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Forza Motorsport 4

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Forza Motorsport 4
North American box art featuring the Ferrari 458 Italia
Developer(s)Turn 10 Studios
Publisher(s)Microsoft Studios
SeriesForza Motorsport
Platform(s)Xbox 360
Release
Genre(s)Racing game
Mode(s)Single-player, Split-screen Online multiplayer

Forza Motorsport 4 is a racing video game released by Turn 10 Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the fourth installment in the Forza Motorsport series, and has been released in North America on October 11, 2011 and is going to be released in Europe on October 14. The game will be the first in the series to support the Kinect sensor alongside the traditional controller-based gameplay.

Gameplay

Players will be able to import their Forza Motorsport 3 profiles into Forza Motorsport 4, giving them the ability to transfer a certain amount of in-game credits and gifted cars into their new garage. The amount allowed transferred is based on how long they have played the game and how many cars and credits they have.[2]

A video demo of the game showed that the player was able to look into a corner using a new head tracking feature, allowing them to look toward the apex of a corner or at nearby cars.[3] Another new feature called Autovista allowed the player to walk around and explore inside their vehicle using Kinect. The player could point at certain features, such as headlights, wheels and the engine, for further information about them.[4] The Autovista feature is not limited to Kinect users only, and is useable by a regular Xbox 360 controller.[5] When using Kinect, the game will automatically accelerate and decelerate your vehicle, a feature known as "auto brake" in Forza 3, and the steering would be done by either a controller or by movement of the players hands.[6] Whilst the game supports head tracking, players can use a controller and Kinect at the same time. Steering will be done by the controller and the Kinect picks up head movement.[7] Kinect will also allow the player to use audio commands to start races and navigate menus.[8]

Players have the option to create car clubs and share cars in their garages within that club. In a departure from previous iterations of the series with a maximum of eight cars on track, the game supports 16 player racing, both online and offline.[9] Three additional real world race tracks new to the Forza franchise, Hockenheimring, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Infineon Raceway are also available.[10][11] As well, a new fantasy track known as "Alps" is also available.[9]

Some of the game's cars can be showcased in great detail using the game's Autovista feature. This feature allows players to see fine details for the car, such as gauges and internal engine parts.

Autovista is a feature originally designed to allow players to get up close to cars within a sub six inch level, where brake pads, and small details became visible. Only 24 cars in the the game will support the Autovista feature, as it is primarily for sports cars, classic cars, and dream cars.[12] The graphics used to create these cars are formed using image-based lighting which allowed the developers to create perfect reflections, and would better immerse the car in the environment both when racing on a track or in the garage or Top Gear gear studio when viewing a car.[13]

Like Forza 3 there will be a career mode for players to complete, which sees players racing at multiple locations around the world. This is known as World Tour Mode in Forza 4, previously known as Season Play in Forza 3. However, one new feature that appears in Forza 4 is the game's ability to adapt the difficulty as the player progresses through the career, and collect a trend of data to see how well they perform. This will allow AI drivers to change and upgrade their cars automatically to suit the player's driving abilities.[14] There are several types of races besides standard racing like in Forza 3. Forza 4 will include the original bumper to bumper races, but will also have Drift, Autocross, and multiple-heat races. Unlike in Forza 3 where players had no choice over which car they won at the end of each race, in Forza 4 players will be able to choose from three cars as a prize.[14]

