While there's certainly something to be said about Turn 10's overreliance on temporary, live-service content in Forza Motorsport, the studio has been adding lots to the game post-release. All-new tracks are usually the highlights of their respective updates, and Update 5's Nürburgring Nordschleife will be no different.

Slated for release sometime around mid-February, Forza Motorsport's Update 5 seems to be positively loaded with fixes and improvements. Important as they may be, these fixes aren't nearly as exciting as the long-anticipated release of the legendary 20.8-kilometer Nordschleife track, coming as a follow-up to Update 4's Daytona International Speedway and Update 3's Hockenheim. In comparison, Nordschleife is supposed to be a fair bit longer and more challenging, hopefully rivaling the racing heft of its real-world inspiration.

Forza Motorsport's Update 5 features the Nürburgring Nordschleife

Previously demoed as part of January 2024's Forza Monthly livestream, Nürburgring Nordschleife is one of the most popular and interesting racing tracks in the world, and the fact that it wasn't available in Forza Motorsport on day one was, arguably, a serious misstep for racing aficionados.

Thankfully, Turn 10 is now aiming to resolve this fault once and for all, allowing players to race on the Nordschleife in any of Forza Motorsport's available game modes.

Whether you're looking to try and beat 2022's production car lap record (6:35.183, for posterity's sake) or simply level up your vehicles on a fun and challenging new track, Nordschleife will be yours to do with as you please as soon as Update 5 hits your download queue.

In a broader sense, Forza Motorsport's Update 5 also marks the beginning of Turn 10's long-term fix-up plan for the game, as outlined in the studio's announcement from earlier this year. More specifically, Turn 10 promises that Update 5 will include all of the following improvements:

• Option to skip practice in Career Mode events via the pre-race menu
• Practice Session save point
• Livery Editor fixes and quality-of-life improvements
• Resolved letterboxing while using Photo Mode on non-baseline aspect rations (e.g. 21:9)
• PC performance improvements (reduced CPU spikes and better GPU utilization) and framerate consistency
• Resolved crashes caused by multi-threaded rendering
• Fixed performance issues caused by video setting changes

The full list is, of course, far more exhaustive, but this should give you an idea of what to expect out of Update 5.

Naturally, players should still expect the majority of newly added content to be of the temporary sort, with new Career Mode championships replacing the currently available roster. That is the nature of Forza Motorsport's live-service approach, however. As long as there's some evergreen content dropping in with large batches of fixes for all platforms, most players should find the game's FOMO relatively easy to ignore.

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While Forza Motorsport may well insist on steering well clear of permanently adding new events to its roster, the developer Turn 10 has been able to deliver on some key fronts regardless. After the release of Hockenheim in December, in comes the Daytona International Speedway, at long last.

More broadly, new race tracks are the most notable repeat additions to Forza Motorsport's selection of content following its October launch window. Almost every major new patch has introduced a new track so far, and with Daytona coming in as part of Update 4 later today, on January 16, this seems poised to continue. Sadly, the rest of Update 4's content roster is way more transient after all.

Forza Motorsport's Update 4 adds the legendary Daytona

The Daytona International Speedway is, of course, the crowning jewel of Forza Motorsport's Update 4, but there's more to the patch than just that. For one, all three of the game's post-launch tracks (Yas Marina, Hockenheim, and Daytona) will now be integrated into existing evergreen Builders Cup events. This should help refresh the game's permanent race roster to some extent, though there's plenty of temporary content being added as part of Update 4 as well.

The Career Mode is, for example, being updated with the all-new Italian Challengers Featured Tour, pitting players against Italian vehicles in key motorsport niches. These are as follows:

• January 18: All-Wheel Driven
• January 25: Roadster Renaissance
• February 1: Alfa Performance
• February 8: Prancing Power

All four of these cups will, of course, get phased out of the game's rotation of active content on February 29. Players interested in racing against iconic Italian powerhouses ought to jump into the game before the time is up.

Naturally, Forza Motorsport's Open Tour mode is being refreshed as well. Whereas the last update featured races against vehicles built in the United Kingdom, players will now have the opportunity to face off against classic racing cars. The Open Tour refresh is kicking in on January 18, and players who complete all four of its events (C, B, A, and S-tier, respectively) will unlock the Alfa Romei Giulia Sprint GTA from 1965.

Now, there is an assortment of multiplayer events being added to the game as well, but Forza Motorsport is in a bit of a pickle in that regard. Notably, while Turn 10 may have promised massive improvements to the game's core systems for 2024, online racing communities TORA and Racing Haven have paused FM events until all of their qualms with the game are resolved. As Forza Motorsport banks heavily on its multiplayer features to keep players coming back for more, this is bad news for Turn 10, who will need to fight tooth and nail to get fans back into the game.

As good as Forza Motorsport's driving physics and core gameplay may be, Turn 10 still has a long road ahead of it before the game could be considered one of the greats. For those who are sticking with it, Update 4's Daytona should be a joy to race on, at least.

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Everyone knows by now that Forza Motorsport launched in a less-than-stellar state in October last year. Developer Turn 10 has since pulled up its sleeves in the interim, delivering a series of solid updates over the last few months, but the best is yet to come.

At the very least, that's what Turn 10 itself claims in its latest development roundup. The studio is planning major revisions to three areas of Forza Motorsport's gameplay: the car progression system, AI, and race regulations. These should be getting revamped "in the coming months," though the extent of the changes isn't clear.

Turn 10 aims to continue improving Forza Motorsport in 2024

Naturally, Turn 10's window into what's going on behind the scenes with Forza Motorsport is great news. All three of the major gameplay aspects the studio highlighted do indeed need further revisions, with car progression, in particular, being a bit of a sore spot from day one.

"Addressing [the feedback on car progression] is a top priority for the team going into 2024, however it will take some time to properly evaluate options, make the necessary code changes, and thoroughly test those code changes," notes the blog.

Additionally, Turn 10 has seemingly reached out to experienced community members for help with Forza Motorsport's implementation of race regulations: "It’s important that we capture all the data that we can about a race when FRR rulings happen in error, so over the next few months, we will be working with some long-time competitive Motorsport players to gather direct telemetry from them while they’re playing."

