Forza Motorsport officially launched today, and after a few hours of play, I have thoughts. You’re welcome.
Developer Turn 10 has rebooted the series – hence dropping the number from the name – with a revamped ForzaTech engine built from the ground up for the Xbox Series consoles.
Higher-detail tracks, cars, environments and a bit of ray-tracing are the major visual enhancements.
As for gameplay, aside from more realistic car physics and tyre models, it’s all about the new vehicle upgrade structure, corner segment grades and smart penalty system. At least from what I’ve seen so far.
Reviews have been very solid; check out IGN, Eurogamer and Kotaku. For what it’s worth, here’s my early take.
The ray-tracing is meh, but the motion blur is awesome
Forza Motorsport has been criticised for failing to deliver what was expected from its most touted graphics feature, ray-tracing. Pre-release demos showed off excellent ray-traced reflections, mostly in car bodies, that got the graphics geeks like me giddy with excitement.
Sadly, the game’s reflection quality doesn’t get near the quality of the demos. I guess it’s expected as the current-gen consoles Forza was designed around struggle with RT, but it’s still annoying when publishers over-promise and under-deliver.
The PC release could feature better RT options, but as of release, it doesn’t differ much from the Xbox Series X preset. Let’s hope that changes.
What looks better than expected is Forza Motorsport’s excellent motion blur.
Watching a side-by-side comparison with Gran Turismo 7 shows what a difference motion blur can make to the sense of speed. The cars in GT7 look oddly tranquil by comparison; it’s a bigger difference than I ever imagined it would be.
The camera’s focal length can also play a part in this illusion, giving Forza a more dynamic image in motion than its PlayStation rival.
The penalty system is surprisingly smart
One thing you’ll quickly discover in Forza Motorsport is the game’s no-nonsense and surprisingly intelligent penalty system.
Cutting a corner even slightly will get you a proportionate time penalty (in my last race, it was exactly 0.60 seconds), but it’s with collisions that the system shows off its smarts.
Clumsily bumping into the back of a competitor at the first corner of a race may or may not get you a time penalty, depending on how hard you hit your opponent or how unsettled they became.
A gentle touch? just a warning. A bigger bump that put them offline? that’s a 1-second penalty.
So far, I couldn’t disagree with any of the games near instant penalty decisions. It’s a super smart system for dealing with my super dumb driving.
I like the upgrade system, despite what critics are saying
I’m only a few hours into the game, so I can’t make a proper judgment yet, but I like the new car upgrade system.
It’s one of the biggest changes from older Forza Motorsport titles.
Previously, you could upgrade whatever you wanted as soon as you bought a car. In Forza Motorsport, you have to achieve levels of car mastery to unlock more than a few basic options at the point of purchase.
As you drive, these unlock car parts and car points, the currency used for each new part you want to bolt on. As you progress through a championship, your car level improves as you level it up and choose which parts to prioritise.
It adds an extra dimension to each event as you aim to create the perfect build with the points and level you’ve achieved to date.
I also like that you level up more quickly the better you drive through each segment of the track. You get a score of 10 for your competence behind the wheel through each phase of a turn or series of turns.
It does make each car feel more special as you’ve had to think more carefully about how to get the best out of it. It also makes you a better driver as you pay far more attention to each section of the track and how you drive it.
Unlike the penalties, the AI drivers are dumb and bizarre
A Forza career race series event typically starts with a practice session.
You’ll be obliged to complete at least 3 laps to learn the track, allowing you to hone those segment scores, tune your setup and hit a target lap time. All good.
The AI does the same. Or rather, it attempts to. Depending on the circuit, you’ll see countless AI drones sliding off the track at various corners throughout the lap.
It was particularly hilarious at Suzuka, as the witless AI racers were caught out, usually on corner exit, at almost every turn on the track. Some laps were fine; others were pure comedy.
“The AI is pretty broken…Wherever you end up after the first few corners, you’ll stay”
When they’re not falling off the tarmac, the AI behaves strangely in races too.
They’re always slow through the first few corners, even on the highest difficulty, and will happily t-bone you if you leave the slightest door open for them. They also do this in practice sessions, which is bloody annoying.
Once the race settles, they become oddly shy, barely driving near you. Whether in front or behind, they keep you at a good dozen cars’ length. It’s as if you’re infected with some ghastly disease they’d rather not catch by breathing in your exhaust fumes.
The AI doesn’t like to drive consistently, either. Sometimes, they close rapidly, then suddenly drop back for no apparent reason. It’s quite unsettling.
There’s some kinks to iron out here. In the meantime, it’s both creepy and comedic all the same.
Summing up
Forza Motorsport is a really important game for Microsoft, as it’s another massive franchise and an overdue exclusive title for Xbox and PC. Given recent history and the slight disappointment that is Starfield, Microsoft needs this to be a hit.
Most reviewers praise it, and I’m on board with that. I’m enjoying the experience so far.
The car’s weight through turns is satisfyingly hefty, the motion blur is amazing for a sense of speed, and the overall presentation is beautiful. Despite the limited ray tracing.
The upgrade system offers an engaging new twist on car customisation that makes a car feel more special. The corner segment guide improves your driving, and the AI penalty system treats you fairly.
The AI is pretty broken, though, making my races lonely and unfulfilling. Wherever I end up after the first few corners, I stay as long as I don’t fall off the track. It’s odd.
I also miss the quick options to change traction control, brake balance, and check the weather map I’m so used to from Gran Turismo 7. The game doesn’t even give you the gaps to cars around you. This lack of useful info and car options on screen during races is a big bummer.
Regardless, if you’re on Xbox/PC Game Pass, I recommend checking it out if you’re a racing game enthusiast. It may not be a genre-defining title like Starfield was trying to be, but it’s been fun to drive in its opening hours. I hope that continues.
