In Forza Motorsport 4, Microsoft has done the near impossible and produced a game that not only floors all the competition, but also takes the racing genre to the next level.
The introduction to the game, voiced by Jeremy Clarkson, focuses on a love for machinery, racing and speed - and the game oozes this man-machine love from every pore.
Forza 4 has hundreds of cars from more than 50 manufacturers, and multiple race types spread across 24 racetracks.
Each of the cars, tracks and environments are beautifully constructed, and even more than last year, adds to the realism of the racing experience.
The game physics have also improved. Changes have been made to the weight distribution of cars, and improved vehicle responsiveness has made handling more realistic, such that even small collisions can completely change the outcome of a race. Even though these changes seem relatively minor, the more intuitive play means you're able to jump straight into 'hard difficulty' and still be competitive.
Forza keeps its original career modes, but introduces a few new race types, including bowling, drift events and multi-heat races, as well as a few Top Gear mini games, such as the 'soccer' and 'reasonably-priced car' events.
In summary:
Forza 4 raises the bar for the arcade-racing genre. The attention to detail is phenomenal - the graphics are stunning, handling is greatly improved, and the sheer variety of cars and maps is second to none. It finds the perfect balance between a hardcore racing simulator, an arcade racer, and a vehicle showroom.
Pros: Jaw-dropping graphics; huge selection of cars, tracks and race types; voice-activated menus; improved handling; split-screen racing; Kinect racing for parties.
Cons: Kinect integration is seriously flawed.
Score: 9/10
Moment of the game: My wife running me off the road to win the race - even though it was the first time she'd played Forza 4.
Achievement difficulty: 6/10
Price: R499
Contact: BT Games - www.btgames.co.za
The most significant changes to the game come in the online competitive leader boards through the Rivals menu. As with the last few Need for Speed games, Forza 4 compares players' race times with their friends, and challenges players to beat them. Always trying to get one over the next-best Xbox Live friend, or the next-best score, is a seriously addictive experience. I spent hours tweaking and tuning my vehicle, just to break through to the next level.
Forza Motorsport 4 is the first serious racer to feature Kinect integration. It's a good idea, but it doesn't really work for this game. The Kinect integration allows flawless voice menu control, and lets you pick vehicles and tracks with a swipe of a hand.
However, it falls flat when it comes to actually controlling the car. The player steers by holding an imaginary steering wheel, but accelerating, braking and gearing are all auto-controlled. The head tracking function is also strange - it forces the player to look away from the screen to see something at their side. The Kinect feature comes across as more of a novelty than a serious alternative to the racing wheel or controller, and will more likely be used in a party scenario.
However, Microsoft will release the Speed Wheel to coincide with the release of this game, which should make the hands-on experience more satisfying.
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