Forza Motorsport 5 Overview (Xbox One)

Pros

Still same great gameplay. Visuals. Driveatars.

Cons

Soundtrack. Drivatars. Not a lot of tracks or cars.

Bottom Line

Forza 5 still has the same gameplay that made it so popular, but the lack of tracks and the overall atmosphere hamper the experience.

out of 10

Forza Motorsport 5 REVIEW

Forza Motorsport 5 Review (Xbox One)

Submitted on: Dec 02, 2013 by Bishop Tart

With each new Microsoft console, a racing game is always there at launch. It was Project Gotham Racing by Bizarre Creations for the original Xbox and PGR 3 for the Xbox 360. This time, on the Xbox One, we have Forza Motorsport 5; the racing franchise from Turn 10 Studios. With new hardware comes new features like Drivatars and challenges.

Forza 5 keeps the same gameplay intact but some of the tracks and many vehicles featured in previous games are noticeably absent and the career mode doesn't really break any new ground.

Gameplay

Coming off of Forza Horizon, one of the best racing games on the Xbox 360, playing Forza 5 was definitely a change. The gameplay is similar but the overall atmosphere surrounding the two games could not be more farther apart. Horizon tried for a more silly, fun approach, while Forza 5 is trying to be serious. Whether someone wants a serious racing game is a matter of personal opinion, but that type of game just doesn’t seem to fit well.

The series has always walked a fine line between simulation and arcade. Cars that drift more than they should are still present, making for some weird turns when you’re first starting out. The lower tiered cars are also not fun to drive and make the game seem more tedious.

One of the first things you’ll notice during your first race are Drivatars. A.I. drivers are a thing of the past and in their place come data from your friend’s time with the game. Instead of going up against opponents made by the developers, now you will go up against friends or random players if you know no one that has played Forza 5. The Drivatars sync to the cloud and take everything that you do during races into account. So if you’re someone who hits the brake at the last possible second, that will be reflected when your Drivatar races in someone else’s event. When they do compete in other events, even if you’re Xbox is off, you earn credits that can be collected the next time you sign on.

Drivatars do make things a little tougher, so because of that you don’t have to actually win the race to get a gold medal and earn max credits. Instead, finishing in the top three will let you achieve that. If winning is your thing, the No. 1 spot will be up for grabs, but you won’t earn any extra credits for finishing in first place.

The new impulse triggers in the Xbox One controller make for an interesting racing experience. When first starting the game you will immediately notice the left and right trigger vibrate when going into and out of corners.

It’s not a racing game without being able to change the assists and difficulty. From turning off ABS, to making the sure the racing line is gone, everything you could previously do with assists is still there for you tinker with. When it comes to difficulty, even though you have Drivatars now instead of A.I. opponents, you can still set how difficult they will be. And of course, the more assists, hard difficulty you make each event, the more credits you will earn.

The gameplay in Forza 5 stays pretty identical to its predecessors, which is enough for fans. However, for the casual audience, it’s not a game that many will enjoy due to erratic Drivatars and the lower class cars are still a chore to drive.

Career

The career mode featured in Forza 5 is not something that is all that different from past games. Turn 10 didn’t try to do anything new with the Xbox One. Instead, you can go between any of the eight leagues at will, as long as you have an eligible car.

The Top Gear track is still present from Forza 4, and not only that, but the challenges try to mix things up. While I appreciate this, the challenges aren't particularly fun to compete in. The races already get pretty monotonous, but the challenges are by far the worst since you're not competing against anyone.

When selecting a new event or series, you are forced to listen to the Top Gear hosts talk about said series or a set of cars. This is fine the first time you hear it, but after the tenth time it made me not even care about the race as all I wanted was for the talking to come to an end.

