He will have made himself desirable! Six years after the release of Forza Motorsport 7 and three years after the official announcement, the new Turn 10 simcade is finally opening its doors to those with the Game Pass license. Before you step on the accelerator, we invite you to spend some time in the pits. It’s time to examine what this Forza Motorsport really has under the hood.
Test conditions
Forza Motorsport was tested with the controller on Xbox Series X before and after the first patch day. The footage in this article was captured in Performance (4K/60fps) and Performance RT mode.
Summary
- Fire on the asphalt
- Check the level before turning on the ignition
- A challenge for the gray card
- Leather interior, beige color
- Show good behavior together
Fire on the asphalt
Forget the party favors and fireworks, Forza abandons the madness of the Horizon Festival and returns to its basics, which is supervised competition on race tracks. A true Simcade, a racing game genre that mixes simulation and arcade, the latest title from Turn 10 relies on three levers to redefine its experience: developing driver skills, improving cars and fierce competition both solo and online.. An exciting program achieved through multiple game modes ranging from career to multiplayer, including free play, rival challenges and vehicle tuning.
As you noticed when you looked at the cover of the software, this episode is not numbered. With the sober title “Forza Motorsport”, the American studio led by Dan Greenawalt is aiming for a new beginning for a franchise founded in 2005. The idea is to respond to the desires of car racing game fans and create a platform dedicated to themand constantly offers new content and challenges.
First of all, Turn 10 started with a blank copy for the physics engine of its creation. You don’t have to hesitate for hours, Controller in hand, we are facing the new reference of Simcade. The weight of the vehicles is noticeable right from the first corners, collisions are managed much better, the different forces that act during the race are well reproduced, the feel of the shock absorbers is impeccable and the driving is more flexible than ever before. Driving behavior varies depending on climatic influences, which can intensify during the race. Persistent rain wets the asphalt and turns it into a real ice rink, while the clouds continue to shed their tears. Additionally, it is not uncommon for an event to begin at sunset and end under a starry sky. All game rounds can be played at different times of the day (from morning to evening) and in different weather conditions (sunny, cloudy, stormy, foggy, etc.) that change in real time.
It is important to correctly dose the force in the analogue triggers (brake, accelerator pedal) in order to gain valuable hundredths. The developers have gone particularly far in the simulation aspect without compromising on accessibility. For example, the game takes into account the rubber left by the tires on the race tracks and thus adapts the grip to the humidity of the track. The game strives to adapt to the needs of all pilots and offers an impressive range of options and advanced settings. Do you want to change the field of view (from 25° to 65°) in both first and third person? No problem, a slider is there to meet your expectations.
When it comes to the single player structure, Forza Motorsport progresses without taking any unusual paths. The campaign is divided into categories (Modern Tour, Enthusiast Tour, Powerful Tour, Heritage Tour, Free Class Tour) and in turn divided into several championships in which you have to drive different classes of vehicles. One of the new features is that the driver will be driven onto the track before every official race to complete warm-up laps. As mentioned in our preview, these tests allow you to test the selected vehicle and track while gaining experience points to motivate players who want to shorten the training and continue the championship. However, the fact that progress in the campaign only occurs through sections in a very classic menu is a bit disappointing.. We would have liked more inspiration for a reboot that took six years to come out.
Despite the fact that Forza Motorsport doesn’t skimp on additions, it retains rare traces of the past that we would have preferred not to find, such as the rewind, which rewinds entire sections rather than letting the player decide when to stop, or the lack of the The Japanese manufacturer Suzuki, a brand that has dispensed with the Turn 10 software since the fourth part.
Thanks to its brand new physics engine, Forza Motorsport has mastered the basics, allowing millions of players to compete for the best times over many months. Despite the quiet strength of its creation, Turn 10 wanted to force fate, or rather retention rateby implementing a purchased equipment upgrade system that doesn’t really fit the game’s philosophy.
What would a good driver be without a good car? In order to outdo his opponents, the player is invited to spend time in his garage making various improvements. Removal of the Forza Motorsport 7 mods, which gave the game a service aspect that not all fans liked, The software released by Microsoft returns to old-fashioned settings. almost. While previous episodes allowed you to purchase all sorts of upgrades when purchasing a car, this reboot of Forza Motorsport introduces a mechanic lifted directly from RPGs, with parts only unlocking once a certain XP level has been reached that was reached with the target car. And that’s for the 500 machines in the game!
Aspiring mechanics who like to experiment and find their ideal settings must therefore invest a lot of time in farming. If we understand Turn 10’s desire to give the player a sense of success and progress, The solution found is particularly restrictiveespecially since the improvement parts unlock various additional personal settings.
