Forza Motorsport 5 Review: Gameplay Impressions and Videos

Because the hardware capabilities of the Playstation 4 and Xbox One are so similar to most gamers, the deciding factor for consumers may come down to software exclusives. 

That's why the success of titles like Turn 10's Forza Motorsport 5 is important to Xbox One's bottom line. With Sony keeping Gran Turismo 6 as a Playstation 3 title only, Microsoft gets free reign in the first full year of the new consoles simulation-style racing games.

As a Day One launch title, does Forza 5 impress?

Here's my take.

Graphics and Animation

What Was Expected

Visual expectations for next-gen games and the Forza series are always high. When the two forces are combined, fans have to be hoping for a graphical explosion.

What We Got

You could take a screenshot with the in-game camera and use it as a postcard from one of the many cities represented in the game. The backgrounds look that good.

The game boasts perhaps the most depth in the backgrounds you'll see in a racing game. As usual, you can really appreciate these qualities during the race replays.

The vehicles are rendered even sharper than the environments. When the details of the cars are shown up close, you really get the appreciation of just how detailed the recreations are.

Take a look at this amateur driving display from yours truly. It shows off a bit of the game's replay function after the race is completed.

Gameplay, Realism and Fun

What Was Expected

The Forza series has always given gamers a balanced gaming experience. Fans of strict simulations could appreciate the realistic driving characteristics. Fans of a more arcade feel could find their sweet spot with the right amount of driver assistance.

It would be a shame if this dynamic was compromised on next-gen.

What We Got

For anyone who is worried about the game sacrificing the aforementioned balance, relax and take a breath. Forza 5 still brings that smart, fun and adaptable gameplay experience.

Mix in great controller-specific nuances exclusively available with the Xbox One controller, and you have one of the most fun racers in years.

The rumble function in the controller transports gamers into every hard turn and mild-to-significant crash.

Of every game that I've played that employs the rumble effect, it fits best with Forza 5.

Because of this conglomerate of qualities, the gameplay is addictive. The more you achieve, the more you want to start the next race—even if you should be writing instead of trying to master that first sharp turn in Abu Dhabi.

Sound and Presentation

What Was Expected

The franchise has always prided itself on clean, sleek and stylish presentation. Like many racing titles, it hasn't included enough of a human presence. Could the next-gen consoles bring that quality to the series?

What We Got

Sleek menus and awesome car-display sequences? Check.

Cool and noticeable music that doesn't overpower the gaming experience? Check.

Human element that every other racing title in the world is missing? Almost.

Forza brought in the host of Top Gear, the UK-based racing program on the BBC network to narrate the series introductions.

His witty and knowledgeable interjections add to the overall presentation. However, more speech during races and driver identities that include out-of-car cinema screens would have really taken things to the next level.

That might be asking too much, but for a game with such stunning visuals, gameplay and traces of enhanced presentation, it is a logical next step.

Modes and Options

What Was Expected

Gauging what will and won't be included in the first version of a sports gaming series on a new console is tricky. Visual appeal is always paramount, because most consumers want to immediately see the difference between the system they've been playing for years and the new one.

As a slave to that concept, developers sometimes go all in on graphics and half step on features. Is Forza 5 guilty of that? 

What We Got

To a degree, Forza 5 does hold back in the number of available vehicles and the overall sophistication of the career mode.

Forza 4 had 500 vehicles and 26 tracks. Forza 5 boasts just 200 cars and 14 tracks. The decrease there is impossible to ignore. This is especially the case for fans who will seek to acquire each car, and value an almost unrealistic number of choices.

Dan Greenwalt of Turn 10 told Martin Robinson of Eurogamer.net that the decrease in cars and tracks was intentional. It was done to preserve the next-gen look for every property in the game.

He said: 

"

Some of the tracks needed updating. Some of them needed light updating, and some of them needed heavy updating. Silverstone, for example, was a complete recapture. Several of our tracks were just plain wrong, either because they were poorly captured and technology's moved on, or the track's changed like Silverstone.

"

It is an understandable deduction, but one most gamers will still take issue with.

In the career mode, there are eight series in which you'll need a different class of vehicle to complete. Each series has a good amount of primary races, as well as bonus events. Yet, it feels as though there should be more objectives and personality in the mode.

Instead, it's all pure racing. This may be great for some, but it left me wanting a little more.

That said, there is still enough included to entertain and intrigue fans. 

The new drivatar feature is one of the most compelling and promising innovations in online gaming. Every gamer in the Forza universe is given a drivatar based on their own driving habits. It takes a few races to train and establish, but once it's set up, it can be used to race events during your career mode.

Also, you'll notice that even when you race offline, you're competing against other gamer's drivatars—even those created by members of your friends' list that also have Forza 5.

That's pretty cool.

So even though there were obvious omissions from the last current-gen version to this one, Forza 5 still offers a layered virtual driving experience.

The Bottom Line

As one of the few games that really shows off the visual capabilities of the next-gen consoles, Forza 5 is at least a must-see. The manner in which the game utilizes the rumble effect in the Xbox One controller makes it a must to play.

Aside from the slightly harnessed experience that comes with the unveiling of an old series on a new console, Forza 5 delivers just about everything fans of the series and purveyors of driving video games could want.

The Numbers 

Graphics and Animation: 9

Gameplay, Realism and Fun: 9

Sound and Presentation: 7.75

Game Modes and Options: 7

Overall: 8.2

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