After a few days of playing, I must say this is a good racing game. But probably one of the worst - if the THE worst - Forza titles. Note that I’ve been a faithful player and customer since Forza 1 back in 2005, buying most collectors/ultimate editions over the years (still got a half-rusted FM3 keychain holding my car keys together). My biggest disappointment so far had been FM5, as it paled in comparison with FM4, but I understood it likely had to be rushed as an XBox One launch title, so I didn’t really hold a grudge.
The thing is, on track, it does feel like good’ole Forza, although I don’t feel like much has been added since FM6. The dynamic weather and time transitions are a nice addition , although visuals could use some fine tuning at times (fog acts up weird at times, and am I the only one who finds it weird to be racing at sunrise?)
Off track, though, is where I feel Forza has lost its touch, big time:
- The homologation system and pre-homologated cars have sucked all the fun out of carefully upgrading my cars.
- The tiered collection system, driver suits and prize boxes are ridiculous additions straight from the book of cheap free-to-play titles, especially when paired with the anemic level-up rewards; the prices are so high and random, everyone can see micro-transactions right around the corner.
- Past functions and additions from Forza games that I enjoyed seem like they are about to be phased out: Forzavista is almost hidden and seems to have lost its interesting stats and audio; Test drive is almost impossible to find now - requires you to launch a race and wait for the track to be loaded; the innovative Mods introduced in FM6 are now either single or 3 to 5 times use - no more lifetime mods (again, microtransactions ahead?); and wheelspins where you at least had a chance to score big are just gone.
- The obnoxious menu music sounds anything but Forza (at least not Motorsport - try Horizon?)
- Maybe that will be addressed in a future patch, but what’s up with those track loading times?
- And as a VIP, I feel insulted that I no longer get any credit/XP bonuses or exclusive cars, but a few bonus cards that will soon be depleted. Definitely not paying for it next time.
Could it be that T10 has ran out of tricks (or out of time) and tried to reinvent its off-track gameplay instead of bringing something new on a racing level? I fear this could be it. Personally, I think the next logical addition to Forza Motorsport would have been different types of races (bringing back point-to-point and adding different terrains for rally, dirt racing, ice racing, etc). There are already rally cars, SUVs, ATVs and trophy trucks in the game, what’s the point of having them race on tarmac?
I’m not going to rip my shirt off like some other do and swear off future T10 titles in the future. No, I’m likely getting Horizon 4 when it comes out. And probably FM8 as well. But I might hold off getting the Ultimate editions in the future, seeing how little I got this time around (thanks for making the Hoonigan pack exclusive to online buyers, I really feel like a valued customer for buying a physical copy and saving my bandwidth like the old man I am). I might also wait for reviews and maybe hold off my purchase for a few months, something I’ve never felt like I had to do before for Forza titles.
I know gaming is changing and is now aimed more and more at money-making opportunities and attracting a larger audience rather than providing a quality experience and pleasing the faithful fan base. I’ve seen other previously great titles and developers turn to the same unfortunate practices. I was just hoping T10 wasn’t one of them - hope they can prove me wrong in the future.