Developed By: Codemasters Studios
Published By: EA
Platforms: PlayStation 4& 5 / Xbox One / Xbox Series / PC
Reviewed On: PlayStation 5
Review Code Provided By: EA
It was not too long ago that I reviewed F1 23 game and was shocked that this year’s game is already here. I forgot about how the game is a yearly release like all the other EA games. Given how well the game was last year, I thought that this year’s F1 game would be better but boy was I in for a surprise.
No Braking Point
Last year gave us the already dramatic Braking Point 2 which sees the rival Aiden and Devon getting heating on and off the track. This year, the game does not have any story mode whatsoever. I understand that it is hard to create a yearly story but seeing as it was one of the selling points of F1 23, it did leave an empty feeling when loading up the game and not seeing the story mode.
The Only Career Option
Without the Braking Point story mode, the single-player content for the game this year heavily relies on the Career Mode. You would expect a major change to how the mode feels but no it is totally the same. Granted there are some new things like selecting one of the real-life F1 drivers as a character instead of needing to create them yourself. Contracts and driver ratings are also changed with the ability to extend your contract beyond a year.
A new addition under Career Mode in F1 24 is Challenge Career which is basically short-size scenarios that players can try to complete the fastest with leaderboards and rewards. It is a little like how Gran Turismo 7 License Exam. They have stated that there will be more challenges added in the future with updates to the game.
Besides the 3 items, Career Mode is the same as last year’s game. If you are going to try My Team, then it is even worse as there were no changes at all to the My Team Career Mode and it is a direct copy from F1 23. Seeing as how little was updated to the Carrer Mode, it seems like this mode is not the focus of this year’s game.
Entering the F1 World
If the single-player has very few updates, this year’s multiplayer should receive more updates, right? Well actually no, besides updating the tracks the multiplayer felt totally the same. The same progression in multiplayer is available with also the Podium Pass that was introduced last year.
Fanzone is something new to multiplayer where players can create rooms that feel like a guild where other players who want to represent the same driver or manufacturer can join. After joining, any activities in F1 World will contribute points to your room and climb the leaderboard. All players in a Fanzone room who rank high on the leaderboard will be rewarded at the end of the season.
This system does help with the community, but the overall multiplayer game system feels the same as last year’s game.
So, what change?
Now the game’s developer, Codemasters has stated that F1 24 features a new driving physic and better visual quality with better lighting and shadows. Changes to how the drive feels are very subjective as it can be changed anytime with an update, so it is not a big deal, but the game now handles shadows and lighting a little better. This is not without a drawback as if you are playing on the PlayStation 5, the improved graphics are only available with Graphic Mode which takes a toll on the frame rate.
Now we know what has been changed, it is my duty to inform you that everything else feels the same from the UI, loading screen and lobby. Even the option menu layout is the same and I had to check and see if I loaded up the correct game. To make things worse, the animations for the pit crew, driver introduction and podium win are all the same.
What is even worse is that in F1 23 you had a My Place which you can customize how your background looks like in the menu by adding pieces of furniture. Another issue I had was constant network connection issues while unlocking items or going through the UI. This game feels so troublesome to navigate at times.
What I Liked About F1 24
- Selecting Real-Life F1 Drivers – No need to go through the hassle of re-creating a real-life F1 driver anymore.
- Driver Ratings – It is now easier to choose the driver for your team with the rating system.
What I Didn’t
- Reused Assets – A lot of things are from last year’s game including pit crew animations
- Fewer Features – The loss of My Place and especially the Braking Point story is felt in F1 2024.
Yearly Cycle
F1 24 feels just like an update to F1 23 with all the features almost the same but with the removal of the Braking Point story mode. Everything good in this game is the same reason it is good the year before. If I had a choice to purchase either this year’s game or last year’s? I would be picking the latter one unless you are picky about updated drivers and tracks. Nothing in F1 24 warrants it to be priced as a full new game when you can maybe pick up F1 23 on sale.