As for the game's sometimes shoddy AI, improvements should be dropping in soon: "We understand how important it is to have fair and competitive AI in Motorsport and our top priorities in early 2024 are addressing overly aggressive AI, while also getting a cleaner race start into turn 1 where many of the issues above most severely manifest and impact players."

Great news across the board, but perhaps telling that not a word was said about Forza Motorsport's reliance on FOMO and timed events. Timed unlocks are unlikely to be changed anytime soon, of course, but if Turn 10 can deliver on all three of the frontlines promised, then the player base should have a far superior product at hand, regardless.

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Following its fairly problematic release, Forza Motorsport has slowly but surely started turning things around at the rate of a first-generation Bugatti Veyron, as it were. While the new updates have been adding lots of content, it just so happens that much of it is temporary, at best.

More specifically, even though the developer Turn 10 has been hard at work producing new events and adding them to Forza Motorsport's roster of available content, none of them are going to be permanently available as part of the game's relatively barebones Career mode. Updates 2.0 and 3.0 have both introduced two new Career Tours each (with four unique races featured in every Tour), only to have them taken out of the rotation as their respective seasons get wrapped up.

Forza Motorsport's Career championships are pure FOMO

As Forza Motorsport's Career Mode doesn't offer racing opportunities for many of the game's vehicles, this sets up a situation where Turn 10 introduces distinctive events and Tours as temporary additions, which is a clear signifier of FOMO (i.e. fear of missing out) player retention tactics. Even the Forza Motorsport community has caught wind of Turn 10's take on temporary content, and players are unhappy about it.

Naturally, there are unique, temporarily accessible rewards attached to these temporary Tours. Players who have missed out on getting the 2020 Acura ARX-05 and the 2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance models while their respective Tours were up can no longer obtain these cars, for example.

Even though this strategy is relatively novel to Forza Motorsport proper, it's not new to Forza at large. Playground Games' Forza Horizon 5 is infamously loaded with seasonal exclusivity and time-limited events, for example. One could argue that the new Motorsport's take on FOMO wouldn't be so problematic if its Career Mode had races for all of its vehicle types, but as it stands, there's just no reason why all of the game's post-launch content would have to get yanked out of rotation every so often.

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Turn 10 has just announced its plans for Forza Motorsport's Updates 3 and 4, with Update 3 already jotted for release on December 12. Its highlight feature? The iconic Hockenheim race track, featuring three unique track layouts and a whole suite of new vehicles to test on it.

Even though Forza Motorsport launched with a huge array of problems, especially on PC, the developer Turn 10 seems to be juggling both game fixes and the introduction of all-new content fairly well. The game's first post-launch track, Yas Marina, was released as part of Update 2 on November 14, and Hockenheim is being added into the mix almost exactly a month after it. As Update 3, too, promises a suite of stability and performance improvements alongside new content, this sets a steady pace for fans of the title.

Forza Motorsport gets the Hockenheim track on December 12

As per Turn 10's official announcement, Update 3's Hockenheim track for Forza Motorsport comes bearing three distinctive track layouts for players to choose from:

• 2.8-mile Full Circuit track
• 2.3-mile National Circuit track
• 1.6-mile Short Circuit track

On top of being featured as part of new championships, Time Attack missions, and other assorted content, players will also be able to experience Hockenheim using the open-ended free-play options, should they choose to do so.

Hockenheim isn't the only truly new bit coming as part of Forza Motorsport's Update 3, however. Notably, Turn 10 is introducing unique Driver Level milestones at levels 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100, each with its own unique race suit customization. Further, there's a selection of interesting new vehicles being added to the Spotlight roster over the next couple of months:

• December 14-21: Automobili Pininfarina Battista (2020)
• December 21-28: Ferrari 296 GTB (2022)
• December 28 - January 4: McLaren Sabre (2021)
• January 4-11: Aston Martin Valkyrie (2023)
• January 11-18: Lamborghini #63 Squadra Corse Huracán LP620-2 Super Trofeo (2015)

Those who just want a slew of new races to burn rubber in, the exciting Contemporary Tour is featuring top-end sports and super-sports vehicles from across the world. The Contemporary Tour, note, is a timed offering and needs to be completed before January 31. The British Marques is, on the other hand, being added to the game's Open Tour cup roster, and completing its C, B, A, and S race series before January 18 will unlock 2015's McLaren 650S.

Turn 10 is also adding a slew of other Rivals and Featured Multiplayer events, each of which tackles a different aspect of automotive sports. Plenty of variety is in tow for Update 3, then, and Turn 10 has already confirmed that Update 4 will be released sometime around mid-January, giving us some insight into the game's longer-term content pipeline.

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Forza Motorsport launched in a less-than-stellar state, with performance problems, bugs, and graphical glitches galore. Turn 10 is aware and working on some of those issues, but Forza's community is also hard at work improving how the game looks.

According to Gabriel Corrêa's Reddit post, they may have discovered a way to improve Forza Motorsport's shipped ray tracing capabilities by a fair margin. After snooping through files, Corrêa explained how they pieced together that Motorsport's configuration still used low-definition textures even when set to Ultra. Corrêa also shows they fixed the rendition of wheels at extreme speeds, along with other issues discovered combing configuration files.

"I compared the files in FM with those in FH5 and found these problems," wrote Corrêa. "512x512 cubemap texture (how can they promise realistic reflections if the texture of the reflections has no definition?), shadows/paintings of opponents/skybox all in low definition even in ULTRA, wheels becoming a .PNG with blur instead of the 3D model, several LOD levels but with super low change metrics (a texture at 200m had no definition due to LOD adjustments) and many other problems that were adjusted based on values from FH5 and Assetto Corsa."

As Digital Foundry pointed out in its technical review (hosted on Eurogamer): "Early preview footage from the game - as well as some of the shipping game's real-time cinematics - showcase expanded RT reflections, with the environment displayed as well." These expectations were not hit in regular gameplay, even on PC, with the game's real-time ray tracing instead launching in its subdued, less impressive form.

