We return to stripping the adversaries.
The long wait has finally come to an end, Forza Motorsport 7 is in our hands. A thousand adrenaline, palpitations, a mad desire to whiz on the racing cars made by Turn 10 Studios. It's been 12 years since the first Forza released on Xbox and we have now reached the seventh edition. For fans of motorsport or in any case of racing in general, Forza Motorsport represents, also thanks to the absence of direct rivals, the automotive game par excellence. The work done in recent years by Turn 10 Studios is comparable to what Naughty Dog has managed to do with the Uncharted series. The attention to detail is nothing short of amazing and the driving system, customizable to your liking, adapts perfectly to any player, from the “driver” hungry for victories to the occasional one.
Forza Motorsport 7 also arrives in a very special period for Microsoft, as in recent months, no weight exclusives have been seen. Therefore, inevitably the game (with the recent Cuphead) is first of all called to revive the fortunes of Xbox One and Xbox One S and not least, it will represent the first real exclusive at the launch of the console that intrigues all gamers in the world, or Xbox One X. So Microsoft is betting a lot on Forza Motorsport 7 to start the sales of its next "monstrous" flagship, which from the videos published on the net in recent months, promises a gaming experience that has never been seen before in the field. console. Also for this reason, since the videos released were all focused on the X version of the game, there was more of a perplexity as to what the Xbox One version would have been like. Needless to say, the uncertainties disappeared after a few minutes, practically after getting into the car, starting the engine and taking to the track.
Conquering the podium
Once the game starts, we will be immediately greeted by a stunning opening video in which we will be able to briefly admire a series of supercars and at the end of the same we will find ourselves in front to the first novelty of this seventh chapter, the creation of our pilot. Let's say right from the start that customization is reduced to the bone, the choice focuses on the sex of the driver and the race outfit. If you have played the previous chapters, you will get some bonus customizations. However, the choices will expand race after race and some of them will be really special. It starts with normal racing suits that differ in model and colors, up to special kits from past eras. Once our virtual alter ego has been selected and customized, through a series of flashbacks that will introduce us to a short tutorial, we will finally be able to get in touch with the gameplay of the game and on some features of the title, such as dynamic weather and the fleet of vehicles. Once the first competition has been completed, we will then be ready to find out what Forza 7 offers us.
The offer, compared to the last chapter, remains the same, we will therefore have a career mode that will put us in front of various events divided into categories, the always solid and convincing multiplayer, then passing through the free game, Rivals, Forza TV, Forza Hub and the Auto section that allows us to admire the racing cars in the our garage, also being able to fine-tune and upgrade them. In addition, there are sections that will come later, such as the Auction House, the Leagues and the Forzathon. When they are available, we will then update the review or in any case we will provide you with more news about it.
Certainly the most substantial modality is that career, the Forza Driver's Cup. We define it as a career but at the end of the career there is not much. It deviates enormously from the offer of other automotive titles, placing us in front of events, some of them really bizarre and therefore not foreseeing the growth and development of a professional driver's career. Let's say that the progression does not differ at all from what we saw in Forza 6, the races include 4 events and depending on where we will position ourselves, the aids used and the bonuses applied (the classic changes), we will receive credits or cars. It must be said, however, that the variety of events is very high, from "normal" races to events 1 VS 1 against Ken Block on the Ford Focus, the Bowling Lomousine Top Gear, high-speed chases, racing with historic cars, racing with vans (heavy to drive but with monstrous power), Hunter free races etc.
The car park is really huge, we are talking about over 700 vehicles. They will not all be available immediately but can be unlocked through a particular system, that is the Collector Score. This yardstick provides that by buying and / or winning cars, you will get points that will increase our Collector Score. The higher the score, the more cars we can have access to (for example, to unlock a Lamborghini Murciélago it will be necessary to have a legend rank 5 and a Collector Score of 8000). Some cars, regardless of the Collector Score achieved, will remain inaccessible as they will necessarily have to be found in the prize boxes, won or purchased from a particular dealer, whose offer is limited time and will change over time.
Among the innovations present in Forza Motorsport 7 we also have a reinterpretation of the classic changes to which we were already used to, now in the form of card contained in details Prize funds. These Crates can be purchased at a variable price, starting from 20000 CR for the Modification Crates - Basic (which will give us 4 guaranteed modifications and additional rewards from the challenges), up to 150000 CR for the Elite Mixed Crates ( which will give us more chances to find cars, pilot equipment and modifications). For a limited time, exclusive crates will be available, such as the Lucky Car Crate which increases the chances of finding legendary cars, but which also requires an exorbitant number of CR, 300000. limited use. They will modify some characteristics of the races, requiring for example to use a certain view, or they will require you to carry out certain actions during the race such as having to make a certain number of perfect overtakes.
In addition to the full-bodied Career mode, it is necessary to talk about the other modes available. It starts with the Free Race, in which we can freely set every aspect of the race and "rent" one of the 700 cars. The Rivals mode which consists of a timed challenge against an opponent who, if beaten, will be replaced by another with a better time than the one we scored. Also present is the online mode, which, as mentioned, hides some components, the Leagues in particular. The matchmaking behaves very well, with no uncertainties whatsoever. Multiplayer allows us to select public games or create private ones.