One of the disappointing things is the amount of tracks included. There are only 14 total tracks, ranging from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to Bernese Alps, to Prague. Trying to model each track with an insane amount of detail is certainly no easy task, but 14 tracks is just not enough. You end up playing on the same tracks over and over again in the career without any decent variety, which only adds to the not-so-fun factor. To make it even worse, the load times are excruciatingly long, even though the game is installed (which every Xbox One game must be installed before playing them).

Microtransactions have been discussed a lot since the release. For those curious, there are a few car passes that give you access to DLC cars. Some cars are locked behind those passes, while others are available for purchase à la carte.. Paying over $5 (sometimes more) for a specific vehicle is a little outrageous, but it’s not required to complete any event or the main career. There are also ways to earn double XP if you feel the climb to the max level takes too long. On November 27, Turn 10 stated that beginning in December they will increase credit payouts to everyone; meaning that it will be easier to unlock some of the vehicles.

Multiplayer

For the first time in the series history, you can now race with up to 16 players online in a race. With the introduction of cloud-based servers, these matches run extremely smooth. I had no issues getting into matches or issues with connections.

Multiplayer Hoppers, which is explained to you when you first enter multiplayer, has you selecting leagues, class races, or special events. This is made to get you into races faster and they achieve that.

You can play with friends in private matches if you so desire and that is probably the decision most people should make. During my time in online play people were constantly wrecking each other before we even got into the first turn. That type of experience will differ from player to player, but it would be nice if collisions were turned off to prevent that from happening.

The downside to playing with friends is the party system on Xbox Live is a complete mess at the moment. Trying to invite someone is a chore simply because I can’t be in another game while my friend is in another and then we both just switch over. I had to manually leave the party, start a new one and then invite them before we could race together.

The setup in online play is different but once you get past the new menu it’s just multiplayer Forza. It’s more fun than the single player since you have people to talk to, but you’re still competing on the same 14 tracks over and over again. The upside is that at least you can rent some of the upper tier cars to see just how fun the game can be going over 200MPH. One last thing, we can’t comment on the marketplace just yet as it is simply “Coming Soon.”

Final Thoughts

Lifeless is the best word to describe everything surrounding Forza 5. The gameplay is stays the same, but it lacks the overall personality of previous iterations, especially Forza Horizon; and it gets rather tedious after hours of playing. It’s also missing a good amount of tracks, too. Drivatars are both good and bad, depending on who you end up racing against. There are times when you’ll have no trouble winning a race, and other times when it seems nearly impossible. Add everything up and you just get a good racing game; one that doesn’t change the formula up too much -- which is completely fine for most fans -- but for me it just makes me want Forza Horizon 2 that much more.

If you’re into the Forza franchise at all, it’s worth playing. But for anyone wanting to make the fifth installment their first, should wait until the next time around when there are more tracks and it has a little bit more soul.

Learning Curve: For anyone familiar with the franchise, the learning curve is small as it is familiar. For newcomers that are used to the Xbox 360 controller, the new impulse triggers and smaller analog sticks will take some getting used to. After completing the introduction, and with assists being available, it’s not a difficult game to get into at all.

Visuals: With next generation hardware, comes next generation visuals. Forza looks absolutely stunning in native-1080p and 60FPS. The amount of detail in each car and track is simply phenomenal to look at. The upgrade to all the UI (user interface) is also easy on the eyes.

Audio: Each car sounds better than ever but the soundtrack, which features classical music, seems out of place and does hinder the experience a little.

Value: For full retail price you are getting a lot of cars but compared to past games you are also missing out on tracks, cars, and features. It’s a fine start for Turn 10 and Microsoft, but for $60, we expected a little more.

Score: 7.0 (Good)

Scoring Note: While Forza still sports great gameplay, the disappointing lack of tracks and cars -- plus the overall step back with the career mode make Forza a good and solid racer but nothing groundbreaking or screaming must-own within the genre. It's pretty, it plays well, but Forza sorely needs more options to keep you going. The lack of additional track and car options as well as the career mode which does nothing to advance the genre holds Forza back a full point or more.

