Forza Motorsport 5 Reviews
The end result is, that not through lack of effort, Forza 5 turns out to be the first true regression the series has seen since its inception.
Forza Motorsport 5 is a fantastic racing game that employs the worst of the worst when it comes to monetization strategies. $60 is no longer enough for even one day of the full Forza experience.
The great driving and great looks of Forza 5 get buried by bad menus, frustrating AI, and a disappointing number of "opportunities" to spend additional money.
Forza Motorsport 5's Career mode is a shell of its former self, giving little reason for players to keep coming back. Couple this with a dismal launch lineup of cars and tracks, and this is a surprising step backward for the Forza franchise as it helps kick off Microsoft's next-gen console.
If none of these things bother you, you'll get hours upon hours of enjoyment out of Forza 5. And if you are bothered, both Polyphony Digital and Slightly Mad Studios will have competing offers in short order. Either way, you won't be disappointed.
Forza Motorsport 5 is quite simply car porn running at 1080p, 60fps. Visually stunning and without a rival on the next gen stage. If you are looking for car porn along with a cold, distant racing simulator then grab a copy as quickly as humanly possible, you will fall in love with Forza Motorsport 5. However if you are a more casual player of racing games, sadly with the scaled back content, stiff driving, dreadful soundtrack, microtransactions and completely unengaging career mode, you will need to wait for a racer that is actually fun. So sadly whilst it looks absolutely gorgeous the overall experience leaves you feeling a little bit cold, the feeling that you are simply going through the motions consumes you and how could we ever forgot "Press Y now to level faster".
Forza 5 still has the same gameplay that made it so popular, but the lack of tracks and the overall atmosphere hamper the experience.
Forza has some major problems, but the core gameplay is as good as ever.
It's quite possibly the best looking next-gen title. Hardcore fans will enjoy it to its full extent, but it's fairly forgiving to newcomers as well. There's just not a ton of middle ground, you'll either really love it or not be interested at all.
Forza Motorsport 5 is a technical triumph, offering up incredible achievement in both precision and realistic graphics good enough to show off your new Xbox One. Unfortunately a few baffling design decisions ultimately hold it back from feeling truly next-gen, making Forza Motorsport 5 a good racer, but certainly not built for everyone.
While Forza Motorsport 5 is a strong launch-day title for Xbox One, it has more style than substance and serves better as a foundation for future next-gen Forza Motorsport titles than the limited sampler that it really is.
An excellent driving game but one sullied by cheapskate microtransactions. a lack of tracks, and the dubious worth of the Drivatar technology.
Ignore the nonsense, though, and it can still be electrifying. Take an Audi R18 e-tron away from the messy drone of the career and set about beating a Rivals hot lap time around Spa and it's sublime: the diesel engine roars stealthily, the sun streaming through the Ardennes' thick forest. With Forza Motorsport 5, Turn 10's created a driving experience both accessible and beautiful - but it's been stripped back to make Xbox One's launch, and augmented with a host of ugly extras that only serve Microsoft's bid to make a few dollars more.
Take away the pretty looks, and Forza Motorsport 5 is a sterile mess of gaping holes where features from previous games once were. Forza has never had a serious career mode, but an overhaul to the established formula seems overdue. Other than the new graphics and the Drivatar system, there isn't much that differentiates it from the prior release. Its saving grace is that the racing is so refined that once you are in a race, a lot of its shortcomings seem to no longer matter. Forza 5 will do as a holdover racing game for now, but for all the bombast that next-gen brings, the game is awfully stagnant, and its lack of competition has never been more apparent.
With much relying on Forza Motorsport 5 being a key launch title for the Xbox One, will it outrun its competitors or will it stall on the starting grid?
Forza Motorsport 5 is a great game hindered by a lack of content – the offering of cars and tracks here is simply too skimpy. The Drivatar system impresses though, and is a rare game feature worthy of its own silly portmanteau.
Turn 10's Xbox One debut delivers magnificent graphics and excellent car physics, but its primary mode follows an old and well-worn road.
Forza Motorsport 5 sets the bar high for visual fidelity and simulation racing on the Xbox One. Sadly, design choices and lack of content get in the way of the fun.
[I]f you've got a next-gen console and you're into racing simulators, it's your only choice - and it's far from a bad one. Just don't expect it to be the "next step" or any kind of evolution of the genre.
This is the definitive version of Forza. A great racing sim and even better Xbox One title, it's only letdowns are some niggling legacy issues from past games in the series.