The racing genre is stacked with great experiences that each satisfy a different audience. Fans of arcade-ish titles haveWipeout, Kart enthusiasts haveMario KartorCrash Team Racing, among others, and those wanting a realistic simulation have Codemasters’F1series orAssetto Corsa. Some franchised blur the lines, opting to cast a wide net that brings in fans from all over.Need For Speed,Burnout, andForza Motorsportall sit in that category, but while the first two are well liked enough, the latter is surely the most widely respected of the three. It’s one of Microsoft’s most valuable and high-quality franchises, and has been for the years preceding the launch of the Xbox Series X and even the Xbox One.
The new entry in the series, aptly-titledForza Motorsportlooks to be a significant step up from 2017’sForza Motorsport 7, and promotional material has promised that its ambitions are high. The ‘most technically advanced racing game’ is a bold claim, especially in the genre’s current climate, but Xbox and Turn 10 Studios will surely be hoping that this is the case. Past successes have made the statement feel feasible, but despite the Series X’ obvious hardware power,Forza Motorsporthas a significant mountain to climb if it wants to usurp the likes ofGran Turismo, Need For Speed: Unbound, andF1 22as the most advanced racer ever.
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Forza Has a Grid Full of Competition
Forzahas always been Xbox’ answer toGran Turismo, and it has more than stacked up over the years. Whereas the latter was a slower, more simulation-esque series,Forzastruck a good balance between an immersive experience that never felt too slow, something thatGran Turismosuffers greatly from. However,Polyphony Digital’s flagship franchisehas never faltered in the presentation department, with bar-setting visuals and iconic sound design that ensures that, whileGran Turismocaters to a somewhat niche audience, it does so with a meticulous attention to detail.
Conversely,Need For Speedalways pushes the boundaries of art style, and fast, frantic action. It’s technically advanced but in an entirely different direction, and appeals largely to a separate group of gamers.Forzahas the potential to capture a sizable chunk of that audience, as it still allows players to feel like they’re moving at speed. There are plenty of other racing games, fromDirttoTeam Sonic Racingthat swamp the space.Forza Motorsportmaking such a bold claim is a slippery slope, because not only is it an essential title in thelimited Xbox first party catalog, but it also has to back it up when the competition is sky-high.
If Any Franchise Can Push the Boundaries, its Forza
With two separate design formulas and a swathe of fans across the globe,Forzahas become one of the elite names not just in the racing games genre, but the AAA scene in its entirety.Forza Horizonis where the best open-world driving experiencescan be had, andForza Motorsportwonderfully recreates the track-day drama. Both philosophies are proven to wield positive results, but the cherry atop the cake is how good they look, sound, and feel. It’s a big promise, but not a huge stretch to believe that 2023’sForza Motorsportcould be the one to reset the bar for other franchises to attempt to stumble over in the future.
Turn 10 Studios and Xbox seem eager to discuss thetechnical prowess ofForza Motorsport, and history indicates this is for good reason. The series consistently demonstrates a high level of polish, presentation, and technical performance. To insist that it is the ‘most technically advanced racing game’ is still a very bold claim, though, and places a lot of pressure on the developer to fulfill the promise, especially given the quality of other franchises in the genre.
Forza Motorsportis scheduled to release in Spring 2023 on PC and Xbox consoles.
