Always stunning, sometimes boring

It was nearly 20 years ago when Microsoft launched the first Forza Motorsport for the original Xbox. At the time there was no challenger to the simulation juggernaut known as Gran Turismo. Here we are in 2023 and the Forza series is considered on par, if not better than Polyphony Digital’s series by some fans. It has also had a much more consistent release schedule as each game continued to innovate and improve over time. Well, it has been six years since the last true Forza game came out, which marks the longest period between entries. This chapter feels more like a reboot, a platform if you will. This is also the first game to only be available on Xbox’s current gen console only. So was it worth the wait? Does it continue to move the series forward, or does it fall short?

With a new era of Forza, the game’s structure is going back to a career mode that is familiar to the original release. Players will kick off with slower cars at the bottom tier and be able to work their way up to newer and faster vehicles. There is also an expansive upgrade system. There are over 800 different upgrades to earn over time. Everything can be tweaked or if you are like me and have zero clue how any of this works, there is an auto upgrade mode that installs the most logical and affordable parts between races. Each car has its own level system as well, not dissimilar to the Horizon series.

MSRP: $69.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PC
Price I’d Pay: $59.99

Every car maxes out at level 50, and there are new upgrades for each level. So, it is best to focus on a chosen few cars as opposed to trying to max them all. That would literally take months or even years. This may also be a car you couldn’t care less about. I found myself finding what worked and sticking with it. The races are all based on car type, discipline, nationality, and performance. So, I found one or two of each category that I like driving and stuck with those.

There are multiple tours in career mode. Each tour has five cups, and each cup has five races. There is plenty of content to keep players coming back. The Drivatars also return and decide their difficulty as well as the starting position will allow for score modifiers which can earn more credits to in turn upgrade vehicles faster. It is a risk reward system and what I enjoyed is that progress never feels hindered.

There is always a race to drive, always a track to master, and always plenty of cars to check out. I found that while there are hundreds of cars to choose from, it is best to find 5-10 that I really clicked with. Then I spent time focusing on these cars and their upgrades as opposed to collecting cars like I did in Horizon. There are more cars and tracks coming post launch as well, but I still suggest sticking with what works and ignore the desire to fill the garage.

There are plenty of tracks as well, this game contains 20 rebuilt tracks specific to this game as well as 5 brand new ones. This creates plenty of venues to race in. These tracks are familiar and expertly designed. I was constantly checking between Forza 7 and this game to see the differences, and they are impressive. More realistic lighting and reflections really make these tracks all feel brand new.

Multiplayer is also a big part of the new Forza. There are weekend type events where friends can compete together using AI-powered race regulations. This keeps the events feeling fresh. I was able to get in a few sessions pre-release and everything ran smooth for the most part. I did run into a few connection issues, but I assume these will be ironed out before the game launches into the public. It was never anything that kept me from hopping right back in though.

While this all sounds great, Forza runs into issues with the racing itself. One of the things that I find that brings this game to a halt are the practice laps. These are required before every single race. There have always been qualifying laps, they have always been an option. In Forza Motorsport, they are required. This basically means racing every race twice, and I don’t understand this decision at all. I would sometimes spend 15-20 minutes on one race because I was essentially racing it twice. This drags down career progression and makes me feel bored within races more often than not. I get learning tracks, but that is part of playing, this just makes me not want to start a new cup or series because I simply didn’t want to commit to running 20 laps of the same track.

Editor’s Note: It seems the practice laps are in fact skippable after the patch. It still needs to be done through the menu after starting them, it would be ideal to be able to skip them before starting them.

So, with this game being only on current consoles it has the chance to take full advantage of the Xbox Series consoles. I will say when I first booted it up, I was in awe. This game looks incredible. The RT lighting and reflections look outstanding in motion, and while maintaining the 60fps mode. The full 4K is even sharper but limiting it to 30fps is just not for me. Racing and fighting games should ALWAYS be running at at least 60fps, so this mode is something I didn’t play for very long. The sound is incredible. Whether I was using my high-end soundbar or a set of headphones, everything sounds amazing. I could hear wind blowing past me when in third-person camera, and the muffled engine sounds in the cockpit view are unparalleled. Also, the impact when hitting another car impressed me every single time it happened.

This reboot of Forza Motorsport is impressive visually. This is genuinely the best-looking game I have seen in a while. The rebuilt tracks are great, the racing feels good, the career mode has plenty to see and do, but I can’t help but feel like this isn’t the leap I was expecting. The practice races drag down the pacing. Going back to starting slow just isn’t that interesting in 2023. The production values are unmatched, but I found myself growing bored playing this game, and I really enjoy sim racers. Forza 7 was easily my favorite when it came out. I may poke fun at Gran Turismo’s cafe mode, but it was much less annoying than having to run the same lap of a race over and over and over and over….

Review copy of game provided by publisher.