As a longtime FORZA fan (FM2) and a discerning car enthusiast, the past releases and announcements for FORZA games every now and then have usually made me super excited since they are known to graphically showcase the Xbox’s capability while being a car enthusiast’s racing game with the most variety of photorealistic cars.
However, this is the first time in my life that I have buyer’s remorse for pre-ordering the latest FORZA Motorsport. While these serious visual and audio issues I find are extremely hard to ignore, let me state the great things about the new title:
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The dynamic weather and time of day along with the photorealistic skies are amazing to watch while you race. I have lost my focus at times during races just to appreciate the skies!
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The tracks and environment are much more sharper and detailed than previous Motorsport games and I appreciate that very much! They are simply much more fleshed out in my opinion.
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The physics is amazing with a lot more detail in driving. It makes you want to keep racing on and on due to how the cars feel in this game!
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The clean and fast user interface makes it super easy for anyone to get around. No more clunky menus in FORZA.
The team has done a terrific job on the physics and handling system, the photorealistic tracks and the new dynamic weather and time of day ! They add so much more dimension and life to racing.
My biggest complaint is that I find the cars in this game to be very unappealing. For a licensed racing game that prides on graphical prowess and photorealism, this just feels like a big downgrade. The disparity between FORZA and Gran Turismo has only grown bigger and it is clearly evident more than ever.
FORZA’s own Horizon series, despite offering a much different experience, is the biggest competition for the new Motorsport in terms of the visual fidelity of cars in the game (along with Gran Turismo and The Crew Motorfest):
1. All cars have this plastic/powder coated die cast look to them and at times the cars are overly reflective and look like tin cans. On top of that, the cars are just not sharp and refined and also lack any contrast. Take a look at any car’s windshields, window frames, rear diffusers and glowing white 2D radiators in FM, absolutely terrible to say the least that is only further ruined by toy-car look.
Glass surfaces look like plexiglass due to their color and with zero reflection and glare. Window frames for the windshields and side windows are grey and lifeless as opposed to being fully black as IRL. Inaccurately attached/floating rear view mirror in many cars (examples include the LFA).
Radiators/Intercoolers are so bright and flat with 2D squiggly lines that you can see them glowing behind the front grille at all times. Terribly large window defogging element lines on rear windows. They are not large, blocky or noticeable from far IRL. Many cars are ruined by these horribly large window defoggers as if they weren’t already terrible- looking. Poor geometry evident on any roll cage and its clamps. Also, the head and tail lamps’ lighting for is extremely dim & inaccurate on almost every single car. They lack the depth, brightness, accuracy, glow, reflections, sharpness and color - too yellowy even for LED lightings. A good example of this glaring problem would be the tailights on the 2018 Mustang GT and the GT350 - nowhere near the color, brightness and accuracy of IRL examples - too dim, inaccurate, blurry and yellow
**On top of those, the cars just lack the fidelity and sharpness in its car models - body lines and edges, blurry interior design and textures and more. Every car is the game is noisy, blurry and dull. There is no clear separation between the vehicles and the environment.
The solar lighting also needs to be improved as there is no proper solar reflection, glint and glare like GT7, FH5 and IRL counterparts
The cars somehow ended up looking worse than FH5 and FM7 and even those clearly have their troubles with their car model accuracy and fidelity when compared to GT7 and now The Crew Motorfest!**
They just look really off compared to FH5, GT7 and the Crew Motorfest - glass windows look like plastic, aluminum wheels look like dirty chrome or powder coated 2D white wheels and the vehicle paint lacks clarity, depth and dimension no matter what the paint type is, resulting in a flat cartoony look. All cars also have this orange peel effect on their paint. And why are the radiators so bright and terrible-looking with 2D squiggly lines on cars with no radiator covers (examples include the Huracan STO & Mazda Miata). All vehicles are just bland, lifeless and inaccurate in models, colours, textures and reflection.
