F1 23 Review

thesixthaxis.com:

While the real 2023 Formula 1 championship already feels like a foregone conclusion, the special thing about video games is that they allow us to live in a fantasy world where parity extends beyond fighting for the lower steps on the podium. F1 23 features some big behind the scenes changes for more realistic handling and racing, and brings back a story mode for those wanting a lighter Drive to Survive-style tale.

Update 21/06 – This is now our full, scored review of F1 23.

One of the headline acts for F1 23 is the returning Braking Point story mode, picking up after the story arc in F1 21 and making some significant changes. Aiden Jackson returns, now a driver for newcomer team Konnersport Butler Global Racing Team, partnered with arch-nemesis Devon Butler in a cruel twist of fate. There’s the same style of racing snippets, dropping you into a scenario and challenging you to, for example, recover after colliding with your teammate, charge through the field on softer tyres, or simply complete a full race. Charging through the field is pure Hollywood F1 action, but it’s fun nonetheless.

I once again enjoy the narrative framing throughout this, and it does a great job of distilling the real world drama of Formula 1. Andreo Konner is the team owner and starts as team principle, clearly taking inspiration from the longstanding Sauber F1 team, but the team is financially backed by Davidoff Butler, and so there’s question marks when his children have one of the two drives the team offers. Speaking of which, there’s Devon’s sister, F2 prodigy Callie Mayer, the first woman driver in F2 who takes the steep up to F1 after some surprising, humanising events affect Devon.

It’s a step forward over the original Braking Point, now with