On YouTube, Corrêa goes into more detail about their "nerfed" Forza fix. The footage demonstrates the better reflections, textures, and wheels all in action.

Official fixes for Forza Motorsport are coming

While Corrêa's "unnerfed" ray tracing implementation is very welcome indeed, Turn 10 isn't sitting on its laurels either. As per the studio's announcement, Forza Motorsport players should expect patches soon. Among those fixes include: "tweaks to the gameplay systems, features and quality of life improvements, as well as new content that will be introduced every month."

Forza Motorsport had a suite of far more comprehensive ray-tracing features. Turn 10 specifically mentioned Global Illumination (or RTGI) in an earlier version of its FAQ, only for it to never materialize. This, combined with Forza Motorsport's seemingly broken and/or partial RT implementation, suggests that Turn 10 may end up delivering big graphical updates to the game later down the line. Forza Horizon fans may recall something similar happened with Forza Horizon 5's in-game ray tracing, too.

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As one of the more hotly anticipated games of 2023, a lot has been riding on the new Forza Motorsport. A soft reboot for the long-lasting franchise, it has taken a whopping six years for the developer Turn 10 to push out a new entry. While this would usually be cause for celebration, things aren't looking great as it currently stands, with an impressive list of known issues in Forza Motorsport for Turn 10 to acknowledge and resolve.

On day one of the game's release, Turn 10 published a comprehensive list of known issues in Forza Motorsport, counting dozens of problems big and small. This, of course, isn't a problem in and of itself, but the sheer number of bugs on show is rather impressive.

It does get worse, too. On top of backend bugs, balancing issues, and performance problems, Forza Motorsport also suffers from a whole array of visual problems. Community members have been reporting extremely muddy textures and instances of car cockpits loading only partially, for example, but there may well be bigger fish for Turn 10 to fry. More specifically, Forza Motorsport can look remarkably unflattering at times, and no one knows yet whether that's the intended effect or not.

Forza Motorsport releases in a rough state

On a technical level, Forza Motorsport does indeed deliver the sort of experience that racing game fans have come to know and expect out of the franchise. It's a highly technical and engaging racer that feels appropriately similar to its wackier cousin, Forza Horizon 5, all the while being more serious and grounded. The fact that Motorsport comes with such a massive list of bugs on day one, though, has left a bad taste for some.

Some of the most egregious examples include the following:

• Matchmade individuals are matched using the incorrect values (lowest safety rating & highest skill rating instead of average safety rating & skill rating)
• Party host can't move between different events after a race without disbanding or having to matchmake & exit
• Player on Eaglerock Full Circuit may hit wall before receiving control
• The game may not stay in fullscreen when playing on a non-primary monitor if the monitors are not the same resolution. 
• AMD machines running the PC builds will perform the entire shader precompiling step at every launch. Faster machines should be done in a minute or so, but older machines can take several minutes. 
• Playing offline due to not being able to connect to the Forza servers may result in an endless login retry loop. 

Again, these are just some of the highlights from the full list of known issues in Forza Motorsport, as outlined by Turn 10. Further still, it appears unlikely that Turn 10 has identified all of Forza Motorsport's bugs at this time. On Reddit, players are reporting issues that haven't yet been added to the official list. In other words, as bad as the official list looks, it likely should be a fair bit longer still.

It's a rough day for Forza Motorsport, then, and Turn 10 has a long road ahead of it.

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Xbox's spring plans are set in motion

The curtains have closed on Xbox and Bethesda's Developer Direct. The roughly 45-minute showcase spotlighted a taste of the year ahead for Xbox studios, running the gamut from updates on big launches to an out-now surprise.

It was, I think, a pretty solid showcase. Direct and to-the-point, the studios under Microsoft's banner showed off just what's in store in the coming months and year. Granted, this isn't all that Xbox has in store; we didn't see Starfield, though we knew we wouldn't going in.

This felt like a nice check-in for the new year. A few games finally locked in their release dates, the Forza team at Turn10 got to show off their rad tech, and Tango Gameworks dropped a surprise. Here's the rundown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Et8r1413Y

Everything shown at the Xbox & Bethesda Developer Direct

Minecraft Legends kicked the show off with a spotlight on its multiplayer. I'll admit, while the action-RPG hadn't hooked me in before, the build-and-battle set-up of its PvP looks like it could be fun. Brawling with mobs and ransacking the enemy's base, or forging an impenetrable fortress of your own, could be a good time for gaming groups with disparate tastes. Mojang and Blackbird Interactive's new Minecraft spin-off arrives April 18, 2023.

Next came the Forza Motorsport team, highlighting the work its putting into the next Motorsport entry. No date on this yet outside 2023, but the cars look and sound great. Big fan of the red convertible Mazda they highlighted during the stream.

Tango Gameworks was next on the mic, and they used their time to reveal Hi-Fi Rush, a departure from their usual horror-inspired games. It's a rhythm-action game with a ton of style and color, and if you like the look, I have great news for you: it's out now on Xbox Series X|S and PC. A nice little "out now" surprise!

The Elder Scrolls Online revealed that its next expansion, Necrom, is on the way. It's a very Morrowind expansion, set in the Dunmer City of Dread. And what's more, all previous expansions will be free for a limited time. Seems like a decent thing to check out if you can't wait for Elder Scrolls VI.

Lastly, Arkane Austin took the stage with Redfall, its vampire-infested RPG-shooter. The co-op action looks solid, and there's a lot of town to retake from the dreaded horrors. It won't be long until your party can venture into Redfall either, as the new Arkane adventure arrives on May 2, 2023.

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Come, Shiny Vampires...

Microsoft Bethesda is all set to broadcast its Developer_Direct presentation — The live-streaming event will kick off in about 30 minutes from now, and can be watched right here on Destructoid via the embed below.

The show will see the Black and Green brand showing off extended updates and tidbits for some of the biggest games set to hit the Xbox and PC platform in 2023. The presentation, as the title suggests, will be led by the developers themselves, as they proudly display their wares for the eager Xbox audience.

