F1 24
The Good Stuff
- Stable & forgiving handling
- New Driver Career Mode
- Better visuals
- Challenging AI difficulty
- Impressive gameplay performance
The Bad Stuff
- No new changes to gameplay from older titles
- Career mode feels limited
- Generic commentary
- F1 World not appealing
F1 24 Review
F1 24
“F1 24 is a great racing game, especially for newcomers to F1 or gaming in general”
Overview
Formula 1 has been stuck in a rut for over a decade. Since 2010, only two teams have managed to win the championship, making things a bit predictable. F1 is all about engineering, and whoever builds the fastest car (and has a driver who can exploit its speed) usually comes out on top. However, there’s a flicker of hope in 2024! With four different winners in just the first eight races, this season might be shaping up to be more exciting.
But that formula has grown stale. The lack of competition in real-world F1 seems to be reflected in the new F1 24 game. While it’s a fantastic racing simulator with a great career mode and realistic handling, it doesn’t offer much that’s truly new compared to previous editions. It’s a great game, but one that feels a bit repetitive.
Driver Career Mode
The biggest change in F1 24 is a new story mode called “Driver Career.” Here, you can finally step into the shoes of one of the sport’s 20 current driver superstars, like Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen, and experience a multi-season career from their perspective. This is separate from, but complements, the existing “My Team” mode where you manage the entire team (which remains unchanged).
Driver Career focuses on the driver experience, ditching the business side of things like finances and sponsorship deals. This allows you, the racer car driver, to concentrate on racing and building your reputation. These features are also available in the two-player career mode, making it a great option for friends to race together. While Driver Career sounds exciting, there’s a catch. While it offers a new way to play, it seems there might be some underlying issues that prevent it from being truly exceptional.
Mid-Race Objectives
The new mid-race objectives in F1 24 sound great on paper, but in reality it really falls flat. The idea of mini-missions during the race to add excitement and tension is brilliant. Imagine needing to push for a strategic overtake or focus on clean driving for a few laps to gain an advantage.
However, the current objectives lack any connection to the actual racing situation. Instead of feeling dynamic and strategic, they seem random and disconnected. For example, being told to focus on staying within track limits might make sense if you’re driving erratically, but otherwise feels like an arbitrary task. The objectives currently feel more like a random chance encounter rather than a well-integrated part of the racing experience.
The new mid-race objectives in F1 24 are a missed opportunity. Imagine your engineer panicking about fuel use when the HUD clearly shows you have plenty to spare! These objectives feel nonsensical. There’s also no penalty for ignoring them, making them pointless. It seems the game itself acknowledges this, as failing an objective has no consequence.
Overall, these objectives need to be more dynamic and relevant to the race situation to be truly engaging. The “secret meetings” are also a bit strange. While they try to capture the secretive nature of driver contract negotiations, they fall short. For example, refusing a “secret” offer from another team inexplicably makes your current team happy. It’s unclear why McLaren would celebrate you rejecting an offer they weren’t even aware of in the first place.
Extra Bits
F1 24 tries to add immersion with voice bites from real drivers, but it falls short. While it’s cool to hear snippets of iconic radio messages, or celebrations from other drivers, these are very limited. Most of the time, drivers are silent during races, which feels bland. The commentary also lacks depth.
You might expect special lines for dramatic championship battles, but instead, the game relies on generic commentary that doesn’t reflect the situation. For example, finishing a season tied for the championship lead going into the final race only gets you generic lines about drivers approaching the final race after a bad season.
It’s understandable that the developers can’t predict every scenario, but a championship coming down to the wire feels like a major missed opportunity for more engaging commentary. F1 World, the virtual life mode from F1 23, returns, but it’s still not for everyone. From unlocking cosmetics, to grinding for car upgrades, it feels like a chore compared to the traditional career mode.
For those who just want to jump in for quick solo races, it’s harmless, but it lacks the appeal of a traditional career. Multiplayer seems unchanged since F1 23. Public lobbies remain chaotic, and leagues are still the only way to have a civilized online experience.
Time To Race
F1 24 feels great to drive! Building on the improvements in F1 23, F1 24 offers even more stable and forgiving handling. While some might argue this makes it less realistic, the cars feel planted and allow for aggressive cornering. Let’s face it, most of us haven’t driven a real F1 car at full speed, so who’s to say the immense grip F1 24 offers isn’t accurate in its own way? The bottom line is, the handling is enjoyable and makes you feel like a skilled driver. This, after all, is the goal of a racing simulation game.
Just like F1 23, the gamepad controls are impressive, even compared to a wheel setup (though the wheel can be a bit more sensitive). Another plus is the highly adjustable AI difficulty. Being able to find the perfect balance between you and the AI, regardless of your skill level, is crucial for creating a realistic racing atmosphere. If all racing games offered this level of customization, the genre would be much better off.
The new, more forgiving handling model and the exciting Driver Career mode are a major plus. Driver Career lets you be an F1 superstar, while Challenge Career offers bite-sized experiences with pre-set drivers like Verstappen (although it’s solo with online leaderboards). Personally, I would rather play the Driver Career mode and experience it with each of the F1 superstars. On a positive note, F1 24 is the best-looking F1 game ever!
The graphics are fantastic, and driver sprites are even more realistic. Several tracks have also been updated to match their real-world counterparts. The decision to upgrade to F1 24 boils down to how important these new features and improvements are to you.
Verdict
F1 24 is a great racing game, especially for newcomers to F1 or gaming in general. It offers a polished experience with tons of options and difficulty adjustments, making it accessible for all skill levels. However, for veterans of the F1 franchise (like F1 22 and 23 players), this year’s edition might feel a bit repetitive.
While there’s a revamped career mode and some handling tweaks, the core gameplay doesn’t offer a significant leap forward compared to recent versions. If you already own the previous games, the upgrade might not be worth it.
That’s all from me on the F1 24 review. Please share your opinions or comments below if you have anything you would like to say about the review. The game is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and on XBox Series X.
If you’re interested in the game you’re more than welcome to click the blue button above, or HERE, to check the price or to purchase the game. Until next time 😀