One of the most notable new additions to the series is the acquisition of the Top Gear license. It’s a system that works well, and is a great way to not only push your driving skills to the limit, but also test your automotive knowledge, as you try to fine tune your cars to get the very best chance of record times as possible. Some events feature generic cars that you have to pick from, and other let you bring along your own, fully customised monster and invite you to let rip. Just as it sounds, this lets you race against your friends times in order to try and better them. There’s also driving clubs to join, and the whole online section is a very real and fleshed out affair, not just a bolted on afterthought.Įspecially interesting is the rivals mode. This gifting is only the tip of the iceberg though, and Forza 4‘s online community is a strong one, with obvious inclusions such as competitive racing, alongside great features such as being able to sell tune ups, paint jobs and other services to fellow players. You don’t have to keep these cars though, and you can sell or auction them off, or even ‘gift’ them to a friend.
You can have many cars, and as you hit each driver level, you’ll also be given a gratis car just for levelling up. This adds a kind of loyalty to specific makers, and players will no doubt have their favourite stables to go at. In fact, if you attain a high enough affinity, parts will be totally free. These earn bonus credits and, more importantly, discounts to spare parts.
Of course, much of this isn’t new, to Forza or any other sim game for that matter, but it’s a good start on the long, long road that the game has to offer, and means that this isn’t so much an elitist, gearhead-only title, but should also be considered by players will a more modest skill level.Īs you complete races with each manufacturer’s cars, you’ll earn affinity points with that company. It’s a great system, and works very well. So much so that, after a few more races, I delved into the ample driving aids and trimmed some back, upping the challenge and giving me more, actual control. The accessibility, even for a casual racing sim player like me, is excellent. No sooner had I fired up the game, and ran the intro race, than I was competing in all sorts of races, in all sorts of cars, and winning. This is one of the initial areas where Forza 4 excels. So, with my relatively modest skill level, it takes something a little special to draw me in and make me enjoy such a traditionally daunting game. However, Forza 4, for some reason, appealed to me much more than previous entries. In fact, if I’m honest, realistic driving sims are something that I’d more often than not avoid in favour of more arcade-centric titles. Now, I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m hardly a great racing sim player.