Developer Turn 10 is back with the eighth game in the Forza series, which returns to the name Forza Motorsport. After six years since Forza Motorsport 7, the pressure is on to deliver, but a showcase of smart design decisions could do wonders to create a new layer of excitement for the popular franchise.
In particular, Forza Motorsport will be a chance for a major racing series to showcase that player experience comes above all else. Its PlayStation rival Gran Turismo was rightfully criticized after Gran Turismo 7 added greedy microtransactions after launch and broke the game’s progression, and this is the kind of controversy should be avoided at all costs. Meanwhile, Forza Motorsport will also need to provide something for players to sink their teeth into, and a recent preview build gives a brief snapshot of what this could look like.
That said, it does seem to take more influence from some Forza games than others, in particular Forza 3 and 4. Car building is expected to be a core part of the Builder’s Cup, as the name suggests, and with a reported 800 performance upgrades available this should give those who like to dive into the technical side plenty to ponder. But of course, that’s all moot if the gameplay itself isn’t enjoyable – all the tweaks in the world won’t turn a so-called ‘CarPG’ into something exciting if the player can’t lose themselves in fastest laps and overtakes.
Thankfully, Forza Motorsport’s also received a focus on the racing side of things. As before, the series is looking to straddle that sim-cade line, not quite as grueling as games like Assetto Corsa or iRacing (or indeed the more lenient experience that is the likes of the varied and enjoyable F1 23), but requiring more focus than your average arcade racer. From this preview, Forza Motorsport will be at its most enjoyable when the player drops many of the assists for a fast-flowing racing game.
The level of customization itself also seems to be rather impressive, with the player able to pick and choose what works for them. This should provide users with the means to choose what kind of difficulty they want from the experience, especially with tweaks to the grid system that sees the player able to choose their starting position with a boost or loss of reward at the end of the race.
2023-09-11 23:00:04
Original from screenrant.com
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