Thanks to our good friends at EA Sports, we got a hands-on preview of the upcoming EA Sports F1®23. The game is being developed by Codemasters which are veterans in the racing game genre so without a doubt I was in for a ride.
Getting On The Track
Now, I want to be honest here and say with all my experience playing racing games, I have never been an F1® fan(or Nascar to be fair). I do know about F1® obviously and the drivers but I wouldn’t say I like seeing cars driving around the same race track over and over again. So going into this game I was expecting to be bored away but as I get around the 1-hour mark, I felt this might be a new great experience for me.
Starting off a race felt boring at first but as I started overtaking other drivers, I felt a little adrenaline going through me. Given that there is a penalty if you ramp other drivers or go off track, every overtake feels stressful as you not only have to get the better line, but you also have to predict what the other drivers will do.
Refined Handling & Physics
Driving physics is great with things like braking and tyre wear playing an important role. I really felt the changes in my driving as things get worn down or if you lose a front splitter from a crash. The game has excellent traction control which helps players take those corners a little smoother if you are playing with a keyboard or controller.
This is no surprise as the team has incorporated actual F1 team feedback to give the new vehicles better traction when braking, accelerating and cornering. There were also balances made to the aerodynamics and tyre grip which result in a more realistic feel.
Braking Point Returns
The main story of the game will be a continuation of the F1®2021 story. Called Braking Point 2, the story follows the careers of young upstart, Aiden Jackson, and
infamous protagonist Devon Butler, the pair find themselves together at Konnersport Racing Team, the most recent team to join the F1® grid.
The preview gave me access to 3 Chapters and I would say that it really gives a drama-filled vibe that you would expect from behind the scenes of a Formula 1® team. From teammate rivalries to political decisions, I am sure fans of the previous Braking Point instalment will not be disappointed.
*The game also supports VR in the preview but I did not manage to test it.
F1®23 is set to release on 16 June for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S with VR being supported for PC only at the time of this writing. We very much look forward to the full experience when they game releases.
