Forza Motorsport 4

Forza Motorsport 4 improves upon the third iteration of Microsoft’s flagship racing title in a number of ways, but sometimes feels more like an annual sports game update than a leap forward for the genre. There are plenty of tweaks to the handling and graphics alongside some interesting new game modes, but the vast majority of the cars and circuits are carried over from Forza 3. If you played a lot of that game then Forza 4 can feel a little repetitive at times, but there is so much to see and do that this sequel still lives up to the series’ high standards and will continue to satisfy fans simulation racing.

If you were an avid player of Forza 3, you are immediately rewarded in the new game. If you have a save file from that game you will receive up to 10 gift cars in Forza 4 based on the driver level you achieved. This can give you a terrifically well-rounded garage to start playing with, including the Ferrari 458 Italia. You might even be gifted a super rare “Unicorn” car if you were a VIP in the previous game.

Even if you receive these gifts the Career Mode still encourages you to start with F and E class cars, which are mostly European hatchbacks. However, the structure of this mode has been changed dramatically. Gone is the calendar and in its place comes World Tour. This provides a much more interesting way to play the game, taking you on a journey around some of the best race tracks in the world. Rather than moving between different event types or championships, you change circuit after every race. On arrival at the circuit you are given a choice of three events to compete in. The options available are based on your currently selected car and the other cars in your garage, meaning that you very rarely feel the need to splash out your hard-earned credits on new machinery. The different events also offer different bonuses to help you decide which one is best for you.

Completing events rewards you in three ways. As in Forza 3 you earn credits based on your finishing position and selected driving assists, as well as experience points which contribute to your Driver Level. The new third reward is called “Affinity” and gives you bonuses based on your loyalty to particular car manufacturers. You gradually earn bigger discounts on upgrades, eventually bring able to purchase all of the available upgrades for a manufacturer free of charge. This is a key part of World Tour progression as AI drivers will often enter events with fully upgraded vehicles that are at the very top of their car class. For example, in an S class race with a performance point limit of 700, most AI cars will be in the 690 range. A stock Audi R8 only has 639 performance points and would need significant upgrades to be competitive. This makes for a little bit of a disappointing experience in World Tour as the majority of the cars you drive must be upgraded as much as possible, removing some of their individual characteristics.

On the other hand, you are never short of new cars or Credits in Forza 4 thanks to the new way that gifting works as you level up. In Forza 3 you received a new gift car every time your Driver Level increased, but every player received the same car. In the new game, you are given a choice of three cars to choose from, allowing you to create a garage that feels more personal. Later Driver Levels also give out massive Credit bonuses allowing you to purchase plenty of new machinery yourself. That said, each selection of three cars is still defined by the developers and you will sometimes find that you are not interested in any of the ones on offer.

If you played a lot of Career Mode in Forza 3 then you might find yourself getting a little bit bored at times during the new World Tour Mode, particularly if you bought a lot of DLC for the previous game. This is because the vast majority of the cars and circuits are carried over from the last game, while many of the new additions were also available in that game as paid downloads. The new real-world circuits of Hockenheim, Nurburgring GP (which was Forza 3 DLC) and Infineon Raceway have also been done to death in other racing games. The new fictional circuit, Bernese Alps isn’t great either, featuring a largely uninteresting layout despite the breathtaking location. The game’s version of the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit is also two years out of date. All of that said and despite the repetition, the game has one of the most eclectic selections of race tracks and cars which you could ever hope to see and the Top Gear Test Track is a nice addition. Very few motor-racing fans will be disappointed by the content on offer.

There are also a few new event types to mix-up the pace in World Tour. Autocross creates new routes through the circuits using complex gate layouts which you must pass through without contact. The precision and car control required are a big departure from traditional racing and will create a whole new group of fans dedicated to finding the perfect car setups for these tricky courses. Multi-class racing is available in single player for the first time, giving you the chance to have realistic Le Mans esque races where GT cars compete on track at the same time as the more advanced Le Mans Prototypes. Officially licensed Top Gear events appear too, involving crashing through oversized bowling pins to rack up the biggest score possible.

The Top Gear brand is heavily used throughout Forza 4, most notably in the new Autovista and Rivals modes. Autovista includes 25 cars for you to investigate and view in minute detail. These special machines, such as the Mercedes SLS AMG and McLaren F1 are incredibly interactive. You are free to walk around the car, open the doors to climb in and examine the interior, or open the bonnet to see the engine. Selecting certain highlighted areas shows you extra details in text and provides a voice over explaining that particular feature. Each of the 25 cars has a hidden Top Gear icon, which gives you an evaluation of the car from Jeremy Clarkson. These mini automotive reviews are typical of Clarkson’s well-known editorial style and he certainly isn’t afraid to tell you what he thinks. Unlocking each Autovista car requires you to complete a challenge in a previously unlocked vehicle by selecting the steering wheel when exploring the car. Autovista is a fascinating new way to virtually explore cars that many of us will never see in real life, though in the context of the game, the development time might have been better spent on producing more circuits or cars for the other modes.

