Forza Motorsport 7 Review

Forza Motorsport 7 is a big improvement when you compare it to its predecessor.  Turn 10 has upped the number of cars and tracks, fined tuned multiple progression systems, beefed up the visuals offering a more visceral driving experience and added a new variable weather system.  In Forza Motorsport 7, simulation racing fans are getting more of a good thing.  There’s not many places that Turn 10 can take the series at this point, they’ve reached a level of visual fidelity and driving feel that is unparalleled.

There’s no big deviation from the traditional formula that’s taken root in the last few entries of the series.  If there’s a big headline about this game, it’s that Forza 7 is an incredible looking racer.  While the Xbox One X isn’t out yet, this is easily one of the best looking games of the generation, even on current consoles.  Building off of an already solid foundation in which previous entries in the series introduced things like night racing and rain, this game couples that with the largest number of tracks and cars the series has ever seen and makes it dynamic.  You’ll see races where day turns to night, night turns to day, sunny skies turn to torrential downpours on some tracks, and this performs the illusion that there’s even more content in this game than what’s in the box.  Sure, if you play enough Forza 7 you’ll see the same track twice, but in your first 20-30 hours with the game it certainly doesn’t feel like it.

Forza 7 Video Review

At launch, Forza 7’s biggest feature is the Forza Driver’s Cup.  It’s similar to previous entries in the series where there are multiple classes that must be unlocked by completing events.  Each of the six championship series’ feature unique racing circuits where you’ll need to use certain types of cars to compete.  As you might expect, the earlier championships feature lesser vehicles and you work your way up to the most powerful classes of vehicles in the game.  Where racing “career modes” have faltered in my opinion is in this structure.  It’s just not fun to play with some of the cars in the early stages of your career.  Forza 7 somewhat remedies this with Showcase events that allow you to get behind the wheel of more powerful vehicles earlier in the game and then let’s you earn them to put in your collection.  Outside of the trophies that you’ll earn for completing these races, there are multiple progression systems at work in the single player side of Forza 7.

The game still works on a system of currency that you need to earn to purchase vehicles.  This currency is earned simply by racing, and can be bolstered once again through the mods system that allows you to perform tasks in-race that will inflate your totals at the finish line.  The game is constantly rewarding you with something, but making you pick between things like currency to purchase your own vehicles, free cars or deep discounts on them, and Driver Gear.  The other system at play here is a collection system that levels as you purchase vehicles.  The more vehicles you purchase, the better vehicles you’ll gain access to.  With five tiers of vehicles to collect, there’s certainly no shortage of vehicles to drive.

Turn 10 has never had a problem with the driving systems of this series.  It’s been getting better and better with each iteration, but Forza 7 feels like a big step forward from previous entries.  The sights, sounds and feedback from the controller come together to form a more visceral experience this time around.  There’s a sense of danger that Turn 10 manages to convey in this game, and it boils down to the incredible sense of speed that Forza 7 has.  This effect is created in part by the visual shaking of the camera in the most intense driving moments and then reinforced through both the sound of the car and feedback in the controls.  It almost feels like your out of control at times, it’s probably what it feels like to peeling down a straight away at 180mph in a Supercar.

Racing against the computer does still feel very much like you’re racing against a computer.  Still implementing the Drivatar system, it’s not really clear just how much the actual habits of that person is in the logic of the A.I.  The computer drivers pull off some amazing stupid maneuvers that no driver in real life would do.  Sacrificing their own race to put you into a wall, piling up on the first corner of every race, giving you that gentle nudge that puts you into a wall every time you’re a little too close.  These things have been in Forza for awhile, and multiple difficulty settings don’t really remedy this.  The racing is good at the front of the pack, but getting there takes being an expert at bouncing off of your competition.  The game does do a good job of getting you into a fun level to play.  Not entirely new for the series, it’s got a number of different A.I. difficulty levels.  The game will prompt you to give them a go if it sees you’re rarely in competitive races.  You can mix and match this A.I. difficulty with a myriad of options for yourself.  You can turn on or off different types of assistance that make it easier or harder to navigate the track.  The harder you make it, the more XP and currency you’ll earn.  Forza 7 can be both a hand holding casual experience or an all-out simulation depending on the settings you choose.  For the die-hard Forza fans there’s plenty of that customization that the game is known for.  Cars can be tuned and upgraded with a bunch of different options.

This one is also a work in progress when it comes to features.  Here at launch, Forza 7 really only has a handful of modes to choose from with Turn 10 promising more to come.  The aforementioned Forza Championship is the main draw and it’s got more than enough content to keep you busy in racing and collecting.  Online multiplayer features the Hoppers system again, with numerous races featuring different car classes to jump into.  You can either use cars from your collection or use rentals for the race.  Multiplayer racers are still what you think they are, it’s a bunch of people slamming into each other hoping to make it to the finish line first.  You can also create private matches with friends, laying down the rules of the road as you see fit.  Online Leagues will be coming to Forza 7, but at this point they are currently unavailable.  Like previous games Turn 10 will be incorporating Forzathon events into the game that are timed events that feature various challenges.  Of course, there are other things to do in Forza 7.  You can free play, play local split-screen, or take on rival challenges.  Another big omission at launch, but a feature that is coming is the return of the auction house.  Just how it will function we’re not sure as it’s not available just yet, but if it’s anything like previous Forza games it’s a feature that added a lot of depth to the game in allowing players to tune cars, design paint jobs for them, and then sell them to the highest bidder.

Forza 7 is definitely chocked full of content with more on the way.  It’s hard to knock it for what’s here right now.  Whether or not multiplayer, leagues, the auction house and the other features that aren’t currently in the game can keep players around once they’ve finished the excellent single player career is a bit of a mystery.  If little has been changed from Forza 6 in terms of leagues and multiplayer it could very well feel stale after you’ve collected all of the cars there are to have.  That said, it’s hard to point out a better looking, better playing racer with more options than are currently available in this game.

The Verdict

Turn 10 turned in their biggest game in terms of tracks, cars, and features with Forza 7, and it very well may be their best one yet.