Forza verdicts?

the corpo

1st thing, went to play it last night, "this needs an update". Grand. Update was over a 100gb. Just thinking, can you imagine even 5 years ago being greeted with an update like that? Mad.

Anyway, thanks to the update, I only got a 5 minute go, set it to quality graphics mode and was immediately disappointed by the frame rate. Says 30fps but frequently felt less than that. Changed it to performance mode and was up to 60fps and seemed perfect, but now, graphically, I'd argue it isn't any more impressive than the previous entries. And yes, I know 5 minutes is hardly a fair amount to judge it on, but first impressions etc.

I've a 4k tv, but granted, it's not 120hz, so I'm sure there is a fantastic difference. But I think most punters won't yet be 120hz, so I imagine, like me, they'll be neither over or underwhelmed, just.... whelmed 8)

On the other hand, I thought it was fantastic to see they've brought inclusion into the character selection, from the choice of pronouns to prosthetic limbs. Fair play

CatInABox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058217309/forza-verdicts

It's Forza Horizon. As Abraham Lincoln once said "people who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like".

On the other hand, the tech is actually very impressive. Digital Foundry have gone through it and found it's a locked 30 fps in quality mode, and a locked 60 in performance mode, and more than that, it's the first game where they don't automatically recommend performance mode, they actually found quality mode to be responsive enough to enjoy it properly.

the corpo

Yep, and I'm enjoying it immensely. But, on a non 120hz tv, I'm hard pressed to see the technical improvement over the last Forza on the One X. Any difference is nominal.

Game is basically broken for me. Get to a race or whatever, it says Press X to enter, I press X, I get the menu from when the game starts, garage etc. Change car just in case, back out, it tells me to press X to enter. Ah well. Sometimes it says there's a network issue, I check and 11/11 pass but regions fail or some such nonsense.

brady12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118153789#Comment_118153789

keeps crashing for me too . painful

djan

Having played relatively little it does seem s mostly like the previous game with more objects and better lighting on across the map.

Expected better in terms of performance optimisation for the series X as 30fpa just doesn't cut it.

Will be fun to mess around with but getting feeling of just another dlc more a change of sceneey than a new game.

the corpo

Aye, I went back to 30fps, and it was rubbish. No noticeable improvement in graphics that I could enjoy for how slow it made the game feel. 60FPS is grand, and it's a lot of fun but as above it's really just a change of map.

Fingleberries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118154535#Comment_118154535

I'm the same. I wanted to try the Quality mode - it's stunning and luscious scenery and really something. However, on series X, I really missed the frame rate. So, I glaldy switched back to 60fps mode and the slightly lower plant density and am really enjoying it.

Potential-Monke

Haven't had an Xbox since the 360 and was mad to play FH5 as it looked good. Picked up a SX on Saturday (€145 when I traded in my PS4 Pro and BF2042 PS5) and have been playing this since. I'm.... on the fence. Maybe I built myself up too much, but to me it's basically the best version of The Crew. I don't know what I was expecting, but it hasn't blown me away. Don't get me wrong, on performance mode it looks really good and the gameplay is smooth as butter. The cars look and sound excellent, and the engine upgrades affecting the sound is a nice touch. But I don't feel like it's that much different to The Crew. In fact, it's basically the same right down to the Barn finds and annoying characters who won't shut up trying to get me to be social and stuff.

And like The Crew, I feel like there's no real progression. Within a couple of races I have one of the fastest cars in the game, for free, so I don't feel like I'm working towards anything. That's what I'm missing from the older racing games, that sense of progression. It seems to have been replaced with social activities instead. And not just Forza, all recent (non-remake) racing games are like that. I miss starting with the crap slow cars, slowly upgrading them and eventually replacing them, and by end game having enough to go mad with buying then. This throwing cars at me is meh. I don't feel a need to upgrade them, so that really good upgrading system is wasted. Visual body upgrades are limited (from what I've checked so far) and still too much of an emphasis on supercars, although I will give them the most kudos for having older cars too.

The auction place seems pointless, as you'll rarely be without funds to by a car new unless you love spending it. And I suppose most of the draw of this series is the social side of it, so I'm probably excluding the main part of it. It plays really well, but it just feels like the best version of meh. And I don't like the controller, having had the DualSense for over a year now. The vibrations are just not as good as haptics, and my fingers get sore on the thinner triggers of the SX controller. Not Forza's fault though.

JoyPad

@Potential-Monke You are correct on most points.

The game has changed a lot since FH1 (and, to a degree, FH2) where you started as the underdog and progressed through your "career" while acquiring more cars. I think FH3 was the first one where you were the "champion" from the start, and basically you could do anything, anywhere on the map. Think of FH5 as the third repetition of FH3: the differences between this one and the previous one are slightly improved graphics, 10% bigger map, 10% more cars, and not much else.

After grinding FH5 for a few weeks, I am in the position where I haven't much to play: I've collected all the available cars (still a few needed, only available as seasonal rewards, for which you need to play maybe a few hours every week). I've collected a long list of "accolades", but you can't collect them all, since there are a few still bugged. I don't enjoy the online bits, because by-and-large most players are terrible drivers. Even when you're on the same team with them, they still drive like you're a bug they have to squash with their sliding car.

The auction house is where you will go to buy the more expensive cars in the game, if you're into collecting them all, and you want them quickly. There's another way: if you buy the cheap ones from the Autoshow, you increase the chances of getting the ones you need from the wheel spins. And there are ways to get lots and lots of wheel spins.

The only mode that might be to your liking is The Eliminator: everyone starts with a crappy Beetle, and you need to upgrade it along the way, either by finding a better car, or by eliminating another player in a head-to-head race. This is the only game mode where you don't care if the other players are terrible drivers, and it does have a bit of progression, as short as it lasts. The map gets smaller and smaller, as players are eliminated. Think PUBG or any other Battle Royale game, but with cars and racing instead of guns.

donatmoto

Yep, and I'm enjoying it immensely. But, on a non 120hz tv, I'm hard pressed to see the technical improvement over the last Forza on the One X. Any difference is nominal.