Forza Motorsport 5 Videos

Member Comments

# 21 ZB9 @ 12/08/13 03:31 PM

Im addicted to this game. I need a Forza rehab or something.

# 22 Sadince @ 12/08/13 05:28 PM

My last pay check was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My sisters friend has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can't believe how easy it was once I tried it out. This is what I do,,,,,,,,,,WWW****sh64.CＯＭ

# 23 cincy14fan @ 12/09/13 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxAbbitt


	I love the avatars and feel they make this the best playing Forza game yet. Definitely need more tracks and cars, but that is understandable for a launch title.

I agree.

And like everyone else saying how he tried to compare this to Horizon I agree as well. Although I feel he should of stated something like, "While this Forza goes back to sim, with the addition to driveatar's you will see how your friends drive, and sometimes they don't drive very sim." Although I do have one friend who basically always takes the inside route and runs into me to keep his line, or T-Bones me, it actually makes that game so much fun that any of the previous games.

I rather have that and no so perfect racers than AI that does perfect lines and such all the time. While there is only 14 tracks and 1/4 less cars than before (or however amount it is) it is not that big of a deal for me since every race is so unpredictable with the driveatar's. Every racing game doesn't have that many tracks. Yes the load times are terrible, at least I can snap or just watch TV, until the race starts.

Also have a friend who hates racing games. Mostly cause he is terrible, but some friends and I convinced him to get it, and it is now one of his favorite games on the Xbox One. Mostly cause of how unpredictable the driveatar's are.

# 24 cincy14fan @ 12/09/13 07:08 AM

Although I would love to know what he means by "we expected a little more." I know mean tracks and cars, but curious what features and such. Are you saying like your driving class license? Other than that really don't know what you me. While it is your review I think most of us were taken back by the lowest score for Forza that we seen.

# 25 lnin0 @ 12/11/13 06:50 PM

Horizon uses the Forza branding but is not part of the main Forza series. It did some things better than the Forza series but also lacked a lot of the hard core stuff the die hard Forza fans love.

Horizon aside, Forza has always been a sterile, lifeless series. Five is no better or worse in terms of personality. Forza has always felt like part racing game part science project. It has always been a set of boring, inanimate blocks that got its real personality, not from the developers, but from the community.

Those community features feel a little more absent or incomplete in Forza 5. The ability to host custom, public rooms, the ability to shop designs and tunes in the store...even the rivals doesn't feel as well rounded as in the past and I think that makes the rest of the games dullness more apparent. I think it is a mistake to say that five isn't lock step with every other boring iteration of the game.

It is a disappointment and probably the last Forza, aside from Horizon 2, that I purchase. The developers choose to go down the exact same path as last gen only adding more pixels and pay walls. They harnessed the 'cloud' for drivatars but offer no option for private leagues, clubs or online competitions/ladders.

If 'next gen' is about little more than upping the pixel count and attaching micro-payments to everything then count me out.

# 26 WildFan22 @ 12/12/13 04:55 PM

I bought F5 and I usually don't usually buy racing games. My question is how can I have fun playing Forza 5? I never see any accidents, the tracks don't change lighting or weather, and if you're in first place you have nothing but a lifeless racetrack to look at.

I'm not trolling. I bought the game and I'm trying to get into it. I think I just went into it with the wrong expectations.

# 27 TCrouch @ 12/12/13 06:10 PM

If you never see any accidents, that's a completely different game than I've seen. The drivatars are constantly banging into each other. And if you're in first place all the time with the drivatars on "Unbeatable", then you're just too good to have any fun, probably. Which is odd, because somebody that good would probably just be having a blast driving that fast, and I wouldn't really consider the tracks "lifeless" at all. Better than most other racing games, with fans waving their flags around, etc.

But it's a racing game. Pretty much you and the track. But if you just blow by the hardest Drivatar AI and smoke everybody, yeah...might get boring. Probably not for you. You mentioned not buying racing games, which makes me think that you probably left the drivatars on default....in which case, I'd tell you to crank up the difficulty and you certainly wouldn't be out front just bored to tears.