Tire pressure, gear ratios, negative lift, aerodynamics, suspension, braking, steering… there are many parameters to change if the player takes the time to improve the level of their vehicle. If delving into the depths of your pretty boxes isn’t something you’re particularly keen on, Turn 10 had the bright idea of including a quick upgrade option so the machine can sort out any technical issues.
A challenge for the gray card
Like other games in the franchise Forza Motorsport rewards risk-taking. Three levels of difficulty are offered (club, sport, expert). The principle is simple: the more the player accepts challenges, the more credits he earns. As usual, the pilot is also asked to choose the difficulty level of the Drivatars (Forza’s AI designed to simulate human behavior). The same applies here: the more he increases their intelligence, the more he will be rewarded. Oddly enough, the credit bonus between Sport and Expert modes is almost negligible. For a challenge that is significantly more difficult due to the elimination of the rewind, the software only grants 4% more credits. The little help from the developers comes from the fact that the XP is constantly saved, even if we leave an unfinished race. Thanks, we’ll take it!
In single player and multiplayer modes Turn 10 hunts aggressive behavior. Penalties apply regardless of difficulty level, although they are more pronounced in expert mode. After several hours of play, we couldn’t find any major problems with the error assessment. The referee is quite tolerant: he only deducts a few hundredths/seconds if he thinks that the player took advantage of a collision with an opponent to stay on the track or if he went off the slope, to gain time.
The artificial intelligence is of good quality but very aggressive and manages to avoid the good old single file. She knows how to attack, maybe a little too much, and is not immune to making mistakes that could get her into trouble. The difficulty levels are so numerous that you can constantly be challenged even on your own. Although it is officially aimed at everyone, the software applies constant pressure, be it through the opponents during the meetings, the segment notes or over the time zones during the tests, which underlines the game’s design based on skill progression.
Numerous options are available in both free play and private multiplayer to ensure encounters meet participants’ needs.. Circuit racing, timed racing, multi-class racing, choice of track, weather conditions, number of laps and even time scale, allowing a speed at which time passes completely arcade style (up to x12) or 100% simulation (real speed, with 24 hours). day-night cycle)…everything is there to meet expectations. It should be noted that split-screen play is not currently available in custom games.
Leather interior, beige color
Turn 10 is celebrating the release of its first game on Xbox Series X|S by decorating its production with pretty graphics. With a less flashy rendering that Polyphony Digital is eyeing with its Gran Turismo 7, This new FM flatters the retina thanks to beautiful modeling, detailed textures and reflections that are as numerous as they are precise. At night, the streetlights create volumetric light that projects both reflections and shadows into the cockpit, creating an impressive look on screen. Of course, visually the damage is still very minor, but at least it is there. The pilot’s animations, whether in the interior view or in cutscenes, are much more realistic than FM7’s. Don’t be fooled by the screenshots, which don’t do it justice. In motion, this episode is the best in Simcade. If we wanted to argue, we would say that the shadows, which sometimes appear a little too late, spoil the visual enjoyment a little.
Gamers who like choice will be pleased with three graphics modes in the video options. The first, performance, ensures very clean 4K/60fps. The second, Performance RT, delivers 60 fps with ray tracing at the expense of variable resolution. The last point is “Graphics”, which ensures a constant 4K resolution with ray tracing, but at 30 frames per second. We spent many hours switching between the first two modes. While Performance RT adds precision, it doesn’t prevent visual artifacts from appearing on the wet track as the wipers sweep across the windshield, which is a shame. It is also not possible to change the graphics mode on the fly during gameplay.
Like other recently released software, Forza Motorsport switches between 30 fps (menus, cutscenes) and 60 fps (in-game). The repetitions are necessarily in 4K/30fps. We wouldn’t have minded being able to choose the scroll speed to see our best performances. The biggest flaw lies in the rolling starts, as the game runs at 30 frames per second during the countdown before suddenly switching to 60 frames per second when the player takes control. We can’t wait for a patch to fix this issue.
Its advantageous technique and its à la carte challenge should not make us forget one essential point: If indeed everyone can have fun with the title published by Microsoft, Forza Motorsport is intended for car lovers. Those who like to spend time in the garage and on the track to win a few hundredths. The software is not overloaded with frills, both in terms of its overall presentation and content. Don’t expect a beautiful world map like that of Gran Turismo 7 or discover any extraordinary activities. FM goes “straight to the point,” as our Anglo-Saxon friends say. He strives for the essential, perhaps even a little too much. In a way, this work cultivates its difference from its little cousin Foufou Horizon, so there are definitely two distinct identities.
