opponents road-users.
That place is Forza Motorsport 5, which is set to hit the country at the end of this month when the Xbox One lands all official-like. Forza 5 is all about the cars: how they drive, what they look like, how they sound and, in general, just about enjoying yourself while you’re behind the wheel, whether it’s in a stock Mazda or a high-end Italian supercar.
Top Gear
Each section of the game, from the main introduction to the intros to various racing leagues, are given voice-overs by Jeremy Clarkson and the folks from the Top Gear crew. It’s a nice touch, though one that could have been expanded upon. We’d pay good money to have Clarkson and Hammond narrate one or two of our trips around the track instead of just opening the door for us on the way there.
The Brains of the Outfit
This of course means that you’re constantly racing against real people, even when they’re just the AI in your single-player game. Expect to see people on your friends list looming in the rear view or taking the lead, depending on how good they are, while attempting to play the game alone. This also means that opponent performance feels more real than perfectly programmed AI ever could, we saw a few errors made by Drivatar drivers that let us take the lead at crucial moments. It’s always a multiplayer game in that sense, though you also have the option to race against live drivers instead of just intelligent representations of them.
Limiter
There’s also the damage model to worry about or, rather, the lack of one. You can scuff and ding your car but nothing will ever affect performance, even with all the assists set to ‘simulator mode’. Speaking of which, you can choose your experience. Just along for the ride? Assists will keep you (mostly) on the road. Expert driver? Take full control of those horses on the hairpin – if you can.
Verdict
Forza Motorsport 5 is the sort of game that you need to play on the Xbox One, if only to see what developer Turn 10 have done with their Drivatar-controlled AI. But any Top Gear, racing in general or visual candy fans will be impressed with the slick presentation, smooth performance and enjoyability of Forza 5. It makes a nice change from real traffic.