It was time for a new Forza Motorsport. Forza Motorsport 7 is now six years old and feels like it was released a thousand years ago. A more casual, open-world version of the racing game, the Forza Horizon series has had two titles since then.
That’s why developer Turn 10 Studios had to come up with a different, bold vision to make the Motorsport series still make sense. It cannot be a light return.
Is there still a place for Forza Motorsport, now that Forza Horizon 5 has proven to be the most popular game in the franchise? We think so. After a session to clarify doubts and learn more about what this video game brings us, here we show you a detailed preview, before we review Forza Motorsport (2023).
Previews of what is to come
In this new installment, sport and carRPG are the two key words, with one or two lessons learned from the Playground Games formula. Forza’s career mode, Builders Cup, has a Forza Horizon-style introduction. In this sense, we believe that the video game seeks to rescue “the best of both worlds.”
We start with an emotional video, followed by two races between Maple Valley and Japan, which allows us to get to know the controls in depth. In cars? We can tell you three iconic models: Subaru STI S209 (2019), Honda Civic Type R (2020) and the Ford Mustang GT (2018).
Setting up your gaming experience
The experience in this game will be very tailored: Choose your level of difficulty by changing the level of Drivatar, the speed of the AI and how strict the rules should be. In Forza Motorsport, the race involves a free practice session so you can test the circuit, test set-ups, manage tires and fuel.
By doing so, you will complete required objectives and bonus objectives, earning Car XP to level up your car. You’ll get a rating for each ‘segment’, which could be a curve or a set of curves, and with those, the car levels up in real time. You can check this through an XP bar on the right side of the screen.
You can do as many laps as you want within a time limit, with a minimum of three laps for the mandatory goal. As your car levels up, you’ll unlock parts to upgrade it in your garage – if you want to upgrade your car, you need CP (Car Points), not credits. These are only used for the purchase of new cars.
The driver level, as well as the credits awarded after races, are still basic elements of the game, just a little more on the sidelines: the attention seems to be more focused on the car you drive and the relationship you establish with it, not simply on you as a driver or car collector.
If you want that, you have Forza Horizon right there. This is one of the big differences between both games. The Intro Series does not include qualifying sessions, so you automatically start from P13, making it extremely difficult to win the race. You can choose your own starting point through a pre-race menu, but the further back you start, the greater the credit bonus for finishing on the podium.
What we expect, what is coming
Motorsport feels like a real reboot, and that’s clear as soon as you hit the track for the first time. The experience is now decidedly motorsport-oriented: it has well-defined, AR-style track boundaries, pit lanes and pit stops, with an F1-like user interface with time remaining to complete the free practice session and penalties. calculated in real time.
Drivers leave the pits and re-enter right in front of you, creating traffic on the track and more. A lot of realism. It’s also nice to see how both the track and traffic influence lap times, like in Formula 1, and it’s cool how authentic and dynamic the AI drivers are on the track.
The game is imbued with motorsport culture, and even includes the names of the track corners, which are shown by traversing them to perform a fast lap. As you get closer, a lap timer begins to show you the differences from your previous best time, further demonstrating how the free practice system encourages you to perfect your time in individual sessions.
From this, you can see how Turn 10 wanted to bring the sporting dimension of racing back into the game, in a way reminiscent of the first two or three Forza games, while also pushing it further into uncharted territories.
Realism at its finest
Everything is so real that you can even feel the suspension in operation, with many micro-corrections in and out of corners: this makes the car’s behavior unpredictable, and that also applies to opponents.
When you are in a chase, being able to detect these uncertainties is crucial to understanding when to attack, be alert. The driving model feels very good.
You can see that the weight is well distributed along the body of the car and, in the corners, you must reach the apex if you do not want to make mistakes and lose precious tenths or worse. The differences will be felt in detail in each of the cars.
Be careful: the new system will evaluate your behavior on the track and apply penalties in tenths or seconds. Forza Motorsport, features three graphics modes on Xbox Series
Coordinates
Without a doubt the new generation of force It will mark a before and after. It is a return of a part of the saga that was missed. There is a desire for more Motorsport. In this installment you will have a high level of customization, greater precision and cult graphic performance.
Next October 10th the final version of Forza Motorsport It will be available on Xbox Series X/S, PC and Xbox Game Pass. Get ready!