We are unlikely to get any major surprises at this relatively low-key show, but whispers abound that we will be finally receiving release dates for Arkane's trendy monster masher Redfall, and the visually dazzling racer Forza Motorsport. We can also expect updates on both Minecraft Legends and The Elder Scrolls Online.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Et8r1413Y&ab_channel=Xbox

Here is the itinerary, as listed on the official Xbox and Bethesda blog:

• The Elder Scrolls Online: Studio Director Matt Firor will unveil 2023’s major Chapter update, including the latest regions of Tamriel to become playable in ESO, as well as a major new feature coming in the game’s biggest update this year. The Developer_Direct will be immediately followed by the full, standalone ESO Chapter Reveal Event, hosted by Zenimax Online Studios, which will provide all the in-depth details ESO players will be keen to know.
• Forza Motorsport: The team at Turn 10 Studios have been hard at work, bringing fans the next generation of Forza Motorsport, built from the ground up to take advantage of Xbox Series X|S. Forza Motorsport is back, and we can’t wait to share more gameplay and exciting new details.
• Minecraft Legends: Mojang Studios will showcase an insider’s look into the PvP multiplayer experience in Minecraft Legends – the upcoming action-strategy game from the makers of Minecraft. Developed in partnership with Blackbird Interactive and launching this spring, don’t miss exclusive gameplay footage at the Developer_Direct.
• Redfall: The minds behind Dishonored and Prey, Arkane Austin, will showcase several minutes of gameplay from their upcoming FPS. The Developer_Direct will reveal single and multiplayer gameplay, showing more of how you and your friends will take down bloodthirsty Vampires on the picturesque island of Redfall, Massachusetts. Fans can expect to learn more about combat, customization, bosses, the open world, and more.

The Developer_Direct stream kicks off today, January 25 at 12:00 PT / 15:00 ET / 21:00 BST. You can watch with us below, or you can check out the action over on the official Xbox and Bethesda  Twitch channels. Our team will be sure to break out all of the biggest news for our front page, so, like the man said: Don't touch that dial!

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Big first-party Xbox Series X|S titles will see a price hike, including Starfield

Xbox manufacturer Microsoft has confirmed it's bumping up the price of its major first-party games. The tag on a new major Xbox game in 2023 will be going from $60 up to $70.

IGN broke the news that Microsoft's major, built-for-Xbox Series games are seeing a tick up to $69.99 USD. Regional pricing may differ, though specifics have not been outlined yet.

A spokesperson told IGN that the price reflect "the content, scale and technical complexity" of the games. Titles seeing the bump will still be available on launch with Xbox Game Pass.

This $70 price point will apply to some of the Xbox heavy-hitters for the new year, including Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmb2FJGvnAw

The price of the game

Xbox head Phil Spencer said in October that he did think the company would, at some point, have to raise prices "on certain things." The price point was going to stick headed into the holidays, but once we're into 2023, that will see the tag finally shift.

It's a bump that several other companies have already made, too. PlayStation has hiked its prices up to $70 for its blockbuster first-party games, and publishers like Ubisoft have made similar moves. Others, like Capcom, haven't made the shift.

This comes amid a move to hike the price of hardware, too. Sony has also increased the price of the PlayStation 5 in select regions. And on the VR side of things, the Meta Quest 2 saw a price hike earlier this year.

Microsoft declined to comment to IGN about any potential console price increases.

Frequently, the rising cost of development has been cited as a factor in price increases. But as those initial tags go up, it certainly does make Xbox Game Pass seem like a good offer.

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That's the eighth game in the series, not the franchise itself

When Microsoft unveiled "Forza Motorsport" back in 2020, a few heads turned. Not just because the trailer looked good! But because of the confusing name. This is the eight entry in the franchise, but Turn 10 and Microsoft are sticking with that title.

Turn 10 says it's the "most technically advanced racing game ever made," and includes ray tracing, and "fully dynamic time of day" mechanics. It'll also feature tire and fuel management, tire compound nuance, and "advanced materials and shaders," with ray tracing making the game pop a lot more in terms of engine bay detail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hrsYu8Vy04

The enhanced damage mechanic is also a huge focus, which gets as literally granular as dirt buildup. Microsoft says that the ray-tracing elements are via the "Xbox Series X and S consoles." The insane environmental upgrades are obvious based on the trailer, as they confidently showcased a zone that seemingly looked like a real-life area. It's convincing! I thought Gran Turismo looked great on PS5, but the differences between some of the Forza stuff here seems like it'll look even better.

Forza Motorsport is coming spring 2023 on PC, Xbox consoles, and cloud devices. And on Game Pass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL4h5cMONIs

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Imagine that

Simulation racers, by definition, are rooted in reality. They are approximations of real-life racing in video game form. Forza Motorsport is a series that has staked a claim over the years as one of the very best at simulating the experience of being on the road and track.

That's why an announcement-adjacent developer video for the new Forza Motorsport might strike you as odd. Turn 10 creative director Chris Esaki says "The new Forza Motorsport is a reimagining of the franchise. It's taking what has made Forza great over the last 15 years and pairing that with great new game concepts."

How can you reimagine a series whose first-and-foremost goal for seven titles was inching closer and closer to complete and utter realism? What "new game concepts" are out there for a sim racer? Forza Motorsport has already been reimagined once, and it resulted in the superbly fantastic Forza Horizon franchise.

Anyway, Esaki mentions that Forza Motorsport is in early development which means there's plenty to show over time. We've only gotten a confirmation it exists and a few performance targets. Maybe it'll make good on Esaki's vague claims. But, for now, it's hard to imagine a reimagining of something with so little creative wiggle room.

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4K, 60FPS, raytracing

It was hardly the surprise of the show, but that didn't stop it from looking any less sterling. As many expected, Forza Motorsport was unveiled as part of the Xbox Games Showcase.

The one surprise, however? Xbox is evidently dropping the numbering conventions for this Forza game. It's simply called "Forza Motorsport."

Racing games always look great and they're some of the most impressive examples of new-gen visuals. Xbox head Phil Spencer says Forza Motorsport will hit 4K resolutions at 60 frames per second with raytracing effects on Xbox Series X. This trailer was captured in-engine, which might give you some idea of what it's capable of.

