The racing genre is stacked with great experiences that each satisfy a different audience. Fans of arcade-ish titles have Wipeout, Kart enthusiasts have Mario Kart or Crash Team Racing, among others, and those wanting a realistic simulation have Codemasters' F1 series or Assetto Corsa. Some franchised blur the lines, opting to cast a wide net that brings in fans from all over. Need For Speed, Burnout, and Forza Motorsport all 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-titled Forza Motorsport looks to be a significant step up from 2017’s Forza 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 Motorsport has a significant mountain to climb if it wants to usurp the likes of Gran Turismo, Need For Speed: Unbound, and F1 22 as the most advanced racer ever.
Forza Has a Grid Full of Competition
Forza has always been Xbox’ answer to Gran Turismo, and it has more than stacked up over the years. Whereas the latter was a slower, more simulation-esque series, Forza struck a good balance between an immersive experience that never felt too slow, something that Gran Turismo suffers greatly from. However, Polyphony Digital’s flagship franchise has never faltered in the presentation department, with bar-setting visuals and iconic sound design that ensures that, while Gran Turismo caters to a somewhat niche audience, it does so with a meticulous attention to detail.
Conversely, Need For Speed always 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. Forza has 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, from Dirt to Team Sonic Racing that swamp the space. Forza Motorsport making such a bold claim is a slippery slope, because not only is it an essential title in the limited 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, Forza has become one of the elite names not just in the racing games genre, but the AAA scene in its entirety. Forza Horizon is where the best open-world driving experiences can be had, and Forza Motorsport wonderfully 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’s Forza Motorsport could 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 the technical prowess of Forza 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 Motorsport is scheduled to release in Spring 2023 on PC and Xbox consoles.