Forza Motorsport 5 review

Be sure to read our full Xbox One hardware review for and in-depth look at the system and its features

The original Forza Motorsport added some much needed racing simulation to the original Xbox, which until that point only had the drift-heavy Project Gotham to appease car fans. It also put Microsoft’s console head to head with Sony’s PS2 in the eyes of many racing purists, which had the phenomenally successful Gran Turismo. Things have changed for the latest round of the console wars, with Sony’s PS4 lacking an exclusive racing game and Forza Motorsport 5 leading the charge for the Xbox One.

Developer Turn 10 has a passion for racing, which becomes instantly apparent the moment you start your first race. Engine notes are spot on, with subtle differences between straight six and V6 engines, tyre squeal accurately portrays losing grip and the cars themselves are modelled with incredible precision, reacting convincingly when shunted and crumpling on impact.

Such staunch attention to detail transfers into the handling model too, meaning each car behaves realistically on every type of surface, losing traction on gravel and gaining it again as you reach the tarmac. Forza has always tended towards oversteer and this fifth iteration is no different, letting you flick out the back end with barely any effort but recover in time to put the power down when exiting a corner. It brings a smile to your face every time, particularly as you can actually feel each car lose grip or the brakes lock up when entering a corner too quickly.

Assists like this braking line indicator can be switched off for a greater sense of simulation

This is all thanks to the Xbox One controller. The force feedback impulse triggers give a sense of feedback unlike anything we’ve experienced before, with the left stiffening up if you brake too hard and the right twitching as you reach the top of the rev range. It’s expertly implemented here and sets the bar high for future racing games on Microsoft’s console. In fact it transforms them so drastically that if you aren’t looking to invest in a racing wheel, the Xbox One should be your go-to console to get your racing fix.

The races themselves are less predictable than in other driving games, as the AI cars use data captured from other Forza players to add a more human element. The game monitors your driving style and uploads it to Microsoft’s servers, letting your digital self race other players when you’re doing other things to earn in-game credits. This does create a problem, however; whereas computer controlled drivers (and real racers) would brake to avoid collisions, few players do the same when there’s no danger of having to pay for the damage. This makes every overtake and corner a tricky one, as you could get side-swiped or shunted into the crash barrier. Forza’s rewind system makes a return, so you can correct mistakes, but your race purse gets reduced with every use.

Light reflects convincingly off the dashboard, although it’s just as distracting here as it is in real life

Once you leave the track to take a breather, you can pay closer attention to the cars themselves. The amount of detail Turn 10 has captured is simply staggering, with fully modelled interiors, mesh panels and carbon fibre weaves that accurately reflect light in the voyeuristic Forzavista mode. You can walk around each one, open the doors and take a seat behind the wheel – it’s the closest most can get to actually sitting in some of the most expensive cars in the world.

Amazingly for a game with over 200 cars to choose from, we were still left wanting for more. The reason is a lack of circuit variety. After the first hour, when you’re done marvelling at the setting sun over the Bernese Alps and the photorealistic Silverstone paddock, you’ve raced every track several times. New additions like Barthurst and Spa are welcome, but they come at the cost of classics like Suzuka and the Nurburgring, long-standing series favourites that were deemed too lacking in detail to make the jump to the new console generation. Unless Turn 10 rescans and digitises the missing tracks as DLC, the grand total of 14 circuits available today is almost half the number seen in Forza 4. The career mode is a simple succession of 10 race championships, which can be tackled in any order as long as you have an eligible car in your garage. With no kind of dynamic weather or daylight system to shake things up, repetition quickly sets in.

Forzavista lets you inside every car in the game – we just wish you could press all the buttons

There are other grumbles too. Completing a race series increases your bank balance, but unlike previous games it doesn’t award you with any new cars. Everything must be bought, and although nothing is off limits right from the off, the only way to jump straight into the more challenging events is to grind out the lesser championships or use real-world cash to buy a new ride. Players were vocal with their criticisms, to the extent that prices were halved for a promotional weekend, but the system remains in place. That’s right, micro-transactions aren’t just for PC games any more – if you don’t have the in-game cash for that supercharger or transmission upgrade, you can pay a few pounds to buy it and save yourself some racing.

The soaring orchestral soundtrack felt a little out of place at times too, particularly when we were ragging a Mini Cooper around the Top Gear test track. Turn 10 has teamed up with the BBC not only to create a digital version of the most iconic racetrack on Sunday evening telly, but to enlist the vocal musings of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond. Every time you jump into a new race series, one of the three chirps up with some witty commentary on the eligible cars. It will bring a smile to your face if you love Top Gear, but anyone that isn’t a fan will quickly get frustrated with the unstoppable videos.

Forza 5 feels like the series has taken two steps back for every step forward. The controller force feedback is absolutely unparalleled and the game looks sublime running in 1080p at a full 60fps, but the lack of circuit variety and heavy focus on micro-transactions are disappointing. We get the sense that given more time the developer could have delivered, but had to make cuts in order to reach Microsoft’s launch date. It’s still an enjoyable game, but it isn’t the must-have the Xbox One sorely needs.