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Lexus and Scion too

As it turns out, a driver's license isn't the most important license when you're making a racing game. The licenses with all the individual car manufacturers to represent them in-game is far more important. When Forza Motorsport 7 and Forza Horizon 4 launched, Toyota was conspicuously missing. It was a glaring omission because Toyota has some of the more iconic street racing cars.

The reason for the absence is because Gran Turismo Sport inked an exclusive deal for the rights to Toyota's cars. That agreement appears to have expired because Playground Games  has just announced that Toyota is returning to Forza in December.

During today's Forza Monthly developer stream, it was revealed that Toyota, Lexus, and Scion are all coming back to Forza Horizon and Forza Motorsport. They're sticking around too. The developers say this trio is back "for years to come."

It's starting with an absolute legend. As part of the Series 17 update on December 12, the 1998 Toyota Supra RZ is being added to Forza Horizon 4. The fourth generation Supra is ridiculously beloved because of its big inline-six twin-turbo engine; its ability to be tuned to a stupid amount of horsepower; and its relatively cheap pricetag, with new ones hovering around the $40,000 mark. The Supras from the 90s looked cool, were fast as hell, were well-built, and were affordable. Their legend doesn't wane either, as a 1994 Supra sold for more than $170,000 at auction earlier this year. 

It's an exciting day for the Forza diehards. Soon enough, some of the most recognizable and admired street racing vehicles will again be represented in the best street racing game. And it's going to stay that way for the foreseeable future.

Toyota is Back!!!! [Forza Motorsport Forums]

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Promoted from our community blogs

_{[Boy, it's been a while! So here I am, rolling through the cblogs, looking to catch up, when the first of many blogs I enjoyed reading was the suggestion to try a series in a genre I don't normally play except for kart-racing shenanigans. If you're in the mood to shift away from fighting games, or RPGs, or Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, maybe take a look at Forza! ~Marcel]}

I've always stood by the fact that the Forza series puts something on the plate for absolutely everyone. That is especially true for Horizon, and to some extent, Motorsport.

That being said, I'm going to focus on Horizon here. First, let me explain the difference between the two series using my own interpretation. Yes, that means this will in no way be an official description, but instead what I personally see best fit to describe the collective titan that is the Forza series.

Forza Motorsport

_{Source: ForzaMotorsport.net}

Briefly put, the origins of Forza: A serious racing semi-simulator for that professional track racing fix. It offers social track driving, casual track racing, and also more serious competitive track racing across a huge variety of tracks, track types, and vehicles. The rules are strict, and you're offered serious racing fun. A game that is built in a simulator.

Forza Horizon

After the success of Forza Motorsport 4, Horizon saw the light of day. Developer Playground Games rolled down the car window, and most things considered common sense was thrown right out of it.

Here, instead of track racing you free-roam an open map full of collectibles, events that take place on said map be it in pre-made race routes on the road, off-road, "hush-hush" street racing events, ramps for flinging your car off of at blistering speeds, and even mini-games where you and other online players can play capture the flag, which is just one of the mini-games featured in Forza Horizon 4. CTF, in your CAR, baby! There are barely any rules, just goofy yet simulator-based driving fun. This time, they took the aforementioned simulator and put it in what is, through and through, a video game.

_{Source: Forza Horizon 4, screenshot by author}

But what do they both have in common?

Forza started as a celebration of racing and also car culture from all over the world, as well as the people who choose to partake in them. No matter what you enjoy they have something for you. Uh, sans Burnout because... Forza is a simulator. Anyways, I digress. My point is that Forza is so much more than just that now. Now, it is also a celebration of you, the player.

As the series has evolved, so has its accessibility. No matter what settings you play with, you are never shut out from any parts of the game. Furthermore, no matter what your interest in cars, racing, skill level, or ability, you can most likely play the Forza games. I mean it!

As the Motorsport series developer Turn 10 said, "There should be no barriers to gaming."

_{Source: Forza Horizon 4, screenshot by author}

Why? Well, you could hook up an expensive racing wheel peripheral, turn off every single assist, and play in first-person or dash-camera mode for a true-ish simulator experience, but you also have the option to just, not. For whatever reasons you may have, you can let the game brake for you, you can let the game help you steer and more, with minimal punishment and zero judgment.

The game can be as realistic or as arcade as you wish it. This lets the player focus on what's actually important: Enjoying the driving, the cars, the welcoming community.

This is true for Motorsport as well, so the reason I recommend the Horizon series as your starting point if you typically don't like racing games is that it might just be the gateway to you taking an interest in and playing more racing games due to its laid-back nature.

I described the Horizon series as a simulator in a game for a good reason. Horizon uses the same semi-realistic yet intricate simulator engine that Motorsport uses, it just doesn't take itself seriously. You're encouraged to just have fun in your own way and at your own pace.

Thank you for reading, and I hope I could spark interest for you to try out Forza Horizon 4 if you get the chance! Both Forza game series mean a whole lot to me, and will always have a place in my heart. Go forth, and have fun on the road.

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They start shipping today

Anyone who's looking for a new Xbox One S or Xbox One X has a new bundle to consider. That is, if they're a racing fan -- that's a pretty important part of this one.

Microsoft is shipping new Xbox bundles that include a digital download for Forza Horizon 4 and its LEGO Speed Champions expansion. The Xbox One S version is $299 and the Xbox One X version is $499. They both just started shipping today.

There's nothing special about the consoles themselves, nothing Forza-themed in a way that makes them extra alluring. This is just a bog-standard machine with a couple of quality pack-ins. You could do a lot worse if you're in the market for an Xbox bundle.

Available Now: Xbox One Forza Horizon 4 LEGO Speed Champions Bundles [Major Nelson]

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Finish Line

Developer Turn10 has announced that Forza Motorsport 6 will soon be entering its "End of Life" status. As with other Forza games before it, this means the title will be getting delisted soon. On September 15, 2019, the game and its DLC will be removed from the Xbox Live Marketplace and users will no longer be able to purchase it digitally. If you've already bought the game and any of its DLC, you'll retain access to it.