Development and marketing

A tech demo for Forza Motorsport 4 was first revealed at Microsoft's E3 2010 press conference.[4] The live demonstration showcased a passing challenge driving the 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia where, using the Kinect sensor the player steered the car to pass as many opponents as possible within the time limit.[4] Forza Motorsport 4 was formally unveiled at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards. Turn 10 announced that the game will feature over 500 cars from 80 manufacturers, and confirmed that it will support Kinect as well as a regular controller.[15] Unlike previous Forza titles which included Porsche cars through a sublicense from EA, Forza 4 will not have the Porsche marque. Instead, Forza will include cars from Porsche tuner RUF.[16] Turn 10 is officially partnered with the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) for two years from August 8, 2011. The partnership will provide several in-game ALMS themed events to complement the cars and tracks raced in the ALMS present in previous entries in the Forza Motorsport series.[17] More known content was leaked during IGN's visit to E3 2011, which revealed that there will be the option to create car clubs and share garages within that club, and also that the game will support 16 player online racing. A new track known as "Alps" was also shown.[18] As well, Hockenheimring, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Infineon Raceway will be available, adding three more real world tracks to the Forza series.[10][11]

A Tesla Roadster was used to record the game's tire sounds. The developers chose the Tesla due to its electric engine which allowed them to record the sounds cleanly without engine or exhaust noise. Two microphones where mounted to the car and pointed at the tire for recording.[19] Lance Hayes, the award winning composer for Forza Motorsport 3, returns to score Forza 4, which features a combination of his music and other licensed artists.[20] 15 tracks were provided by Hayes for the user interface as well as some in-race music. In speaking of the tone of the soundtrack, Hayes stated ""he score has an increased cinematic feel as well as incorporating many of the styles (downtempo, electronic, ambient) that made the Forza 3 OST a fan favorite."[20]

On August 26, 2011, at PAX Prime it was announced that Turn 10 will include the Standard UNSC Warthog from Microsoft Studios' first-person-shooter Halo in the 'autovista' mode. The model of Warthog used in Forza Motorsport 4 is of the same design of the model to be used in Halo 4, however the vehicle will not be drivable.[21] Turn 10 has cited the vehicle's exaggerated four wheel steering system, fictional futuristic technology and excessive height as reasons for its exclusion, stating "One, it's got some technology that's built into Halo that would have been a big investment for us to then build into the game only to support one vehicle. [...] Technically we don't support that because no real world cars in our game do."[22]

Limited Collector's Edition

Players who buy the Limited Collector's Edition will have a polished Steelbook case, with the 2012 BMW M5 as the cover car. As well as a regular copy of the game, they will receive a V.I.P. car pack, including the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and Noble M600; a 10 car American Muscle Car Pack, also available on Xbox Live on launch day; a pre-order exclusive Ship Bonus Car Pack, including the Koenigsegg Agera and Tesla Roadster Sport; a five car BMW Designer Car Pack featuring five BMWs with unique exterior designs, including a BMW M6 designed by an entrant into an M6 design competition. This pack will also be available on launch day, along with a free download of the 2012 BMW M5 and a BMW theme for the Xbox dashboard. As well as all this, Collector's Edition owners will be given a 96-page volume entitled 'Cars of Forza Motorsport 4 Presented By Top Gear', written by the editors from Top Gear magazine.

Top Gear content

Forza 4 features a partnership with BBC's Top Gear as well as its American counterpart. Jeremy Clarkson (above) also provides commentary in the game's Autovista mode.

Turn 10 has entered a multiple year partnership with the BBC's Top Gear.[23] The content provided by the BBC's BAFTA award-winning television show Top Gear, will include narration from presenter Jeremy Clarkson during the virtual showroom (Autovista) navigation.[24] The game will also feature the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome, near the village of Cranleigh, UK.[25] The first in-game demo in Autovista was revealed at E3 2011.[5] An extra piece of content for Top Gear fans is the addition of the reasonably priced car, the Kia Cee'd. At E3, players were able to complete laps of the Top Gear Test Track and record their own times.[26] The Top Gear test track in Forza 4 will also feature authentic camera angles during replays. The game will also feature Top Gear "Car Football" as part of the World Tour Mode, and also a Top Gear bowling mini game, both set on the official Top Gear test track.[27]