# 28 WildFan22 @ 12/13/13 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCrouch


	If you never see any accidents, that's a completely different game than I've seen. The drivatars are constantly banging into each other. And if you're in first place all the time with the drivatars on "Unbeatable", then you're just too good to have any fun, probably. Which is odd, because somebody that good would probably just be having a blast driving that fast, and I wouldn't really consider the tracks "lifeless" at all. Better than most other racing games, with fans waving their flags around, etc. But it's a racing game. Pretty much you and the track. But if you just blow by the hardest Drivatar AI and smoke everybody, yeah...might get boring. Probably not for you. You mentioned not buying racing games, which makes me think that you probably left the drivatars on default....in which case, I'd tell you to crank up the difficulty and you certainly wouldn't be out front just bored to tears.

I bought the game and I'm just okay at it. I still have a ton to learn and I'm just starting to take away the assists. I'm very much a novice at this which is why im asking for pointers. I'm trying to learn a new genre and I'm trying to get into it.

Maybe it's the difficulty but I went 150 mph into a wall and the front of my car looked like I had been in a minor fender bender. I've seen some of the aggressive drivatars rub other cars but in 40 races I haven't seen a major crash or anything close to it. Again this could be because I don't have the difficulty high enough.

On the surface this seems to be a game about grinding to test drive expensive cars. I'm trying to dig deeper than that so I can enjoy it.

# 29 TCrouch @ 12/13/13 11:23 AM

The problem is that with assists on and the difficulty low, it's going to be easy. So the complaint about getting out front and running away from the AI doesn't make sense in that case.

But any game like this is about grinding, getting cash, and buying new cars. Unless you're into the finer points about weight transfer of the car, how to maintain tire grip at maximum speed, worrying about corner exit speed, etc., then it's really probably not a game you'll find enjoyment in. Most Forza players "have fun" just driving the cars and racing. You're never going to see some 7 car pile up in the middle of a corner, because the drivatars are semi-competent. If you CAUSE one, though, you'll see it. It's not like Daytona where one car wrecks and 10 will pile right into the wreck because they don't have time to avoid it.

The larger problem may be expectations--Forza and Gran Turismo are games based on collecting cars and the semi-realism of their handling model. With assists on, you will miss most of the realism stuff, and with the difficulty low, you'll be in first all the time and bored (and wonder what all the fuss is about).

It's not until you crank the difficulty up and turn the assists off that it really starts to be fun. But even then, fun is subjective. For me, fun is shaving a tenth of a second off of a lap, or nailing the corkscrew at Laguna Seca perfectly. For you, it may be seeing the huge pile ups and high-octane action. If so, you really should look at Need For Speed instead of Forza. Forza is much more sterile, much more reserved. NFS sounds like it's a lot more of what you'd be looking for, honestly.

EDIT: And on the damage note, with licensed cars, there's only so much developers can do. They can't just tear a car up and make it destroyed, as the manufacturers won't let them. They think it provides the image that their cars are unsafe. That's why almost any game you play, you'll plow a wall at 150 and the car will keep going. The car manufacturers demand that. At least in Forza, you take performance damage when you do that. Other games you don't even get that.

