F1 24 Review (PS5): As Easy or Tough as You Want It To Be

I have played a lot of racing games in my life. Each year, I feel like my interest in these virtual experiences is fading. Sure, it's convenient just to power up your console or PC and play from the comfort of your home. But it's only a shadow of what the real world offers. I guess one of the reasons I'm still going back to Gran Turismo 7 is that it feels more realistic with the Virtual Reality set. Having a seat with haptic features in the future might improve that experience. But it's still not even close to being in a car, kart, motorcycle, buggy, or anything else that's not just a collection of pixels on a screen.

Be one of the 20

In recent years, I have been lucky enough to get more seat time at the track in either the FC or the FD RX7. And I also just tested the world's first production drift car: the IIWII. It profoundly impacted me, and even though it happened a month ago, it's still a vivid memory. And yes, I spent more time in GT7 this month than in the past year. But it's still frustrating in a way. Let's get things straight.

Even if I lived at the racetrack, with access to any car in the world, I'd still probably play some video games now and then. But they would take less of my time than today. A few weeks back, I got a taste of the upcoming F1 Manager 2024 and realized I am quite a rookie in Grand Prix racing. Playing wasn't exciting for me, as I yearned to sit behind the steering wheel and engage in the racing part more than the management one. But I was happy to know that I would soon get to test the new F1 24 game.

Asking a group of different people about their favorite F1 game of all time will provide mixed opinions on the topic. Some will tell you that F1 2020 was the best; others will return to the start of the Codemasters era. I still have fond memories of playing Andretti Racing in the '90s, but then again, any game I played at the time had a huge impact on me, given the tech novelty. In recent years, I have barely sampled any F1 games other than a short session of F1 22 at my friend's house.

So, the only benchmarks I have regarding the modern era of virtual F1 racing are Assetto Corsa and Gran Turismo 7. I have heard hardcore GP enthusiasts raving about how good the simulation is with Assetto Corsa, and I have experienced it myself many times before. But I wasn't sure how F1 24 would make me feel compared to GT7. While the game was downloading, I took a quick test at the Bahrain GP. I opted for a "Casual" experience, with the AI set to Amateur level as I used my controller.

Bring back the V10!

It was a short stint of just five laps, and I won it easily, although I felt remorseful about the AI nannies helping me steer the car clear of disaster. I won the race with Charles Leclerc, and I guess that's a double victory for the Ferrari ace, given his results in Monaco this past weekend. Now, I must say that I was very disappointed to hear F1 24 isn't PS VR2 compatible. And that meant I had to move my old TV onto my desk to play the game properly.

Given its age, the graphics didn't look as good as I had hoped they would, so I won't be able to pass judgment on that just now. I tried connecting my Behringer speakers for a more immersive auditory experience but failed. As a result, the sound of the F1 cars was mediocre at best. I assume using headphones might have been a better idea, or maybe we just need to bring V10s back again! At this point, I realized how much fun I used to have racing Schumacher's F2004 around the Nordschleife in Assetto Corsa.

You cannot do that in F1 24, as it only features the licensed tracks from the calendar. And I'm struggling to understand why there isn't a historic mode in which you can access any F1 car in the sport's history. Is that too much to ask? As my first race felt like stealing candy from a baby, I turned up the heat to 11 (AI:110) to see if I could at least avoid finishing last.

I survived for four laps before being overtaken by Tsunoda on the fifth one. Even though I lost, I could feel the intensity and had fun racing wheel-to-wheel with my virtual opponents. I then set up my Logitech G29 steering wheel and pedals for a more immersive experience. I chose a Custom driving proficiency, disabling ABS completely and using Traction Control on Medium.

The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare

I dove into F1 World mode and skipped through all the menus that allow you to customize your car and driver. I understand that some people will enjoy doing that, but I frankly only cared about the racing. At first glance, the customization mode felt slightly more enticing than it did in F1 Manager 2024.

I went for the Time Trial mode, lapping Spa in 1:51.669. Having the Halo in front of you is annoying, and I had to switch to another camera to keep going. I suddenly found myself missing the ABS but enjoying the traction control. With these settings, it's much easier to drive fast than any of my GT7/Assetto Corsa setups. But it's also less exciting. Photo mode felt easier for me when using the controller instead of the steering wheel, but I was baffled by the impossibility of taking shots from the grandstands like you would in the real world.

And it does not count towards the gameplay, but the people standing there look dull. I then went on to check the Japanese Grand Prix, as I had raced at Suzuka recently and was familiar with the layout. I chose Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso for this and switched off the Traction Control entirely. After setting the AI difficulty to Master (90), I found myself seven seconds slower on any given lap than any of my opponents. I enjoyed the starting procedure, even though I'm not good at it.

But I found myself crashing into Oscar Piastri, breaking for turn one. That left me with a broken front wing, and my team immediately called me to the pits. You can feel the effect such damage has on the car's aerodynamics, and I realized going into race day with no prior practice is silly. So, I decided to do the same thing I had done with MotoGP before this game. Going into the Career mode, I opted for a short, three-race season in F2, competing with Enzo Fittipaldi.

Racing is living

The game's soundtrack is pretty decent, but I'm not sure I'd call it memorable yet. At least I was impressed with the turbo noises on the F2 cars. They're not as slow as you'd think, and I took P9 in Bahrain with little knowledge of the track. My driver rating improved after that race, which was a bit of a confidence booster for the second stage in Austria. Seeing the fastest "ghost" during qualifying was helpful this time, and I clinched Pole Position for the main event.

Mid-race objectives are an interesting thing to deal with, as I received orders to go for a fast lap of one minute and 20 seconds. I won the race and moved on to Yas Marina. I secured enough points at the end of the year to advance to F1 (if only it were this easy in the real world), and I opted to be Carlos Sainz's teammate this time. You'll go through a "management" session where you must set some goals for the upcoming season and sign the contract. But it all feels a bit devoid of life or real enthusiasm.

It reminded me of the Civilization 3 system of dealing with other rulers, but that was far more interesting despite its simplicity. I wonder if anyone else feels genuine excitement being part of these off-track scenes, with limited options and barely any freedom. I would expect otherwise from a top-tier game that isn't particularly cheap to purchase. The race-sequence cutscenes were ok at first but became tedious quite fast. While I understand the F1 theme song is supposed to bring realism to the game, it doesn't add any excitement to it in the process.

I decided to go through some practice sessions and was intrigued to find the practice programs. It's a good way to learn about F1 racing, and it will help you understand how impressive those top 20 drivers are in managing everything. It came as no surprise to me that my driving led to heavy tire wear and excessive energy usage. I just can't juggle between driving fast and conserving these crucial car parts simultaneously.

Conclusion

Perhaps that's why F1 2024 felt more like work than fun to me. Sure, you can make it as difficult or easy as you want. But I found no joy in racing with all the assists and just gapping my opponents like they were rookies. And there was little joy in turning the tables, as I am perhaps too inexperienced in GP racing to make the best of it.

Still, I am sure F1 enthusiasts will have plenty of fun with this game. Give it enough time, and you might find the joy of using the right setup and strategy and, generally speaking, preparing for the race before you put the pedal to the metal.

Rating: 80/100