After over six years, it’s finally here.
With so much time spent in the garage, though, expectations are understandably high.
Let’s shift gears and go into more detail.
Stability leaves some to be desired, but I never had any performance issues when I was actually in a race.
Here’s my full review of Forza Motorsport (2023).
Disclaimer:This review was made possible by a review code provided by Xbox Game Studios.
The company did not see the contents of the review before publishing.
There’s not really anything else to report on this front.
Unfortunately, stability isn’t quite as clean cut.
I also had multiple instances where I was forced to restart.
This… simply never happened.
I had to restart to get that to appear.
I also had various issues with other elements failing to update until after restarts.
I can confirm that last issue still occurred after the day one patch.
Even after the day one patch, I still encountered some of the same issues.
Cinematics were also affected by numerous visual issues, including pop-in and missing textures.
Well, now I know why.
It made the game washed out, but this is an intentional design decision.
You see, Forza Motorsport (2023) actually isgorgeous.
Stability leaves some to be desired, but I never had any performance issues when I was actually in a race.
Those screenshots and reveals?
Those were captured in-game.
Most of them were captured onXbox Series X, too.
I encountered a few visual glitches, mostly related to lighting and reflections.
This is a very, very good-looking game, but it’s deliberate in how it looks.
Forza Motorsport is actually gorgeous, but natural lighting means it doesn’t always look it.
During every other time, though?
Even with direct sunlight, Forza Motorsport can still look great.
Forza Motorsport thrives, proudly displaying just how beautiful Forza can be.
Hand-built tracks, dynamic weather events, and rolling time-of-day all play a hand in this.
Ray tracing is also wonderfully implemented, even during gameplay.
Hakone Circuit at sunset?
My goodness is it pretty.
Forza Motorsport adapts this natural tone deliberately, but whether you love it will be up to you.
Sorry, there’s no new steering wheel animation here. At least the driving is awesome.
Forza Horizon 5 definitely captures your attention more at first glance.
And it is sublime.
The result is the most responsive and detailed driving experience in any Forza game.
Each car feels different, but so does every track, every surface, every weather event.
Driving feels damn good in Forza Motorsport, in every car and on every track.
It’s a lot of technical speak to basically say: driving feelsdamn goodin Forza Motorsport.
Forza Motorsport is getting hit with those same complaints already.
From epic hypercars to affordable classics, Forza Motorsport has it all.
Knowing that more cars will come practically every week is also great.
However, there is one issue… For the most part, cars in Forza Motorsport look great.
They’re detailed, look lovely with the new lighting engine, and feel real and grounded.
Even simple circuits with short-cut grass look gorgeous at sunset.
They don’t lookawful, don’t get me wrong.
It’s worth noting that Turn 10 is working to improve matters here.
Sorry, the steering wheel animation hasn’t changed.
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I don’t know why Forza hasn’t updated this yet.
Fortunately, matters are much more positive when it comes to the tracks.
TheForza Motorsport (2023) track listfeatures around 20 tracks at launch.
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That may not seem like a lot, but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of variety here.
40 hours later, and I still felt like I was encountering fresh track layouts and conditions.
Forza Motorsport shines through its new tracks, and the upgraded audio experience is excellent.
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There’s not a terrible or unattractive track in the bunch.
Forza Motorsport clearly got the same elevated treatment as FH5, because this game sounds excellent on every front.
Let’s start with car progression, where the biggest changes occur.
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Each level, you unlock more upgrade parts and earn Car Points that can be spent on those upgrades.
The new car progression system could be genuinely awesome, but it desperately needs some tweaks.
All of that is great.
A few minutes in the livery editor let me doll up my Challenger, but I was disappointed to find the exact same experience as past Forza games.
What I don’t love… is the rate at which upgrades are unlocked.
20 out of 50.
Major tweaks need to be made here.
Spending time to master a car and level it up could be perfect for Forza Motorsport, but the system needs work.
I’d be perfectly fine with the time it takes to reach Lv.
50 as long as upgrades were unlocked faster and in a more logical manner.
What is even more unforgivable to me, though, is that every car needs to be levelled individually.
Racing at some times of day can be difficult thanks to the glare from the sun.
It’s one of my biggest pet peeves with this game.
If I spend the time to master my favorite cars and get them up to Lv.
50, that should apply toeverycar of that make and model I buy.
Forza Motorsport is all about building your dream cars, and the Builders Cup lets you do exactly that.
Otherwise, why would I ever want to buy multiples of any car?
Having to individually level up every copy of any car you buy is ludicrous and pointless.
Matters aren’t helped by the fact that car customization remains effectively unchanged here versus older Forza games.
Players now have more control over difficulty in single-player races.
Body modifications are also business as usual.
Finally, there’s the career progression… Or lack thereof.
Forza Motorsport has nothing beyond the general desire to keep racing and complete limited-time events.
Forza Race Regulations AI needs tweaking, but for the most part multiplayer is a blast.
Even Driver customization is severely limited.
you’re able to tweak your body throw in and your suit… That’s it.
All of this ties into the more advanced Photo Mode on the Horizon side of things.
When I did Free Play, I usually raced at night with some kind of rain. I love it.
There’s just nothing here, in general.
This isn’t a narrative campaign, but it’s the closest we’ll get in a Motorsport title.
I’m a big fan of this component of Forza Motorsport.
The Dodge Demon is one reward car you can earn from the Builders Cup.
Featured Tours will be released every few weeks with more single-player content.
The Builders Cup is a lot of fun, thanks in part to newly improved AI opponents.
These Drivatars can still behave strangely at points, but for the most part behave a lot like people.
Forza Motorsport invites anyone to sit in the driver’s seat.
That includes making mistakes like missing turns, bustling into each other, or even going off track.
When it comes to difficulty, players now have three ways to control the challenge in single-player races.
No, the driving assists or parameters you use are no longer a part of the game’s difficulty.
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All of this gives you more control over the difficulty, and it all works great.
Your Safety rating is basically your etiquette on track.
Forza Motorsport’s new core gameplay loop translates perfectly to multiplayer.
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There will also be community-wide events, including weekend-long endurance races and more.
The racers I went up against were respectful, with the majority of bumps and pushes being obviously accidental.
However, that 1% where the AI gets it wrong is incredibly frustrating.
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They gained multiple positions and no penalty, while I was tagged with a 2.5 second penalty.
I got away with it, because I made sure I was breaking before and during the collision.
They lost three positions, I gained one, and no penalties occurred.
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This was against both real players and AI opponents.
To be clear, though, it’s absolutely a major upgrade over past entries.
If you love Rivals, you’ll be happy.
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Private Multiplayer is also here to play with your friends without strangers intervening.
Finally, Free Play gives you complete control over single-player races.
Honestly, I can’t praise Turn 10 and Xbox enough for what they’ve accomplished here.
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It’s amazingly in-depth, to the point where it’s almost overwhelming.
Now that it’s finally here, was it worth the wait?
It’s the most accessible and approachable, too, making it easy for anyone to start racing.
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It does need improvements, though.
Because of this, Forza Motorsport isn’t perfect.
The foundation is there, though, and it’s a damn good foundation.
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This is the best Forza Motorsport has ever been, and it’s not particularly close.
The future is looking very good for Forza Motorsport (2023), though.
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Forza Motorsport is an excellent evolution for the franchise, but I hope to see it improve after launch.