You will eat the dust
But let's move on to the main aspect, the guidance system. Has it changed or has it remained unchanged? First of all we start from the assumption that Forza Motorsport allows you to adjust a series of parameters, which ensure that the game can be a real Arcade up to, why not, flying in hand to be almost a simulation game. A far cry from the recent Project Cars 2 and the more distant Assetto Corsa. The first that makes the voice "big" through the graphic detail and the simulation, the second instead that sacrifices the graphic detail in favor of a very pushed simulation, which certainly is not for everyone. Forza Motorsport 7 is almost in the middle as Turn 10 Studios has always aimed to offer a product that could adapt to everyone, not “discriminating” practically anyone. Which could therefore make one perceive the car's horsepower, the sensation of speed but also a real, solid, convincing and never banal driving system. These choices ensure that, even when changing the type of car, there is always that basic feeling that can make us feel comfortable driving. I do not deny that I have a lot of fun driving the Trucks, which although not very agile, have a truly exceptional power that offers a rewarding and truly unique experience.
However, we tried the various classes of vehicles, which although different from each other, made us perceive a certain permissiveness on the driving system. Yes, there is a slight difference in terms of acceleration, cornering trajectory and weight, but there will never be the feeling that at any moment you can find yourself off the track due to an error exiting the curve or for having dosed bad accelerator. Unfortunately or fortunately these characteristics are not part of the heart of the production, let's say so because, by practicing it will not be difficult to complete the races even at rather high difficulties. The sensations, however, remain very positive. The physics is also well done, making us perceive the difference in surface, from dirt to asphalt that combined with the new dynamic weather, it is truly something unique. The dynamic weather is one of the gems of this seventh chapter, starting with the sun and finding yourself under a storm having to avoid the puddles of water, finally gives the title that extra dimension that was missing. The only flaw is that the dynamic weather is only available in some circuits and not on all tracks.
For more experienced drivers, it will be possible to modify the driving parameters to find the right set-up. The possible adjustments affect the type of vehicle. We will be able to set the braking, activating or not the ABS, the steering, assisted or not, the traction and stability control, whether to race with manual or automatic transmission, set the damage, fuel consumption and tires, if to have the clutch assist and the rewind button if we make mistakes. It goes without saying that Joy-Pad in hand it is necessary to use certain aids, while if you have a steering wheel the story changes radically, so you can indulge yourself and why not, try to compete without any active help.
Beware of opposing Drivatars
One of the aspects that has always worked in Turn 10 Studios productions is certainly that linked to the opposing AI. In fact, Drivatars will always give us that feeling that we do not have full control of the race and that at the slightest mistake they will inexorably punish us. They enter the curves aggressively, make a door during overtaking, there is too much to say but they also manage to "understand" when it is time to avoid a maneuver. However, these aspects were already present in Forza Motorsport 6 and in my opinion they have practically not changed one iota, better this way.
Graphically the top on Xbox One
Graphically, the work done by Turn 10 Studios is exceptional. Every aspect of Forza Motorsport 7 has been taken care of down to the smallest detail. The cars have surprising graphic details (to underline, however, also thanks to the vast fleet of cars available, some cars have fewer polygons than others), not only externally but also inside the passenger compartment. The only wrong note is the position of the driver's hands, not at all convincing compared to other rival productions. Dynamic weather offers that little bit more to the experience, it performs well and it's a shame it's only available on some circuits. Good general lighting and also good fluidity of the game, which runs at 60 stable frames (small uncertainties in some situations but nothing special).
The graphic detail is appreciated more in the internal views. The changes of light, the reflections, the raindrops on the windshield are a real feast for the eyes. In just over a month the game will be available on Xbox One X, we dare not imagine what it will be like to see it and above all play it in 4k. We have not forgotten the paths, perhaps a bit lower from the point of view of the surrounding elements compared to the rival that came out a few weeks ago, but which still manage to leave you speechless. Almost 200 routes and a new track, that of Dubai which is appreciated in all respects. Convincing audio sector, masterfully crafted roars of the engines, too bad that, as in Forza Horizon 3, the dubbing in Spanish is missing that would have completed an already perfect experience like this. From reviewing the sounds generated when we inevitably hit an opposing car or an external barrier, perhaps here there is still work to be done to achieve absolute perfection.
Final comment:
Forza Motorsport 7 represents an extraordinary racing title, the right combination of arcade and simulation. Be careful to consider it a sort of "upgrade" of the amazing Forza Motorsport 6, because this is not the case at all. The improvements are there and are evident, starting with the dynamic weather that gives that extra touch that the series was missing, then passing through a fleet of about 700 cars, which offers plenty of choice, a new lighting system, a greater level of graphic detail, so we leave you to imagine how it can be on Xbox One X and a now solid and convincing guide system. Turn 10 Studios passed the test with flying colors, ultimately making the best racing of the last twenty years. If you've never approached the series, it's time to do it, you won't regret it.
