My honest, unbiased review. I wanted FM to be good

[zzjorzz]

Absolutely soulless and corporate game.

Clearly not made by car lovers, race lovers, motorsport lovers anymore but by a team that only had
one thing in mind, profit.

The presentation and layout look corporate, lackluster and boring.

The cars look ok, the tracks look ok but last gen at best. Even on a 7800X3d and 4080.

The game is boring, the “career” is a small bundle of incoherent events, like not even a tenth of the events is previous Forza games.
Once a month a small update in the career lets you drive a little event to earn a car, but it is split in 4, and you can only play one a week. Thats 4 10 minute races per week.

There is no progression in the career mode other then some events that are locked behind the previous events. Even worse, for a game called Motorsport, (almost) no series/events feature racecars.

It is, buy a boring car, drive it in a 5 stage event and upgrade the boring car into a slightly less boring car.
Do that like 20 times and the career is done. Leaving you with hundreths of cars you have not driven yet.

The AI is horrible, it thinks it is in a bumpercar simulation. And dont think, I can make a nice motorsport photo of my race, because the AI uses drivatars with ridiculously ugly rims updates, body kits and whatever else at their disposal to ruin a good looking (classic) car. So you think, I’ll drive my pristine classic Porsche against some nice old Ferrari’s? Think again, the in real life 20 milion dollar Ferrari is driven by a drivatar that put on 22 inch golden Asanti rims…

The multiplayer is not much better either. Good luck trying to find a race without wreckers everywhere. The safety rating is a joke.

Then the automated penalty system, dont make me start, suffice to say when you keep a very wide line in a corner to give the AI or noobs space, and they divebomb you off the track, do not be surprised to get a timepenalty.

And there is simply nothing to do, no different game modes, photomodes or whatever else makes other driving games and sims good and fun.

Is there nothing good to say about FM?

Well, the cars handle ok, the tyremodel is improved and so are the physics. It is still very “forza”
but the car behaviour on curbs and the weight transer are better then before.

That all being said, there a way,way,way better driving games and race sims on PC then FM, en 99% of them are a lot cheaper too.

Oh, and build by the ground up? That is just a lie. For example, the track scan and version of Spa Francorchamps is at least 4 years old, many carmodels are re-used and even bugs and quirks have been inherited from previous Forza Motorsport games.

[Lens007888]

@zzjorzz

The presentation and layout look corporate, lackluster and boring.

It is a very bland experience with the dull lifeless grey background and the non ability of being able to simply rotate your vehicle whilst upgrading

@zzjorzz

The game is boring, the “career” is a small bundle of incoherent events, like not even a tenth of the events is previous Forza games.

I think this might be the single largest point that makes it a Absolutely soulless and corporate game.

@zzjorzz

Once a month a small update in the career lets you drive a little event to earn a car, but it is split in 4, and you can only play one a week. Thats 4 10 minute races per week.

Really pathetic stuff ain’t it, makes me think corporate game again

@zzjorzz

The AI is horrible, it thinks it is in a bumpercar simulation.

It really is like bumper cars, you go for the overtake when there’s plenty of room and the A.I just keep moving over until they bump into you then fall right back causing the A.I behind to wreck out. The only time that they are aware of you is when you’re completely passed them and then they freak out and slam on the brakes like some drivers do IRL that were not paying attention

@zzjorzz

Then the automated penalty system

There’s good and bad, the good is that’s it’s different to all the previous titles and makes you think is it worth bumping your way through the >redacted< A.I

The bad is that it’s not refined enough to figure out who was at fault and dish out accordingly after almost 8 months

@zzjorzz

suffice to say when you keep a very wide line in a corner to give the AI or noobs space, and they divebomb you off the track

The dive-bombing that came in Update 8 I actually really enjoy for two reasons, first the A.I is actually challenging for the position and secondly that most of the times it does it overshoots it’s braking marker and either rams the other A.I in front or goes so deep it drops off the track. Before update 8 it was completely soulless. Now if only T10 could code them so they challenge for position when behind you and pull away from you so there’s actually something to fight with to the flag.

@zzjorzz

And there is simply nothing to do, no different game modes, photomodes or whatever else makes other driving games and sims good and fun

Yep it’s pretty bland and the removal of the Auction House that was a game into itself was a weak move

@zzjorzz

Well, the cars handle ok, the tyremodel is improved and so are the physics. It is still very “forza”
but the car behaviour on curbs and the weight transer are better then before.

One of only two positives I can say about the game, the other being the use of light from the Sun and the changes it makes, some races around the Nord are great with the way every laps feels different, dropping down into a valley from bright sunshine to a shadowy cold few sections then back into the light, or when there’s a hole in the clouds and those god rays are shining down illuminating a section of the track ahead.

@zzjorzz

Oh, and build by the ground up?

I think that was so they could get away with such a pathetic lineup of tracks at launch

@zzjorzz

many carmodels are re-used

Yeah and the worst part is they feel lifeless with the physics and tyre model in this 8th installment, you can tell right away that they were copied over as they feel flatter to drive than the new models and the interior is horrid.