By focusing on driving pleasure, Turn 10 has almost forgotten the benefits of tourism. The 20 routes available at launch (which benefit from variations) are very classic. With the exception of Maple Valley and Hakone Circuit, the autodromes follow each other and are similar, although various smoke bombs and helicopters try to break up the encounters. In the past, developers have regularly tried to break the routine by incorporating extraordinary routes with the Fujimi Kaido, the Bernese Alps or even the circuits of Prague, Rio de Janeiro and Dubai. Here the studio plays it safe and foregoes the urban tracks. However, we know that FM is regularly updated with additional content, be it related to vehicles or tracks. We hope for good surprises in the future.
If we add to this the frequent loading, the summary menus, the less than captivating musical compositions and the lack of music during races, this makes Forza Motorsport a definitely austere title. If you want to nod your head while playing the best times, you’ll need to open Spotify or Deezer or insert a CD into the console. Luckily, the sound design is excellent. Clear, powerful, varied and detailed, the sound effects are a real feast for the ears.
Show good behavior together
Online, after completing the first three introductory events, the player has access to several series (Pototype, Touring, GT, etc.). The races completed change two indicators linked to the player’s profile: the skill score, which assesses his efficiency behind the wheel, and his safety score, which indicates whether he is a gentleman on the road who respects the rules.. At special events, drivers get access to pre-tuned vehicles, and at open events, drivers can use their own vehicle. The accessible championships take place at regular intervals and have a deadline designed to encourage riders to return frequently. As mentioned, private sessions are also available to invite friends to participate in house competitions.
The structure of the online game is slightly different from the single player experience. While the tests are always used to get used to the tracks, this time there are real qualifications that will decide the drivers’ places on the grid. Before the start of a race, the player has some time to change the coating of their tires and the amount of fuel. As for the penalties, they are always taken into account: they take away time in the event of proven fault and also increase the security value, which can lead to a total disqualification.
During our online games, our friends from the world press played along and the participants tried to avoid contact. But as everyone knows, we have to wait for the arrival of players to know if the online games are not spoiled by fools in need of crumpled metal. In the event of a collision, a simple press on the control pad is enough to send a short apology message. An admitted mistake is half forgiven, right? Thanks to the replay, it is theoretically possible to observe the top player’s trajectory to get inspiration from his driving, but a bug prevented us from checking all of this. In addition, the tuning data of competition vehicles is not accessible.
During our testing, the servers showed no signs of fatigue, although some cars showed unnatural movements, sometimes teleporting a meter or two. As usual, the quality of online gaming depends on your connection and that of your competitors. As a purely community aspect, the Turn 10 title has a full photo mode, enough to create and share your liveries as well as your settings for the cars you have acquired. Usual for a Forza. As a little extra, we like that the autopilot is activated when the player pauses online. This makes it possible to resolve an urgent situation in real life without necessarily having to end up in the embankment or leave the event. Please note: If the game is actually 100% disconnected from the internet, the latter is limited to the free racing mode. In other words, if you want to progress in the single player campaign, you need to be connected.
Diploma
Strong points
- Driving experience, very good
- A lot of settings and tools for every taste
- Day-night cycle and dynamic weather (with different impacts) on all slopes
- 500 vehicles that need to be improved down to the smallest detail
- Beautiful and smooth, with ray tracing even at 60 frames per second
- Exceptional sound effects and sound system
- AI that takes over multiple people during a break (autonomous mode)
- Successful online multiplayer and 100% customizable
- A photo mode, a paint editor, visible damage…
Weak points
- The campaign process is too old-fashioned… and requires connections!
- Rigor in general presentation (menus, regular loading, lack of playing music, etc.)
- Only 20 routes, with significant cancellations (city routes)
- Upgrading parts unlocked with XP is unnecessarily restrictive
- No split-screen multiplayer
With this edition of Forza Motorsport 2023, Turn 10 resets the counters and delivers a car racing game with a titanium chassis that can support the license for several years. It’s beautiful, fluid, offers a very good “Simcade” driving experience and offers the right modes with the necessary parameters to satisfy almost everyone. Both extremely permissive (in its challenge) and restrictive (in what upgrades can be unlocked), this reboot is a quest of sorts. Thanks to its numerous options, it is aimed at a very wide audience, but is still dedicated to fans of pretty cars who are able to go beyond its definitely austere appearance (and the absence of urban circuits) and be captivated by the joys of this car let motorized competition, both alone and online. Well done.
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