With its first entry in 2005, Forza Motorsport has challenged the throne of a well-established genre leader, which is extremely rare for a newer franchise. Since then, the sim-racing genre has featured dueling front-runners, with Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport taking turns in the lead. The latest entry, simply titled Forza Motorsport, takes a back-to-basics approach to keep pace with its chief rival.
A palpable sense of speed accompanies excellent physics and visuals to create an exceptional racing experience. A number of factors converge, including the track surface, weather, the wear of your tires, and the various tuning elements of your vehicle, to determine how your vehicle handles and feels.
There were no instances when I skidded off the track or allowed an opponent to overtake me in the hundreds of laps I drove where I didn’t immediately understand what I did wrong. However, a penalty system intended to discourage cutting corners or ramming opponents is less clear; one intentionally caused crash yielded no penalty, however I was docked more than a second for some routine paint trading around a corner with the same system. Although I appreciate what it aims to accomplish, the inconsistent penalties left me in disbelief.