If you've been holding out on getting the extra car passes, you'll be happy to know that Turn10 is now offering them at a massive discount. In a very simple move, you can nab the "Complete Add-ons Collection Pack" for a staggering 95% off on the Xbox Live Marketplace. This knocks down the $100 DLC to $5 and gives you everything released for Forza 6 over its lifetime. I'm not sure if you'll need half of the content here, but that's certainly a steal.

If you happen to be an Xbox Live Gold member, then you don't need to worry too much. Forza 6 is one of the current "Games with Gold" offerings for the month. You'll be able to download it free of charge and grab the $5 DLC pack to get the complete thing. You'll lose access if your subscription lapses, but will be able to redownload the game should you sign back up.

Forza Motorsport 6 - DLC and Editions [Store End of Life Sept. 2019] [Forza Motorsport]

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Start revving that Lancer

It's nearly time again to turn the calendar, which means it's time to turn our attention to a new slate of Xbox Games with Gold. The headliner comes just in time for Xbox's biggest exclusive of the year.

The star attraction in August's Games with Gold is most certainly Gears of War 4. The timing isn't a coincidence. Gears 5 launches early in September, and the messaging seems clear: "Play Gears 4 now and then jump right into Gears 5." It's a viable way of drumming up some extra attention for one of Xbox's most prolific franchises.

Joining Gears of War 4 on the Xbox One side, Forza Motorsport 6 will be available midway through the month. It's not the latest and greatest that Forza Motorsport has to offer; FM6 launched in 2015, whereas the more-recent FM7 released in 2017.

The Xbox 360 titles shouldn't be overlooked either, as they're a couple of quality offerings. For the first half of August, Torchlight is the free game. For the latter half, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow takes over. Interestingly, this is the second consecutive month where Games with Gold featured a Castlevania game. As always, the Xbox 360 titles are available on Xbox One through backward compatibility.

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Finally, you're The Stig

The UK's most iconic petrolhead programming now appears in the best video game recreation of racing in the UK. Top Gear and Forza Horizon 4 have teamed up for a perfectly sensible crossover.

Playground Games has revealed that Forza Horizon 4 is getting a new seven-chapter story based on Top Gear. You race as The Stig, and narration is done by Chris Harris. The show's Track-tor is a reward for completing the story. This content is part of the Series 11 free update which went live today.

Here are the new cars that were added as part of the Top Gear story, Festival Playlists, seasonal rewards, or regular ol' vehicles you can buy from the Autoshow: 1996 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport, 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor, 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Deberti Design, 2006 Koenigsegg CCX, 2011 McLaren 12C Coupe, 2014 Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG 6x6, 2017 Mercedes-Benz E 350 D 4Matic All-Terrain "Project E-AT", and 2018 Top Gear Track-tor.

For the full list of improvements and additions in the Series 11 update, check out Playground Games' patch notes on the Forza site. Everyone else: Just ponder how our Forza Horizon avatars have basically been The Stig all along.

Series 11 Content Update July 2 [Forza Motorsport forums]

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Starting blocks

During today's E3 press event, Microsoft  revealed an amazing looking LEGO expansion for their popular road-ripper Forza Horizon 4.

Launching later this week, the colourful add-on will let players tear up popular vehicles and tracks re-created out of LEGO, that wonderful toy you like to step on when you go to the toilet at night. Destruction seems to be a key theme to the expansion, but I guess its far easier to rebuild a LEGO supercar than it is the real thing, though I'd imagine the cost probably runs about the same.

The Lego Speed Champions expansion DLC hits Forza Horizon 4 on June 13. The DLC is included as part of the Forza Horizon 4 expansion pass or will be available as a standalone purchase.

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iOS and Android versions to follow

The Forza series isn't a complete stranger to the realm of free-to-play, but today there's another wrinkle in the franchise's usual timeline: Forza Street. Developed by Electric Square and published by Microsoft Studios, Forza Street is a Windows 10 (and soon to be iOS and Android) street racing game.

Rather than the typical driving considerations, here, the experience is meant to be "cinematic." You'll have to worry about when to accelerate, brake, and boost, but not much else. Forza Street has mobile-friendly one-minute Street Showdowns as well as an overarching story and a focus on upgrades.

The game builds off Miami Street, a free-to-play title from 2018, so if this all seems oddly familiar to you, there's a reasonable chance that's the cause. I wouldn't go so far as to call this Forza in name only, but Forza Street isn't the standard experience fans know and love from Motorsport and Horizon.

"With the game available today on Windows 10 devices, we will continue to add features and actively engage with and listen to our community to make Forza Street the game our fans will want to take with them everywhere," noted director Andy Beaudoin. It's "rolling out to iOS and Android starting this year."

I think they can make a stronger case on mobile. Forza Street is far more palatable as an every-so-often distraction while you're watching TV or waiting in line than it is a sit-down-and-play desktop game. If you're feeling totally turned off, rest easy knowing that more mainline Forza entries await us.

Free-to-play and racing don't tend to mesh well for me, but knock yourself out.

Turn 10 Studios Announces Forza Street for PC and Mobile Devices [Xbox]

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No paid tokens for 7 or Horizon 4

In a move that is starting to become a trend in the triple-A games industry, Turn 10 has announced that Forza Motorsport 7 will be slowly removing prize crates from the experience. If you'll remember from my review, this was the single biggest complaint I had about the entire ordeal. I felt the balance of credits awarded versus the randomized nature of prize crates turned the campaign mode into a slog and basically blocked people from driving the cars they wanted within a reasonable timeframe.

To its credit, Turn 10 never introduced microtransactions to pay for these crates, but I'd still be happier with them being completely gone. There wasn't much reason for them in the first place and their inclusion was more detrimental than anything. Turn 10 has stated that it should be finished with process around Winter time, though you can already unlock around 100 items that were previously exclusive to prize crates (including driver gear and some cars). All prize crates that still exist should offer no competitive advantage.

In another great bit of news, Turn 10 has also announced that the paid token system from earlier Forza titles will not be making its way to Forza 7 or the upcoming Forza Horizon 4. I will admit that I haven't really dug into the Horizon series (I'm not a big fan of the open-world design), but I do remember seeing these in Forza 6 and was wondering what the hell was going on. It felt odd paying real money for digital cars that you could only use in that single game.