Rivals mode is the other major new addition in Forza 4. It is similar to EA’s Autolog in that it records your laptimes and sends you an in-game message whenever one of your friends sets a better time. However, unlike Autolog, your laptimes are not tracked by Rivals in all of the game modes. Instead, Rivals is a separate menu including a huge list of events specifically chosen for this mode. These include Time Attacks on pre-determined circuits, some of which allow you to use your own car and setup and some which give you a standard car to keep the playing field even. Track Days put you in a supercar and challenge you to set the best lap time possible while dealing with much slower traffic along the way. There are also more Top Gear events here including, for the first time in a video game, Star In a Reasonably Priced Car using the Kia Cee’d featured in the real show. This will provide a thrill to any Top Gear fans who have always wanted to test their skills on the Top Gear test tack and compare their time to the real stars. Rivals mode will continue to evolve over the coming months as Turn 10 update and swap the available events to keep players hooked. You earn credits and experience for beating friends’ times too, allowing you to make World Tour progress while playing Rivals.

On the track, the handling has been tweaked to provide a stronger simulation experience. Forza 3 suffered from poor suspension modelling which failed to deliver an accurate feel for the steering, but Forza 4 now has improved suspension physics which provide a greater sense of body roll and weight shifting around the car. Slides and oversteer moments now feel much more dynamic and realistic. Working with Pirelli has also resulted in a better better tyre model, helping you to feel the edge of grip and predict the car’s behaviour through a corner with greater success. On-screen prompts called Race Feats will let you know when you’re driving well by rating your cornering, overtaking, speed and drifting to give instant feedback on your performance. Although it’s easy to drive well using the standard controller, the new Fanatec Forza Motorsport CSR Wheel creates a phenomenal driving experience by providing smooth and detailed force feedback through your fingertips. We will have a full review of this steering wheel on Citizen Game soon.

While the handling has been improved, the AI still leaves a lot to be desired. In World Tour mode there are no difficulty settings and the AI skill is supposed to adapt to your ability. Despite this you will still win the vast majority of your races. The other cars don’t seem very aware of you, or each other either. They will regularly turn into you if you attempt to overtake on the inside, or drift wide into the side of your car if you try to pass on the outside. They often brake far too early for fast corners as well, sometimes causing you to plough into the back of them through no fault of your own. Luckily, the rewind feature introduced in Forza 3 has returned, allowing you to compensate for any accidents caused by the computer controlled drivers.

Forza 4′s graphics have been given an update to make sure that the series continues to look impressive against the competition. The new lighting engine makes the entire game look significantly better, removing the slightly cartoonish look from the last title. Damage effects and environmental detail are largely unchanged, but the cockpit camera has been substantially improved.  The field of view is much better, allowing you to see far more of the road ahead and shadows move realistically throughout the interior. If you use the cockpit view and turn off all of the HUD elements the game becomes incredibly immersive. It’s not a major graphical overhaul, but the right areas have been focussed on in order to improve the overall look of the game.

Forza’s much loved community and online features return to make this one of the best supported racing games available. Competitive online racing is largely unchanged, with all of the event types from World Tour, Top Gear Car Football and the full range of circuits and cars. Vinyl groups, full car designs and setups can still be sold for Credits or shared between friends. The Auction House has undergone some tweaks to its UI but still functions the same way, allowing players to bid Credits on cars being sold by others. The major new community feature is Car Clubs. This is Forza’s version of clans and allows players to join together as a team to compete against other Clubs on the leaderboards or in competitive events. Club members can share cars in their Club Garage, allowing members to tune or paint them for the rest of the members to use. This is a fascinating inclusion which will create a whole new area of team competition which has often been absent from racing games, despite real motor-sport involving great team successes as well as famous individual drivers. Don’t forget to join the Citizen Game Car Club (CitG for short) when you get your copy!

Forza Motorsport 4 is a terrific racing game which any motorsport fan should definitely play. The repetition of familiar cars and circuits can make World Tour a little less interesting than Career Mode in previous titles, but the wealth of gameplay modes and community features make this game one which racing purists will still be playing right up to the release of the inevitable sequel.

This review was produced using the standard Xbox 360 controller and the Fanatec Forza Motorsport CSR Wheel. Kinect features were not tested as I do not own the peripheral.