I will say I have waited for this game for 2 years, as I will be waiting 2 years for FM8 to come out since they release a game every 2 years. Yes you can actually look up the series release dates and see FM comes out every 2 years and is now staggered with FH for T10 to come out with a game every year now. And while this game has thrown a widely huge, and I mean HUGE marketing pitch at saying Forza 7 has 700 cars, my response? That’s it?
Now before people start bashing me, I have been playing games for 25+ years. I have played a lot of racing games, but my main focus was simulation for awhile. So lets take a history lesson real quick.
Gran Turismo back in the day was one of the best we had. That came out in 1997/98. It wasn’t until 1999 when Gran Turismo came out that thing really got interesting. But how can a game, 18 years ago, on the ORIGINAL Playstation, rival a game that came out but days ago? Well lets look. Gran Turismo 2 came out with 27 tracks. Well that isn’t so bad right? Well the game also came with a staggering 650 cars. Wait…WHAT? That’s right. 1999 a game, a racing simulator, had 650 cars. Gran Turismo 3 : A Spec changed in a way, coming out in 2001 and only had 181 cars, but raised to 34 tracks. This was the first one on the new Playstation 2 game. Although it had a lack of cars, it had a high replayability. Then came Gran Turismo 4. This was release in 2004/2005. Why is Gran Turismo 4 so important you may ask? Because the original Forza Motorsports came out in 2005. It was the game that was suppose to rival Gran Turismo.
When Forza initially came out, the graphics and game play quickly won t Gran the hearts of Xbox players around the world since Xbox finally had it’s own simulation racer. Although Forza didn’t have as many cars as Gran Turismo 4 did, it hat the graphics and performance to outshine it. With that being said, Gran Turismo has 51 tracks, and 722 games. Really Turn 10? You are JUST now breaking the 700 car mark and heres not 1, but 2 games, running on older generation systems, that have just as many cars as you do now in 2017? Really?
Here is where Forza really took over. Forza dropped after Gran Turismo 4 in 2005. Forza then release Forza 2 in 2007, and Forza 3 in 2009. While this was going on, Forza had really taken off to the races with its graphics, physics, and plain beauty over Gran Turismo 4. And with Forza 3, then Forza 4 being 2 of easily the best Forza’s that came out, here is where Forza’s downfall begin. Forza 4 came out in, you guessed it, 2011. Gran Turismo 5 came out in 2010, after taking 5 years to be built, the same amount of time that the original Gran Turismo game took. Why is this of significance? Gran Turismo 5, in 2010, has a total of 1086 cars. 7 years ago Turn 10. That is a slap to the face that stings us all. What makes the sting worse you say? It had 73 tracks, including a track editor…
Now, Forza is playing catch up. Notice how they started leaning towards these off road type vehicles? Notice how Turn 10 had to come out with Forza Horizon in 2012? The real reason is split into 2 reasons actually. And this is where T10 really messed up, and I hope they actually read this and realize their mistake. Anyone who has played a Gran Turismo in recent years know they have had trucks and off road vehicles for awhile. But they have also had off road tracks. (Remember Pikes Peak Down/Up hill anyone?) and while T10 decided to follow suit, the Need For Speed franchise kept to it’s open world roots, but only offered street type racing. So to charge after both, they offered more off road type vehicles, then created their own open world sandbox.
T10 hasn’t been able to figure out it’s indifferences since Forza Motorsport 4, honestly. And with this installment, it is clear that they can not figure out their priorities. Let me explain this further. We got a few new tracks, which is including tracks from the past. We also got what, around 730 cars/trucks/suv’s with over 100 of them being locked. That’s awesome, the most in the Forza Franchise. HOORAY. But wait…What’s this game in 2013? On the Playstation 3 none the less. why it is Gran Turismo 6! This game in its life time had 1,226 cars, 100 tracks, including a track editor. This means it had road racing, offroad racing, drags, drifting, circuits, NASCAR, and so on. This game came out 4 years ago. And here, in 2017, we are only getting 700 cars?
This is the nail in the coffin. T10 does not listen to it’s consumers one bit. We asked for off road racing, we got Forza Horizon. We asked for Fujimi Kaido, and we got Dubai Mountain Circuit. We asked for more cars and they deliberately laughed in our face. While so many people rejoice that we have over 700 cars, that is still 500 less than a game that came out 4 years ago. And with Gran Turismo Sport coming up, they are probably laughing at Forza numbers and all they have to do is say “Come race on the largest racing simulator over 1300+ cars” And you know what? People will drop Forza faster than anything. Why? The Community.
I am tired of looking at these car wish lists, locked cars, people having a limited variety of drifters, or drag racers. I mean honestly.
For us drifters, we love the iconic drifters. Our Silvias, Our Skylines and RX-7’s. Why do we have a few choices when there is a game, out right now that has over 20 RX-7 models, 10+ Fairlady Z’s, 15+ Silvia’s, and over 40…FORTY Nissan Skylines? I mean why, T10, have you avoid every single customers request and chased a fairy tail so bad, that you’re now on the losing side of the race. Ypu are now entering a freakin Yugo vs a F1 car now, and now you’re racing to scramble to get things fixed now.
Seriously, I loved your games for a reason. But this insanity, this pure lack of interest in customers has got to stop. Unless you literally have double or more cars than what you have right now, you will lose your franchise. Reviews are out, streamers are streaming, youtube videos are being made. And as this muliplayer hopper stuff is being delayed, they hype to see what Gran Turismo is going to be like is building up. It doesn’t need dynamic weather. It doesn’t need an open world sandbox. Do you know why? It has off road tracks, it has a track editor, it has availability, scalibility, and lovability. It doesn’t need the excuses, the disappointment. It could release right now, with the same exact cars than the previous version. And guess what? It will have 500 more cars than you do. AND THATS WITHOUT TOYOTA.
I have defended this game, and will continue to defend it. But I know for a fact, that if T10 doesn’t get their act up, Forza 7 will be a place mat that Gran Turismo will walk all over and people will switch to Sony Over Microsoft.