At any rate, I'm definitely happy that Turn 10 has listened to feedback. I really do enjoy the Forza Motorsport series and I was saddened by how invasive the prize crates felt. Hopefully, now, I can return to the game and actually finish off the career mode. I could only take so much of Spa before I had to stop.

Forza Summer Update [Forza Motorsport]

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Focusing on free DLC instead of Forza 8

In a recent live stream on Mixer, Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios announced that it is hard at work on improving Forza 7. The team is focusing development time on providing free updates to Microsoft's flagship racing series and working to improve the general reception around the game. Chris Esaki, creative director at Turn 10, also stressed that the team is currently not developing a Forza Motorsport 8 yet, opting to work more on the last title instead of the future of the series.

At around one hour and 37 minutes into the live stream, Esaki states, "The entire team, 100%...the entire Forza Motorsport team is working on Forza Motorsport 7. What that means is, we're not going off making Forza Motorsport 8; we're actually not going off and making a grand new expansion; what we're doing is, we're investing in the motorsport experience you have right now."

That sounds very promising, to me. While I didn't expect a sequel to be happening this year (Forza Motorsport and Horizon trade years to give each team more time to develop), my biggest complaint with Forza 7 was the introduction of loot boxes and how it affected the core experience. Having the team continue to polish and refine the design of the game could mean that 7 will end up being the defacto Forza game...up until the inevitable 8 comes out.

If you were wondering about the future of Forza Motorsport, this should put your mind at ease.

ForzaMotorsport [Mixer]

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Get ready to vroom vroom in the English country side!

Microsoft's Forza series is making a splash this year at E3 with the announcement of Forza Horizon 4. Even better yet, Horizon 4 will be releasing October 2 for both Xbox One and PC on Windows 10 -- it'll also be available on Xbox Game Pass that same day!

This time around, Horizon 4 will be taking us to the UK. Featuring a variety of real-world locations to race through such as Edinburgh, all with an assortment of different seasons and weather conditions, while also having a glorious 60fps mode to boot for Xbox One X and PC!

The post Forza Horizon 4 announced, set in the UK with 60fps! appeared first on Destructoid.

Sure, I'm up for another one of these

It's not exactly obvious, but Microsoft has turned Forza into an annualized franchise. The reason it's obfuscated a bit is because the cycle goes Forza Motorsport then Forza Horizon then Forza Motorsport again. They're very different series that are both under the same racing banner.

That's why it's not necessarily surprising to hear talk of Forza Horizon 4 getting an E3 announcement. Xbox's Fernando Delgado, the head of Xbox in Spain and Portugal, told GameReactor a little more than he meant to. Delgado sidestepped a question about the not-yet-revealed game by saying "There have been many speculations about where the next Forza Horizon will be and that is what we will tell later at E3." Xbox has since walked back Delgado's statement, ostensibly calling it speculation.

But if it truly were speculation (and it's probably not!), at least it's smart speculation. Xbox has had the pedal to the floor with Forza and there's no real sign that it intends to slow down. There's a rumor that Forza Horizon developer Playground Games is working on a new Fable, but Playground also recently opened a second studio. There's likely enough staff to commit to both. If so, Forza Horizon 4 would be one of the more rock solid and least shocking announcements of E3.

El nuevo Forza Horizon acelera con el E3 a la vista [GameReactor]

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It's sticking to 30 frames per second

Forza Motorsport 7 might've been an impressive-looking showcase title for Xbox One X at launch, but I get the feeling that plenty of folks would just as well stick with 2016's Forza Horizon 3 if given the choice. Today, the game has added native 4K support for Xbox One X players in a free update.

Along with 4K, there are "a number of graphical improvements to the game, such as increased shadow resolution, improved visual effects, and increased LOD and draw distances," as detailed on the Xbox Wire and explored more in-depth in this Digital Foundry analysis. And there's still HDR support.

Perhaps best of all, the update doesn't bloat the file size too much. It's around 670 MB.

Drive Australia’s Open Roads in Native 4K with Forza Horizon 3 Xbox One X Enhanced [Xbox Wire]

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Vroom.

In the past I'll admit to spending more than I probably should have on peripherals such as arcade sticks, Jamma boards and Neo-Geo MVS hardware But that buyer's remorse I felt melts away upon hearing of this story from France, which takes gaming hardware to the next level of expenditure.

A French gamer/car enthusiast, known on social media simply as POG, has converted his Lamborghini Aventador to work as a controller for the Xbox One, with the express intention of using it to play the recently-released Forza Motorsport 7. By projecting the game onto his garage wall, POG is able to give himself the kind of racing experience money, apparently, can buy.

It's a very neat little project, and the video itself is pretty amusing, even if I do feel completely on edge just watching him burn down the streets in his lovely-looking Ferrari. Call me old fashioned, but I'd probably stick with the Out Run mobile.

Gamer turns $400k Lambo into controller [TechSpot]

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The king is dead, long live the king

Forza Motorsport 7 gives off a great first impression. Professional drivers introduce you to the various disciplines of racing while you get to reenact the crowning moments of their career. The game gives you an allotment of “mods” to boost the credits you earn and the campaign mode’s first category briskly moves you along to make you believe this is going to be a high-octane experience.

Sadly, that momentum lets up pretty quickly. While the actual race mechanics of this latest entry in Turn 10’s flagship series are stellar, the introduction of loot boxes and the decreased amount of credits offered really makes collecting cars a drag. This is not the Forza we’ve always dreamed of, even if it is in 4K.

Forza Motorsport 7 (Xbox One, PC [Reviewed])
Developer: Turn 10 Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Released: October 3, 2017
MSRP: $59.99

From a purely gameplay perspective, Forza 7 is really solid. The handling model isn’t exactly realistic or strictly arcade style, but a nice balance between the two. Each player can take hours tweaking various mechanics from tire pressure to weight distribution, or you can just pick a car that looks fancy and take it to the track. This is a game that can be as involved as you want or as hands-off as you need.