Seriously strange and inexcusable given this is an NEXT-GEN only game and simply does not match the capability of the Xbox Series consoles and PC (See FORZA Horizon 5, GT7 and TC Motorfest). What is even crazier is the fact that despite having less processing power than the Series X, almost every car look impeccable in GT7!
- The second trouble with this game - synthetic fake engine sounds that feel like they were generated by a computer using AI.
I do not understand why the cars sound so lifeless just like they look in this game! All cars sound super droney, synthetic, flat and unoriginal.
If I’m driving on a racetrack in a competitive setting, I need to know what the car is actively doing. Part of that is the sound it makes. Accurate engine sounds are what differentiates vehicles and their characteristics.
Lamborghini Huracan STO does not have the iconic V10 signature like in FH5 and they are louder than the standard Huracan. Sounds like an echo chamber infused terrible audio recording of a Lamborghini V10
**Almost all V8 and V12 cars including the 2015 Camaro SS sound like vacuum cleaner and lack the growl and grunt of an actual V8, the sharpness and pitch of a V12 whether naturally aspirated or turbocharged when revving or driving. The different configurations of 6 cylinders whether V6 or flat-six, are also a serious muffled mess. **
The brands that come to the top of my mind for blatantly incorrect car sounds - Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Chevrolet, Toyota, BMW and Mazda! And without a doubt, there are many more.
Almost all cars including the BMW M4 Competition’ 21 sound like a lawn mover. The car sounds seriously lack the sharpness, growl and note of IRL engine sounds. This becomes immediately evident when revving up your engine while stationary. Again, flat and synthetic sounding. This is the one area where I believe FORZA have had better setup than GT instead of imitating and failing at it in the new FM. (Watch the intro scene of Top Gear’s Lamborghini Countach LP800I review, that sound was directly taken from FORZA!)
No transmission sounds at all, no turbo spooling and whistling, no induction noise, no supercharger whines, no bass or depth, no movement of exhaust tips like they used to and should - and no actual car sounds that match their real life counterparts!! (just port them over from FH5 and FM7 at the least please). V12s, V8s V6s or rotary engines - they all sound the same - a droney, muffled and echoic mess.
It is so bad that when you go back to FH5 and drive the 718 GT4 RS with its loud flat-six and transmission sounds or a Lamborghini Huracan STO, a Nissan 350Z, an SVJ or a Shelby GT350, you really admire and appreciate your cars and their sounds in FH5. (American V8 cars like Dodge Hellcats, Mustang GTs and all versions of modern Camaros in game still sound very muffled and neutered in FH5).
- No Hazard Lighting, High Beams and Manufacturer License Plates. Extremely Dim & Inaccurate Head and Tail Lamp Lighting for almost every single car. They lack the IRL accuracy, glow, sharpness and color - the luminance is too dim and yellow for any LED lighting. Have a look at any modern Mustang taillight to notice this problem.
(In terms of car models and their exterior lighting, GT7 nailed it! - The Crew Motorfest also is exceptional as well for some of their car models)
- **The paint and upgrade bay is absolutely useless - no gloss paints, no metallic paints - no depth and clarity to view paints, terrible colors and choice of lighting. All manufacturer paints are also inaccurate in color and texture. **
It looks like the cars were painted in a dirty environment with the amount of orange peel textures and bumps in their paint !!
Again, cars just feel lifeless in these menus. There is no joy when using these menus and upgrading your car. Feels like a tedious process. No way to examine your cars, wheels, upgrades, liveries and paints in detail. The car models look terrible on ForzaVista as well, especially noticeable in the interiors. All I see is “Paint spectrophotometer built from the ground up” BS.
Look at Gran Turismo 7’s upgrade menu and paint booth. So much more enjoyable to use and the third thing I was looking forward to in the new FM. Even with FH5, you were at least able to see the car in good lighting, examine the upgrades and rev your engines.
