F1 24 Review – Immersive Experience

Reviewed on PlayStation 5

F1 24 – The latest installment in the renowned Codemasters series, now under the umbrella of Electronic Arts, introduces itself to the gaming community as a significant advancement. Its goal is to enhance the driving experience and create an even more realistic race weekend atmosphere.

Featuring new game modes, an improved graphics engine, and unwavering attention to detail, F1 24 strives to immerse players into the heart of the racing world, allowing them to experience the pulse of one of the most thrilling and esteemed competitions on the globe, and I can say they delivered as the overall experience is the best in the franchise.

For years now, the Career Mode in Formula 1 video games has represented the beating heart of the experience. This year for even more reason, given the complete absence of a more cinematic mode represented by Braking Point in the 2021 and 2023 editions of the series.

In addition to the classic Driver Career, we will also find the Team Career, where we will play the dual role of the driver and team principal of our team, and finally there is the possibility of tackling a Career Mode with a friend online to make everything even more exciting. I believe many people will appreciate the option of commencing the career mode with an actual driver instead of being obligated to invent a new persona.

This year, the developers have made some major tweaks, adjusting a few tracks and other crucial aspects of the game, and have added new elements that contribute little to the already rich Career Mode. Moreover, the changes to the driving model and physics engine are rather perplexing. It’s evident to us that the direction taken this year was to improve rather than reinvent the wheel.

Codemasters have put effort into enhancing the visual representation of the drivers in F1 24 to make them more closely resemble their real-life counterparts. By utilizing the same technology used by Electronic Arts for capturing the faces of FC 24 footballers, the models in F1 24 are impressively detailed. However, it’s disappointing that the facial animations remain unchanged from previous versions. The unrealistic distortions during the motion of the drivers’ faces detract from the overall realism and quality achieved through facial sampling.

Codemasters has incorporated the official Formula 1 radio teams into the game to elevate the level of realism and immersion. After each grand prix, players can listen to the authentic voice of the driver they raced with, providing commentary on the just-concluded race.

One of my favourite things introduced in F1 24 is the new feature called Career Challenges, which offers a fresh take on traditional game modes. Essentially, this mode extracts components from the career mode and transforms them into challenges for the online gaming community. The developers will set specific consecutive races in the championship, designate the driver we will embody, and establish various variables, including weather conditions and potential mechanical issues in the car.

Players have the freedom to choose from four difficulty levels, aiming to maximize points in these championship events while also managing rivalries, enhancing the research and development department, and engaging in other career mode activities.

Genre: Racing
Release: 31 May 2024
Publisher: EA Sports | Developer: Codemasters
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X | S