Written by: Ian

 

 

 

Forza has, for me, been the definitive motor simulation. With new tracks, the Top Gear license, and Autovista, is this the best in the series yet? The game also features some fairly controversial Kinect controls- but do these affect the hardcore experience that many fans crave?

 

 

The World Tour mode returns, and with some notable improvements- the calendar is shorter, but with more seasons, and more of an introduction to each event. There is more steady progress, and less forced changing of your cars (unless you want to), but ultimately the mode is still rather soulless and devoid of any sense of being like a real racing championship even when you reach the GT class cars.

 

 

I’m not going to bore you with the gameplay of how Forza 4 plays. You know it already by now. There are improvements to be found though, in braking and steering, now modelled more accurately than before. Big engine cars are a little bit more squirrely under braking (but not so much as in GT5 still, which I found to be way too much), and you can now activate ‘simulation’ steering, which adds a little more difficulty, and requires some more finesse, especially if drifting or if some of the other driving aids have been turned off.

 

 

Forza 4 also includes a good amount more content. First up is Autovista mode, which gives you 25 cars to play around with, opening the hood, looking at the controls, and hearing insightful commentary about the history and design process behind the vehicles. Unfortunately, most require a challenge to be passed before you can actually see the car, and compared to the 500 cars on disc, 25 feels a little short. There are also new tracks- Indianapolis and Top Gear, and new modes, including car bowling and a cone mode. Whilst these might sound a little arcade, they are actually helpful tools to aid you in improving your driving skills. The Top Gear integration is also far superior to GT5, featuring the current reasonably priced car, and also plenty of commentary from Jeremy Clarkson, from the introduction into Autovista.

 

Next up is the Kinect integration. Actually controlling your car with Kinect is, as you may imagine, fun for about 5 minutes, as the game will accelerate and brake for you. However, you can also use Autovista with Kinect (decent), and even if you use a controller, enable head tracking to look around the cockpit. Unfortunately it’s left and right only, but this is still a really useful addition. It’s not perfect, as I found the game lost me a fair few times, but a good way to integrate Kinect in a totally optional way. If you have one, I’d recommend it; if you don’t, it’s not good enough to warrant getting one for.

 

 

Forza, as ever, has a mind-boggling array of cars and events to participate in- over 500 cars and a ten year career full of races that will take easily 50 + hours to go through. But, progression is easier than before, thanks to an improved levelling system, that increases the cap to 100, but now sees you earn experience for marques, rather than cars, in addition to personal XP. Affinity will unlock new pictures and badges, but also see you get awarded big credits if you stay loyal, and eventually all your parts for free when upgrading, which makes a big difference. It’s a nice touch that encourages people to play more with their favourite car manufacturer.