- Almost all car interiors are poorly and/or incorrectly rendered with glossy A-Pillars, sun visors and missing headliners in cockpit view. Also strange - the way the car gauges are always lit and not reminiscent of the time of day while, you guessed it, being an illegible and blurry mess compared to FH5, GT7 and the Crew Motorfest. Lacks depth, detail and sharpness!
I am seriously disappointed to say the least and I cannot state my frustrations more than this. I can only hope for the game to get better if the people who made this game actually know and care about their cars and are proud of their work.
More than 6 years in the making! “Built from the ground up” disappointment!
Personally, I really care about the cars and their accuracy WAY more than anything in a LICENSED racing game. This is where everybody come to experience, explore, drive and collect cars while racing.
At least I am glad I still have not uninstalled FORZA Horizon 5. I did not expect the all new FM to be such a disappointment visually.
Have a look at the Lexus LFA and Mercedes 190E in the latest GT7 update !! The LFA even sounds better!
Do you find yourselves in awe of your car in the new FM as you would IRL, in FORZA Horizon 5 and in Gran Turismo?? No! Clearly the delay wasn’t enough for this unfortunate mess.
(*The car models and their exterior lighting is so realistic in GT7. The weather system (except for rain, rain droplet animation and heavy rain) is better in FORZA and the driving physics is more engaging as well.)
For added reference, you can also examine some of the car models in the Crew Motorfest. Despite being a super arcade racing game, the visual fidelity of their car interiors and exteriors is breathtaking for an arcade racer.
This is the sentiment we have for the Motorsport and you can finally understand why long time fans are frustrated! This game can look really good and highly photorealistic if the cars were respected enough. The FORZA community are not only gamers but also include many true car enthusiasts who can tell when a game is off especially compared to the current industry standards in car modelling, rendering and sound design. People who have been playing your games and have been supporting the community. People who paid and have been paying full price for your AAA licensed racing game!
When the cars don’t look and sound like their realistic counterparts in a licensed racing game, there is no passion or excitement to drive, explore, collect and observe their details in it! Respect the cars that make your game please.
Sadly, I’m not going to be playing this one until the car modeling, visuals and their sounds are reviewed and corrrected. First time ever I feel ripped off by a FORZA game after spending more than $100 dollars on this title. The car models, visual and sound issues have always existed but have never been this low, especially when compared even to FH5 and FM’s own teasers and trailers!! Definitely not worth the $100 plus dollars with the aforementioned problems topped off with plaguing car models (Skylines, Silvias, Hondas, Toyotas, VW R32, Ferrari F40, 458 Italia, Carrera GT and many more older German and Japanese cars from X360 and before)
These serious negligences and problems related to car graphics in a AAA licensed racing game by FORZA, that is meant to showcase the best of Xbox Series consoles being the first Series exclusive, are a HUGE dealbreaker for me! It really does upset and shock me being a fan of FORZA since childhood !!
I am confident this is not due to the limitations of the Xbox Series nor the Forzatech engine given this is supposed to be “next-gen only and built from the ground up”. Where’s your visual style, attention to detail, accuracy and passion FORZA? Watch your own teasers and announcement trailers and read the latest comments. No point of native 4K and Dolby Atmos/ Windows Sonic support when the car models and their visuals and audio cannot be held to scrutiny!
Sadly, I have to keep my hopes up being a FORZA fan. My inner child’s excitement for FORZA continues and my hopes are now higher for the next Horizon title.
I hope one day the devs actually care about their game - and want to offer the best looking and driving game for Xbox similar to GT7 on PS5 and have their vehicles and their representation at least match if not exceed the quality that GT7 has - their serious, attention to detail for their car models, their paint, textures,’ exterior lighting (brightness & their accuracy,) interior lighting and materials and the sounds.
If this is the Motorsport game that’s going to be build upon, I sincerely hope you gain some essential insight from this post!
With Update 2.0, this boiling pot of a mess has clearly not improved visually and sonically.
https://forums.forza.net/t/fixed-car-models/567741?u=dayknightv8
