Racing Back to the Roots: Forza Motorsport Levels Up the Sim-Racing Game
Turn 10 Studios has once again revved up the racing game arena with the latest installment in the Forza Motorsport series, this time dropping the numeral titles and sticking to the basics. Running on an i9 13900k, RTX 4090, 32GB DDR5 at 3200 MHz, and displayed on a Predator x38, the game is an unprecedented visual marvel.
The latest Forza Motorsport installment is a comprehensive racing experience optimized for Xbox Series X|S, offering unparalleled load-times, visuals, and responsiveness. Players can dive into the Builders Cup Career Mode to outperform competitors using 800+ performance upgrades or enjoy multiplayer events featuring advanced tire and fuel strategies. The game boasts cutting-edge AI, advanced physics, and real-time ray tracing for photorealistic visuals. With over 500 real cars and 20 world-renowned tracks featuring dynamic time-of-day and weather conditions, the game offers an immersive and competitive racing environment. Plus they have the new Z
Graphics That’ll Make Your Jaw Drop
We thought Forza Motorsport 7 was a beauty, but this new installment is a knockout punch. From the realistic glare of sunlight on your dashboard to the fine specks of dirt accumulating on your fenders, it’s obvious that the devs poured a lot of love into these details. Each car looks like it could drive right off your screen, confirming that Turn 10 has outdone themselves in pushing the boundaries of realism in racing games.
The Feel of the Wheel
Turn 10 has continually refined the in-game physics since Forza Motorsport’s debut back in 2005. It’s almost a tradition at this point to anticipate the tactile improvements with each release. The feedback you get from the road, especially on a setup like ours, is precise, convincing you that you’re inside the car, handling it through sharp turns and quick straights.
Drivatar AI: A Familiar Rival
Long-time Forza players will remember the Drivatar system from the 2013 installment, Forza Motorsport 5. Since then, the feature has continually improved, making AI behave more like real players, and that evolution continues in this latest edition. The variety of AI behavior makes for races that are never stale and brings a new dynamic to the solo player experience.
Penalty System: Room for Improvement
While the game excels in many aspects, it stumbles in some, such as the penalty system. It appears Turn 10 is still working on fine-tuning the algorithm that decides when to penalize players for race fouls, harking back to similar issues we’ve seen in previous Forza titles.
The Evolution of Career Mode
The franchise has long offered players a robust career mode, and this game is no different. It’s a bit streamlined this time, though. Some might say that the career mode could take a lesson or two from Forza Motorsport 4, which provided a more dynamic range of racing events and car choices. However, the RPG-lite twist of leveling up your cars brings a new layer of engagement.
Multiplayer Suite: The Heart of the Game
Forza’s multiplayer has evolved substantially since the early days. Remember the Xbox Live hiccups during Forza Motorsport 2? Those days are long gone. Now, jumping into instant-action Rivals events or custom lobbies feels smoother than ever.
Bugs and Patches
While the game is mostly stable, there have been reports of crashes, reminding us of the teething issues faced by Forza Motorsport 7 at launch. Turn 10 is aware and has been actively releasing patches to address these issues. A swift patch has been deployed, squashing multiple bugs and signaling that the devs are fully committed to optimizing gameplay.
On-the-Track Action vs. Career Mode Depth
Forza Motorsport has always juggled the simulation-heavy aspects with the accessibility that allows casual gamers to jump in. However, the deep dive into more rigorous physics this time around begs the question: does it need a more creative single-player career mode to match?
When Rubber Meets the Asphalt: The Verdict
The visual and tactile immersion in Forza Motorsport is near-unparalleled in the racing game community. While it shines in delivering a near-perfect sim-racing experience, it slightly fumbles with features like the penalty system and career mode flexibility. Yet, these hiccups don’t tarnish the overall package, making it a game that’s hard to pass up for any serious racing fan, plus its actually on Xbox Game Pass.
In the fast-paced, ever-changing landscape of the sim-racing world, Forza Motorsport has shown it can keep pace, if not speed ahead, providing both nostalgia for long-time fans and a fresh set of wheels for newcomers. This installment has set a high bar for the next title in the franchise, and we can’t wait to see where Turn 10 takes us in the future.
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X|S
