Forza Motorsport Hands-off Impressions. Catching Up With Competition, But Can't Take the Lead
The PC and Xbox counterpart of Gran Turismo is finally back! I was expecting more new features, but maybe being faithful to the original concept makes sense after all. Forza Motorsport promises to be a prettier and more polished iteration of tried ideas.
There is but one serious issue with the Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon series. What issue? Well, when you're playing them for the first time, Forza games are absolutely stunning, they can keep us immersed for hours and give us a loads of pure, driving joy. But being a veteran of the series is not so sweet anymore. The next instalments introduce only minor changes, offering mostly the same experience as usual, with a slightly different topping.
Forza Motorsport 7 was released ages ago, back in 2017. The Turn 10 team had plenty of time to polish the new features and offer something completely surprising. But from what I saw at the show, it seems that we will get the "old, good" Forza again, which does not revolutionize the genre in any way. It might have something to do with the fact that the previous installment of the series lagged far behind the standards of its era, not even having a fully dynamic weather cycle or a functional day-and-night cycle – something that has long been the standard in other titles. However, it’s a pity that Forza is not trying to overtake the competitors, but rather just struggling to catch up.
Changes under the hood
These are, of course, just my guesses, as I haven't had a chance to play the new Forza Motorsport yet – I only saw a few minutes of its presentation. Turn 10 claims that many of the changes made are not visible at first sight. We are talking about the physics of tires or the AI of opponents. In the game, we will not see rubberbanding and every procedure is going to be based on machine learning – AI opponents are supposed to be as fast as the best human drivers, without any form of cheating. What wasn't mentioned were mistakes, which are not difficult to make when racing at 160 MPH. Races will be full of close, side-by-side duels, bumper-to-bumper scuffles, instead of stretching drivers along the length of the track.
But actually, the Drivatars of Forza have always been advertised this way. All the rest is also a little bit rusty. Again, we will get a campaign in the form of countless shorter competitions, grouped into various themes related to specific car brands, body types, or era in the history of motorsports. The game will get some improvements to existing mechanics, such as the preview lap on the track, as well as the selection of your starting place, which determines the stakes of our winnings.
At the presentation, the developer mentioned the term "car RPG." It's because driving a specific car allows you to collect XP points for it and unlock tuning parts, which will allow various upgrades. Finally, a fully dynamic day & night and weather systems will appear, and – judging by the scenes from the trailer – animated pit stop crews. It's about the time!
Head-to-head competition
These are not revolutionary solutions, and it is clear that the developers are still targeting a more casual audience, who want to start driving as quickly as possible, rather than engage in qualifications and go around the track dozens of times. I'm glad that Forza Motorsport has finally caught up with other titles and introduced the standards that have been here for years. It can't be denied that the game looks fantastic and at 60 frames in 4K provides an incredible visual experience.
However, I still feel that not all aspects have been improved. It also lacks some significant novelties that I was hoping for after so many years of waiting. After the PS VR2 goggles launch and the addition of VR support for Gran Turismo, 7 Forza will be the only racing simulator on the market without this option, even though the old iRacing from 2008 and Assetto Corsa from 2014 already had it. The developers really could have implemented this option in the PC version. I was also hoping for something completely new that would push the old racing genre forward, but it seems like nothing came out of it.
Or maybe it's not worth changing the classics?
The most unique and innovative feature in Forza Motorsport will probably accessibility to people with sight impairment. This is indeed something that sets this game apart from other titles in the genre, and it's good that Turn 10 is breaking new grounds here. And besides, we will get the same Forza as always, just more beautiful, shinier, maybe polished to perfection, but without any surprises. For new players on Xbox and PCs, it will be a great racing game, a full-fledged equivalent of Gran Turismo – maybe better, maybe not – we will find out in October.
And for the veterans of the series... Well, it probably depends on how much we missed driving in Forza Motorsport. At the show, another very important statement was made about this game. A promise of a game full of love and passion for cars. And if only this passion and love will be tangible, players will probably forgive it some similarities to previous games from the series. It's a bit like with the Porshe 911 – we can't imagine certain things changing in it either. Some things are probably doomed to stay loyal to tradition.
