Forza Motorsport 5: Drivatar Feature Will Change Single-Player Racing Experience

One of the biggest issues with single-player experiences in racing games is the artificial intelligence of computer-controlled cars. Either the A.I. has the drivers unrealistically precise in every movement or driving unimaginably dumb. 

Up to now, racing against the computer has lacked the obvious human quality that makes competing against friends and gamers online so fun. Forza Motorsport 5 aims to change that.

With the advent of the Drivatar feature, the Forza series is set to revolutionize the single-player experience. Drivatars mimic the real-life driving tendencies of every driver in the Forza community. With the data collected, tons of driving profiles are created. Those profiles are then used to create clones.

The clones become the CPU-controlled drivers you compete against in single-player modes. They can also be used as a replacement for you if you don't want to physically race a level or track in career modes.

Gamers can even compete against their friend's Drivatars online. Provided this feature works as well as it sounds, it will pleasantly blur the lines between players and the intense head-to-head action that can only be had while racing human opponents.

This type of feature could not only impact driving games, it could affect other sports games in general. Imagine a Drivatar-like feature in games like Madden or NBA 2K. Even fighting games like Soul Calibur or Tekken could utilize a similar system.

We all know playing a human is different than battling the CPU. If those games simulated the habits of human gamers in competition, it could serve as a great training method for online play.

Aside from stunning graphics, next-generation gaming should be centered around introducing new and exciting concepts. With the Drivatar feature, Forza has laid the groundwork for something that will be emulated by its competitors and other video games in general.

Forza 5 releases on Friday for the Xbox One exclusively. Give it a try for yourself to see if the hype is real.

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