[Operator1]

Nobody can rightfully deny the game’s many shortcomings or the misleading claims that were made about it.
However, lots of people still try to attack & dismiss valid feedback.
So, be prepared to get labeled as a “ToXiC hAtEr” or as an “eNtItLeD CoMpLaInEr” for not being “CoNsTrUcTiVe” enough with your feedback.
…As if there was any eloquent way to craft messages about low quality that would compel timely & meaningful improvements from game companies.

[Lens007888]

There was one positive in the post so only 99% that other thing

[Operator1]

@Lens007888

There was one positive in the post so only 99% that other thing

1% step forward + 99% steps backwards = “tHe MoSt TeChNiCaLLy AdVaNcEd RaCiNg GaMe EvEr MaDe”

[Lens007888]

@zzjorzz

Thats 4 10 minute races per week.

Timed it today with the second of four monthly rounds and it took me exactly 32 minutes to complete and that’s with upgrading, tuning and loading.
If only there was a tab to be able to set the length of each race like the previous title did, then it might actually take some time and planning on pit stops with tyre compounds & fuel loads, and just think, players might even spend more time playing it which would work out for your corporate analytics

So only 10,048 minutes until I can race the next round, woohoo

Why T10 decided not to let the player be able to create their own championship with the selection of tracks and how long the races are, then the player could enjoy more than the boring one round freeplay because it’s all about placements and points over multiple rounds, not just one T10

[RealStrNinja]

You probably gonna hate me for saying this and
You might not agree with me on this, but I’ve been playing racing games since the days of Need for Speed and Burnout, always using a controller. I took a break from racing games for a few years until a friend gifted me a 24k wheel for Christmas.

I now play both Assetto Corsa Competizione and Forza Motorsport 8, and honestly, I enjoy both immensely. Interestingly, Forza has honed my driving skills even further. The game demands heightened awareness of your surroundings, especially in multiplayer, which, as you mentioned, can be quite chaotic. Honestly you’re right for the most part because I do not play the career mode and the anything that has AI. Raced them a few times and ´they are scared to over’ kind of made me feel like they want to let you win. I only do MP and since the update 8.0. I don’t encounter bad drivers anymore no more mega dive bombs.

[RealStrNinja]

@Lens007888

might actually take some time and planning on pit stops with tyre compounds & fuel loads, and just think,

This is what I want to see more in the game no cap !
I do not care how they do it but it needs more strategy in MP. Mandatory pit stop depending of the track or use two type of compound in this race.
Because right now if you know the track, you know the tire compound you need to make the distance.

[Lens007888]

I’m half sure the game could make it there one day

[AdmPatate]

In what way “upgrade the boring car into a slightly less boring car” (which from context I assume means production cars are boring and only race cars are worth racing) is unbiased? Like the meme says, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man. I personally have zero issues with the presentation of career mode. I’m here to drive cars, and this is what career does. I don’t think it’s inherently a problem.

The objective criticism is that the career covers only a fraction of the cars you can buy, and not even across all divisions. That means career feels short and incomplete. And it’s made worse by the fact the added featured tours, that would solve this problem over time, are disappeared every month, penalising players who buy the game later, or stop to play for a little while.

The bit about bodykits and rims on classic cars is also a matter of opinion. The objective criticism is that the AI has access to upgrades even if you can’t possibly afford them with the CP system. This is less of a problem now since you can buy your way around that, but by design that means you’re supposed to start a career series with a stock car (which in some cases have truly horrid handling) while your opponents can already play with aero and race tyres. That makes the first races artificially a lot harder, and more importantly a lot less enjoyable.

[zzjorzz]

Not going to hate you at all, I am glad you enjoy the game.

I started in FM 1 myself, before that Grand Prix 3, and after that almost all sim racing titles I at least tryd. For me, Assetto Corsa, Automobilista 1 and 2 and ACC are my goto sims.

[zzjorzz]

It has the potential, but does it has the developers and publisher for it? I doubt it. There is no love in this game and you can really feel that as a player.

[zzjorzz]

It is very unbiased as it is my own opinion, not influenced by any other opinions or motives.

And yes, in a MOTORSPORT game I want to drive race cars, not cars I find boring even IRL.

And yes, the career makes you drive cars…a very small selection of cars. With very little choise. No racecars, no supercars, mostly just slow cars you make faster by upgrading them.

And no, I don’t like that at all. I like, like most Europeans do, to experience how cars drive when stock and with stock opposition so to experience the strenth and weaknesses of the models and brands.

Racecars have BoP to make them good to race against eachother, but every car has its own character. When you follow the same upgrade path every time, every car eventually feels the same, hench, boring!

[luckeydoug1]

@zzjorzz I agree with 99.9 % of what you stated. I do not find the physics to be improved. I prefer the physics in earlier FMS games. The rest of your post: 100% spot on!

This version is a complete disaster, and a total let down.