The Forza Motorsport series has always managed to give Gran Turismo a run for its money. Since launching on the original Xbox in 2005, it's been famed for its competitive racing, endless car customisation, and extensive track list separating itself from other arcade racers where realism was less of a priority. With sim racing continuing to expand, the hype surrounding the eighth Forza Motorsport title is building.
Forza Motorsport 7 released in 2017 and six years later, Turn 10 Studios is back with another racing release jam-packed with hundreds of cars from the past and present and enough innovations that could give the likes of Gran Turismo 7 a run for the top step of the podium.
With expectations high, Turn 10 Studios has managed to make a significant leap forward, justifying its place as Microsoft's premier racing title. However, there are a few slight drawbacks that prevent it from crossing the finish line ahead of its competitors.
A solid racing experience
Forza Motorsport delivers competitive, high-octane racing in spades thanks to its accessible gameplay allowing everyone to use everything ranging from a controller to a fully-fledged sim rig to compete on a level playing field. With over 500 cars to choose from and plenty of real-world and original tracks, Forza offers a huge choice for fans of all things car culture and motorsports.
The driving is a step in the right direction compared to Forza Motorsport 7, but there are still occasions where the car I'm controlling doesn't feel connected to the road underneath the tyres. After completing several laps of Spa-Francochamps in Audi's Le Mans-winning R18 e-tron prototype, it was tricky to maintain consistency due to oversteer and a steering output that struggled to keep up with my inputs.
While there's still room for improvement in terms of the overall driving experience, the inclusion of a day-to-night cycle and dynamic weather add a much-needed layer of realism to all races. Seeing the sunlight burst through the trees at Grand Oak Raceway or the rain pelting the windscreen at an overcast Silverstone is a sight to behold. The presence of rain also adds some additional strategy to races, too. Do you gamble with dry tyres on a wet track or take the pit stop for a set of faster rubber in order to snatch victory?
A major graphical step forward
As an avid Gran Turismo fan, I've always felt the graphics of the Forza lacked the same visual fidelity as its arch-rival. Now, Forza Motorsport delivers graphical quality that can finally compete with Polyphony Digital's racing series. Instead of the static billboards that featured heavily in Forza 7, Forza Motorsport now includes 3D crowds, making it look like the venue is bursting at the seams for an exciting on-track spectacle.
It's not just the spectators that provide that sense of immersion. Usually, motion blur is instantly switched off to improve focus, but in the case of Forza Motorsport the feature lends extra speed to the fast-moving action.
Truly immersive audio
As soon as I jumped into the car for the opening round of the Builder's Cup, the first thing I noticed was the fully immersive audio. The slightly muffled engine noise combined with the fluttering turbo sounded incredible. Topped off with some screeching tyres, you'd have thought someone was driving on a real racetrack if you played the audio without any video attached.
It's not just the car noises that are a step in the right direction. Each kerb and rumble strip plays an unnerving rumble as the tyre attempts to keep contact with the road, and the small pings of gravel chipping the paintwork after an off-track excursion are a nice touch too.
Incredible car and track variety
Despite the funky handling, Turn 10 Studios has knocked it out of the park with the sheer variety of road cars and fully-fledged racing machinery that's available to race. Crafted with meticulous detail, each car looks almost identical to its real-world counterpart, even giving Gran Turismo 7 a run for its money.
As a Gran Turismo fanboy, I've never really gelled with some of the original tracks on previous Forza Motorsport titles. Yes, the usual suspects of Le Mans and the Nurburgring are plenty of fun to drive, but the constant undulations of tracks such as Maple Valley Raceway are somewhat off-putting when attempting to master an understeery Subaru Impreza. Regardless of how fun they are to drive, there's a wealth of options for all petrolheads to enjoy.
Mismatched handling
After testing various vehicles using a standard Xbox controller and a steering wheel, it quickly became clear that the handling was aimed more at those using a pad. Turning felt precise when using the analogue sticks but as soon as I opted for a wheel, the constant understeer made even the slowest vehicles a handful to drive with minimal assists switched on.
After conceding that my racing skills weren't up to scratch, I switched on some assists and the understeer soon disappeared, resulting in some fun racing against some tricky AI opposition. However, if you're wanting to drive as fast as possible, switching the assists off and mastering the handling model is the way to go.
Where is the damage?
Spectacular crashes are part and parcel of motorsport. However, in Forza Motorsport, the lack of bodywork flying off takes away from what's a relatively realistic racing experience. After flying into a wall at breakneck speed to see whether my car would fall to pieces, I was disappointed to only find a few bodywork scratches and slightly bent steering was the full extent of the damage model.
On the other hand, I can see how the lack of damage is much more appealing to the casual racer instead to those searching for a more realistic driving experience.
Reviewed on PC. A code was provided by the publisher.