The introduction of dynamic weather and time of day is also a big deal. Most racing games give you static options for whether it’s raining or day time, but that isn’t always the case with real-life racing. Sometimes a downpour can happen right in the middle of a grueling endurance race and that doesn’t mean the entire race resets or stops. Forza 7 replicates that beautifully with rain that can start on the final lap or somewhere in the middle and even has water accumulate to cause further hazards.

It’s a great element to keep longer races feeling interesting, since dialing in tuning options and basically sleep walking through 10 laps is pretty common in these games. Usually when you gain a huge lead, you’ll basically never see another opponent again (unless you lap them). Now, the dynamism offered from these new systems means you’ll have to be extra careful with your tuning to last.

The best compliment I can give Forza 7 is that it is wildly customizable. There are so many options you can adjust that this game will be as challenging as you want it. If you want to make the campaign longer, why not adjust the race length to “Super Long” and go for 35 minutes? These options aren’t limited to the gameplay, either, since tweaking the look of your vehicle is practically a game unto itself.

What really starts to impact the whole experience is how Microsoft and Turn 10 have needlessly and thoughtlessly introduced loot boxes. While microtransactions haven’t yet been included (even if they were present in the last few entries at launch), things have taken a considerable turn for the worse with these loot boxes. The biggest change is that racing assists no longer offer bonus credits, meaning your options for boosting your earnings are limited to AI difficulty, race duration, or loot boxes.

Dubbed “prize crates,” these loot boxes will drop limited-use “mods” that will dole out bonus credits based on certain stipulations. Some of these will restrict you to particular assists (like “Brake Line Only” or “ABS off”) while most are simply win conditions (“Come in Top Three” or “Win by 50 meters”). While that is fine, in and of itself, the fact that these mods have limited uses or that the game pays you so little is infuriating.

To test this theory out, I put myself up against the ultimate challenge in any racing game: an Endurance race. I selected one of the specialty events that limits mods and took a 23-lap race around Spa. It took me roughly 58 minutes to finish that race and I was awarded 190,000 CR, which is decent enough. With a few mods enabled on the next five race series, where each race was about four laps, I earned 200,000 CR in 20 minutes. That is asinine.

It hampers the whole idea of even offering assists, since making the game challenging is basically for your own fulfillment. You aren’t going to be receiving a better payout, so why play without braking assistance or with full damage modeling turned on? You might as well put the damage on cosmetic, enable the new auto-driving function, and just hold the gas until you win. It screws up the balance of the campaign mode entirely.

The awkward pacing of the whole thing doesn’t help matters much, either. I understand that there is only so much you can do to make a racing game ramp up in difficulty, but what happened to the alternative event types? Each of the six cups in the career mode has three special events and that’s it. The really fun “car bowling” game mode and the awesome “passing challenge” (where you’ll need to meet a quota of passes in a race) hardly come up and the track diversity is severely stunted.

For a game that features 32 tracks and 200 configurations, why am I constantly racing on Brands Hatch and Spa? Even my beloved Sebring only comes up a few times and you rarely race the full circuit. The career starts to feel like Groundhog’s Day, where you’re either repeating the same track with more laps or just going through the motions for the umpteenth time.

To really put the cherry on top, the gigantic roster of cars is actually locked behind different tiers. Through a car collector tier system, the more expensive and faster cars are all locked until you level yourself up by buying cheaper vehicles. I can understand the idea of wanting players to earn their keep, but with credits being dialed down so much, how am I supposed to save up enough credits to buy my Dodge Viper when I have to buy crappier cars to even unlock the ability? It seems needlessly obtuse and like its sole purpose was to push players towards microtransactions.

It doesn’t help that if you buy any of the currently available DLC, those cars are offered for free in game and boost your car collector score. If you ever wanted a clear example of pay-to-win, Forza 7 offers it on a silver platter. I have no idea why these changes were made, seeing as how they don’t make progression particularly engaging.

For that matter, why is the auction house still not online? I also don’t even know what Forzathon is, since its option on the menu is plastered with a “coming soon” descriptor. Even if fans might argue that something like Forza 5 was undercooked, at least it launched with all of its modes available.

These issues could be mitigated by the multiplayer if the previous iteration’s modes were included. I guess in an effort to really nail the cross-platform netplay, Forza 7 has an incredibly striped down online component. There are time trials and something called “Rivals” (which is essentially another method of time trials) and then just some generic options for lobbies that restrict play to specific car types. It's neato that there are 24 racers all going simultaneously, but what happened to things like “Cat & Mouse,” “Tag” or “Car Soccer?” Everything from the past installments is gone, which makes online feel like an afterthought.

At least it runs really smoothly and the lobbies aren’t limited to strictly PC or Xbox One players. I honestly don’t even know how many people I met playing the PC version, but everything works without much fuss. I can also confirm that split-screen is limited to the console version of Forza 7, so all you PC gear heads will have to make due with online for your multiplayer fix.

Graphically speaking, Forza 7 sets a new bar for fidelity. This is one gorgeous game, practically photo realistic in its presentation. While Xbox One players will be locked to 1080p, the PC version has the capacity to reach 4K resolution and it is mind blowing. You would be mistaken for believing this was a television broadcast of an actual event with how detailed it can be.

That doesn’t mean oddities won’t pop up, as I did encounter weirdness with shadows bouncing around during night races, but Forza 7 looks like a hugely polished triple-A game. Its sound design is also just as superb, accurately taking engine noises and featuring full surround sound support. This is definitely a showcase game for your home theater equipment.

For as spectacular as the whole endeavor might look, though, this mostly feels like an odd step backwards for the series. Forza 7 boasts the largest car and track roster of the entire series, but the subtle tweaks to the career mode feel like they were made in an effort to push people towards spending more money. While you currently can’t buy prize crates with actual cash (Turn 10 is looking to incorporate that in the future), the damage is done from their mere introduction.

I really hope that Turn 10 takes an honest look at what these prize crates have done to Forza, since the game is otherwise solid. I would have an easier time accepting some flaws if I could make honest progress in the career mode or have a chance in hell of acquiring the cars in a reasonable amount of time. Instead, Forza 7 just makes me think of how much time I’ll be wasting and what else I could be doing instead of racing on Spa for the 90th time.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by the reviewer.]}

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