# 30 WildFan22 @ 12/13/13 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCrouch


	The problem is that with assists on and the difficulty low, it's going to be easy. So the complaint about getting out front and running away from the AI doesn't make sense in that case. But any game like this is about grinding, getting cash, and buying new cars. Unless you're into the finer points about weight transfer of the car, how to maintain tire grip at maximum speed, worrying about corner exit speed, etc., then it's really probably not a game you'll find enjoyment in. Most Forza players "have fun" just driving the cars and racing. You're never going to see some 7 car pile up in the middle of a corner, because the drivatars are semi-competent. If you CAUSE one, though, you'll see it. It's not like Daytona where one car wrecks and 10 will pile right into the wreck because they don't have time to avoid it. The larger problem may be expectations--Forza and Gran Turismo are games based on collecting cars and the semi-realism of their handling model. With assists on, you will miss most of the realism stuff, and with the difficulty low, you'll be in first all the time and bored (and wonder what all the fuss is about). It's not until you crank the difficulty up and turn the assists off that it really starts to be fun. But even then, fun is subjective. For me, fun is shaving a tenth of a second off of a lap, or nailing the corkscrew at Laguna Seca perfectly. For you, it may be seeing the huge pile ups and high-octane action. If so, you really should look at Need For Speed instead of Forza. Forza is much more sterile, much more reserved. NFS sounds like it's a lot more of what you'd be looking for, honestly. EDIT: And on the damage note, with licensed cars, there's only so much developers can do. They can't just tear a car up and make it destroyed, as the manufacturers won't let them. They think it provides the image that their cars are unsafe. That's why almost any game you play, you'll plow a wall at 150 and the car will keep going. The car manufacturers demand that. At least in Forza, you take performance damage when you do that. Other games you don't even get that.

Thanks for taking the time to respond TCrouch. I will up the difficultly for sure. By no means was I trying to say that I'm always in front. I was saying "if" I make it to the front then it just becomes me and the empty road.

Maybe you're right and this isn't for me but I don't want to sell it before I know what Forza 5 is all about.

# 31 TCrouch @ 12/13/13 01:19 PM

No problem. At first, despite your statement to the contrary, it really seemed like a troll post. But the more I thought about it, I really do think maybe it's just not your type of game.

In a nutshell, it's all about the driving and collecting cars (which can be a grind). If it hasn't grabbed you by now, it probably won't. But try turning those assists off and see what you think (I'd recommend leaving steering on normal and not simulation if you're using the controller). Some of the cars are much livelier, and the track elevation changes are much more noticeable with assists off.

You get into a zone where you feel like you're in total control of the vehicle--that's when it becomes fun. If you don't have to worry about stabbing the brakes in the middle of a corner breaking the rear end loose, you're missing most of what makes Forza...well, Forza. Knowing to brake in a straight line, how to make the car roll through a corner and not have the gas/brake be digital on/off switches....stuff like that.

Need for Speed will give you the pile ups and flash that may hold your interest better.

# 32 doubledeuceR6 @ 12/13/13 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildFan22


	I bought F5 and I usually don't usually buy racing games. My question is how can I have fun playing Forza 5? I never see any accidents, the tracks don't change lighting or weather, and if you're in first place you have nothing but a lifeless racetrack to look at. I'm not trolling. I bought the game and I'm trying to get into it. I think I just went into it with the wrong expectations.

Unfortunately there's usually not much of a challenge on even the hardest difficulties in racing games.

Not sure if you're interested but there are a few sites that offer some really good organized racing on Forza. There's not much going on at the moment though with the transition from FM4 to FM5 but there will be in the coming year. These are probably the top 2 for Forza in my opinion:

http://www.virtual-motorsports.com/forums/
http://forums.theonlineracingassociation.com/

Whether you're one of the quickest guys or one of the slowest guys it doesn't matter.

I'll have my XB1 Monday so feel free to add me if you like (CQR Deuce). Not sure how quick I'll be on FM5 with the new physics but on FM4 I was capable of top 50 time on a lot of tracks and even had the occasional top 10 on a select few. (my apologies for the passive brag

)

What assists are you using if any? If you're using a lot of the driver assists you may turn some of those off for more of a challenge.

# 33 ZB9 @ 12/13/13 06:05 PM

I lost control of my car on Le Mans and it rolled 6 times. It's my personal record lol. Needless to say, the car was un drivable after that, with a maximum speed of 15 mph.

# 34 JMD @ 12/14/13 08:50 PM

The only thing Forza Horizon has in common with the other Forza games , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 is the use of the word Forza. It's a completely different game and no where as good as the others.