The BBC Top Gear studio will also be included in the game as a feature for Autovista, and part of the "Home Space" when viewing a car. The studio has the original TV series cars on plinths, such as the destroyed Toyota Hilux and Clarkson's Fiat Coupé police car with boadiceas as seen in Series 11, Episode 1, and all of the original Top Gear logos, Stig posters, and lighting arrangements, that reflect off the paintwork of the car you are viewing, similar to how they would on the real Top Gear show.[28][8] A live action commercial was also produced and contained a voice over track by Jeremy Clarkson. The commercial is set in a busy city in which a man merely wants to drive fast. As the man speeds through the city streets with police in pursuit Clarkson speaks of lovers of speed as an endangered species. He notes that places for these people to truly enjoy their cars are being taken away, then pitches the video game. The commercial was well received by the media. Jalopnik's Ray Wert called the advert "epic".[29] The driving was performed by professional stunt driver Martin Ivanov.[30]

Forza 4 was also featured in the U.S. version of Top Gear. At the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards professional stunt driver and show co-host Tanner Foust and Rutledge Wood, car expert and co-host were featured in the unveiling of the game. Foust drove a 2010 Dodge Challenger while Wood rode as a passenger. The advertisement showed Foust drifting around the environment and ended with a top-down shot of the pad. On the pavement the word Forza was spelled out in tire marks.[31][32] Additionally in the final episode of the show's second season Wood and co-host Adam Ferrara challenged Foust to a timed race at Infineon Raceway, also known as Sears Point; Foust drove the Lexus LF-A around the real course while Wood and Ferrara drove the course in Forza 4.[33]

Reception

Forza Motorsport 4 has received positive reviews. It currently holds a score of 91.27% at GameRankings and 92/100 at Metacritic, two video game review aggregate websites.[34][35] It received five perfect scores from reviews posted at Metacritic, with the lowest score being an 80% approval rating.[35] It also won the award for Most Anticipated E3 2011 game from Computer and Video Games.[44]

