team Career mode on the other hand, remains the same with the exception of new novelty cutscenes. Another addition is the Challenge Career. This is a bite-sized episodic version of the driver career which allows fans to choose their favorite driver and complete objectives on the regular.
Other changes
EA Sports and Codemasters have tried to make the experience in F1 24 as authentic as possible. This has prompted them to add real life driver radio snippets to the game for winning occasions or incidents like DNFs. It is a little feature, but will go a long way in making the game more engaging.
Additionally, in the Career mode, race engineers will pop in from time to time to hand certain objectives. It could be as simple as hitting a target lap time to something as complex as managing the engine temperatures. What it will do is keep the players focused, and make the races less monotonous.
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There has also been a massive overhaul to the tire models. Pushing too hard will lead to the tires wearing out quicker. Temperatures play a key role in preserving or destroying the tires giving a more strategic approach to these races.
The revised aerodynamic modeling has also made the cars very realistic. Effects of dirty air are more pronounced in F1 24 than the earlier iterations of the game.
Final thoughts
Even though the driving model can be criticized for being too easy, F1 24 is a fun and enjoyable experience. Changes brought forward, especially to the career mode may make the game a compelling choice for newcomers or older players.
However, it isn’t a far cry from F1 23. Hence, these minute changes may not warrant a full-price at launch.