# 35 burnwood @ 12/17/13 04:46 AM

Anyone take issue with the sun glare? I hate it. I think my dislike for JJ ABrams effects are coloring my opinion of this game no matter how much I play it.

# 36 TCrouch @ 12/17/13 10:05 AM

I like the sun glare, but only because it does a great job of mimicking the difficulty seeing that you get from on-board cameras in races you watch on TV.

I finally got my TX Racing wheel in last night for this game, and it's a completely different experience (naturally). The FF in the game is jaw-droppingly incredible. You can actually feel the front tires chatter and lose traction in a corner, and it gives you some really subtle cues on how far past grip you are--so pushing it a bit further and allowing the rear end to break loose becomes doable, as you can feel exactly when to stab the gas again and shoot the car off out of the corner.

I was absolutely stunned how much cooler it made the game. I know that wheels always work better with racing games, and I'm sick of buying them, but at least my wheel-aholic issues helped here--the default pedals that come with it work alright, but the big T500RS pedals connected directly to it, so now I have a TX wheel with a triple-pedal setup even though their "T3PA" pedals are "Coming Soon".

I'd highly recommend that TX racing wheel if you're on the fence. I've read various reports on the wheel with deadzone issues and whatnot, but I think people just didn't do the firmware update that is required (or didn't do it properly). There are zero issues with the wheel's dead zones or anything else that I experienced.

# 37 doubledeuceR6 @ 12/17/13 11:30 AM

@TCrouch

Have heard lots of positive feedback on the Thrustmaster wheel. Only complaints being rather soft springs on the pedals and no chat functionality yet.

I've always been a pad user myself, my hands cramp up fairly quickly now though so I may take the plunge on a wheel this generation.

# 38 TCrouch @ 12/17/13 12:09 PM

The chat issue is legit. I wondered about that last night, but if they have a wireless solution like the old Bluetooth headsets of last generation, that's all I'll need. My CSR Elite had a weird buzz sound when I would plug in a wired headset on 360, so I'm used to that part.

And yeah--pedals with springs for a brake are very outdated. They have more tension than most spring-based pedal sets I used in the past, and are perfectly serviceable. But obviously a modded T500RS with a clutch pedal is greatly preferred, and even though it doesn't have the load cell of my CSR Elite pedals, the Basher Brake mod gives it much of the same feel. So I think Thrustmaster went a bit skimpy on the pedal unit, but it's better than their trash pedals that come with their non-FF wheels currently.

There's no substitute for a beefier set, though, to be sure.

# 39 doubledeuceR6 @ 12/17/13 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCrouch


	The chat issue is legit. I wondered about that last night, but if they have a wireless solution like the old Bluetooth headsets of last generation, that's all I'll need. My CSR Elite had a weird buzz sound when I would plug in a wired headset on 360, so I'm used to that part. And yeah--pedals with springs for a brake are very outdated. They have more tension than most spring-based pedal sets I used in the past, and are perfectly serviceable. But obviously a modded T500RS with a clutch pedal is greatly preferred, and even though it doesn't have the load cell of my CSR Elite pedals, the Basher Brake mod gives it much of the same feel. So I think Thrustmaster went a bit skimpy on the pedal unit, but it's better than their trash pedals that come with their non-FF wheels currently. There's no substitute for a beefier set, though, to be sure.

Supposedly there may be a workaround for the chat soon, one of the guys I race with has contacted them, he was using the headset through the controller. This was the response he received:

Hi, sorry for the inconvenient caused. Well for the moment, there is a conflict between the gamepad & the steering. Our recommandation is to turn off & not use the gamepad.
We hope that after Forza 5 second update (mi-december), it will be possible to use headset on the gamepad simultaneously with the wheel

# 40 franch1se @ 12/26/13 10:54 PM

ROABS your driveatar is really beginning to piss me off hahah…he always takes me out on turns

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