Luke Reilly of IGN called the game "this generation's premier racing simulator".[42] Justin Calvert of GameSpot said Forza Motorsport 4 "refines and improves upon its predecessor in a number of ways, but also feels just a little too familiar".[39] Editor Martin Robinson of Eurogamer gave it a 9 out of 10 rating, stating it is easy to fall in love with.[37]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Forza Motorsport 4 Fact Sheet". Microsoft. 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  2. ^ North, Dale (2011-05-26). "Forza 4 will let you import Forza 3 profile, gifts cars". Destructoid. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
  3. ^ "Kinect enabled head-tracking previewed in Forza 4 spotlight video, turns heads (video)". Engadget. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  4. ^ a b c E3 2010 Microsoft Press Conference – Part 4. IGN. 2010-06-14. Event occurs at 15:58. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
  5. ^ a b "Forza Motorsport 4 E3 2011 Auto Vista Mode Walkthrough". ConsoleSpy via YouTube. 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  6. ^ E3 2010: "Forza 4 Kinect Preview – Xbox 360 Preview at IGN". IGN. 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2010-06-15. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  7. ^ Hyrb, Larry (2011-05-31). "Forza 4 preview with Majors Minutes!". Microsoft Studios. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  8. ^ a b "Forza Motorsport 4 - Gamescom 2011 - Career Mode Presentation with Dan Greenawalt". MotoGamesTV via YouTube. 2011-08-19. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  9. ^ a b IGN. "Video". Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Forza Motorsport 4 "The Making of Forza Motorsport 4 Series: Hockenheim"". Turn 10 Studios via YouTube. 2011-08-19. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  11. ^ a b "Forza Motorsport 4: Infineon Raceway". Turn 10 Studios via YouTube. 2011-09-02. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  12. ^ Wert, Ray (2011-10-07). "All 24 Top Gear car reviews hidden in Forza 4". Jalopnik. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  13. ^ "E3 2011 Forza Motorsport 4 - Dan Greenawalt Presentation". Inside Sim Racing via YouTube. 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  14. ^ a b Cowen, Nick (2011-06-10). "E3 2011: Forza 4 preview". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  15. ^ "Forza 4 announced, coming autumn 2011". Computer and Video Games. 2010-12-12. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
  16. ^ Ekberg, Brian (2011-08-24). "Forza Motorsport 4: Under the Hood Part 1". Forza Motorsport official website. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  17. ^ Turn 10 Staff (2011-08-08). "Forza 4 And The American Le Mans Series". Forza Motorsport official website. Retrieved 2011-08-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ "E3 2011: IGN Live - Forza 4". IGN. Retrieved 2011-06-10.
  19. ^ Ekberg, Brian (2011-09-22). "Forza Under the Hood: Community Questions". Forza Motorsport official website. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  20. ^ a b Davison, Pete (2011-10-11). "Composer Lance Hayes Creates Diverse Soundtrack for Forza 4". GamePro. Retrieved 2011-10-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ Tolito, Stephen (2011-08-26). "The Halo 4 Warthog Will Debut in Forza 4, But You Can't Drive It". Kotaku. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  22. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2011-09-30). "Why you can't drive Forza 4's Warthog". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  23. ^ de Matos, Xav (2010-09-30). "Forza Motorsport and Top Gear TV Combine Forces in a Partnership for Future Forza Titles". Shacknews. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  24. ^ Priest, Simon (2011-03-24). "Forza Motorsport 4 has 500 cars, "graphic fidelity 10 times better"". StrategyInformer. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
  25. ^ Top Gear in Forza 4: more news – BBC Top Gear. Topgear.com (2011-06-08). Retrieved on 2011-06-12.
  26. ^ Hicks, John. "E3 2011: Reasonably Priced Car confirmed for Forza 4". Official Xbox Magazine UK. Retrieved 2011-10-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ Wert, Ray (2011-07-28). "Top Gear and Forza 4: From "Car Soccer" to "Car Bowling"". Jalopnik. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  28. ^ "Forza Motorsport 4: Top Gear "Home Space"". Turn 10 Studios via YouTube. 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  29. ^ Wert, Ray (2011-10-03). "Jeremy Clarkson's epic Forza Motorsport 4 live-action trailer". Jalopnik. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  30. ^ Kev J. (2011-10-03). "Action Forza Motorsport 4 Short Film". Electronic Theatre. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  31. ^ Schille, Jeff. "'Forza Motorsport 4′ Trailer Makes Surprise Appearance at VGAs". GameRant. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  32. ^ "Behind the VGA Stunt Video". Forza Motorsport official website. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  33. ^ Keirstein, Alek (2011-09-08). "Forza Garage Thursday Roundup 9/8". Forza Motorsport official website. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  34. ^ a b "Forza Motorsport 4 for Xbox 360 - GameRankings". GameRankings. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  35. ^ a b c "Forza Motorsport 4 for Xbox 360 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  36. ^ Otero, Jose (2011-10-11). "Review: Forza 4 is a Simulation Driving Game for Everyone". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  37. ^ a b Robinson, Martin (2011-10-06). "Forza Motorsport 4 - Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  38. ^ "Forza Motorsport 4 review". Edge magazine. 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2011-10-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  39. ^ a b Calvert, Justin (2011-10-06). "Forza Motorsport 4 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
  40. ^ Kato, Matthew (2011-10-06). "Forza Motorsport 4 - Forza 4 Is A Finely Tuned Racing Machine". Game Informer. Retrieved 2011-10-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  41. ^ Rignall, Julian (2011-10-11). "Review: Forza Motorsport 4 (360)". GamePro. Retrieved 2011-10-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  42. ^ a b Luke Reilly. "Forza Motorsport 4 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
  43. ^ D'Aprile, Jason (2011-10-10). "Forza Motorsport 4 Review - Xbox 360". G4TV. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  44. ^ "E3 2011's Most Anticipated: Forza 4". Computer and Video Games. 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2011-10-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

Official website

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