Racing games in the whole video games industry has a massive
following of its own, and this industry is ever growing with different
franchises trying their hand at this niche. The market is still just as
impressive as it was around 10 years ago, but there has been a giant that
almost entirely took over by bringing in its simulation driving games. This
industry legend is none other than the well known Forza Series, which debuted
nearly 15 years ago with its first game. The Forza franchise contains racing simulators
and immersive open-world racers. The critically acclaimed Forza Motorsport and
Forza Horizon series are two of Xbox’s leading exclusives. Forza has started
delving into the smartphone market with Forza Street now too.
The Forza franchise started with the usual play style of racing
games that was track focused. But due to its advanced mechanics being popular
at the time, Forza started its spin-off called “Forza Horizon,” which was an
open-world racing game that was unique at its time. This increased the
popularity of Forza to where it is today. It’s been quite a journey, so let’s
count down the top 10 best Forza games to be released.
FORZA
HORIZON
The first spin-off was highly anticipated by the fans of the
series. This game meant that it would be competing in a whole new category
where the franchise had never set foot in. The critical appreciation for the
game was negative at first because of the mechanics of the game that were not
up to the standards of the previous installments. But the game did get popular
for being in the “fairly new for the time” open world racing games. This also
did mean that it had to compete with critically acclaimed games of that time,
such as “Need for Speed: Most Wanted,” but due to the quality it was, it did
give tough competition.
FORZA
MOTORSPORT 7
This next game is the latest edition till now in the Forza
Motorsport series and was released in 2017. This game was the reimagining of
the Forza Motorsport 6, which was its direct predecessor. The game included all
of the best tracks of the previous games, as well as the new Dubai track. It
had also borrowed cars from its sister game Forza Horizon 3. The game was not
well received as it lacked original content, but nevertheless, people did play
it, and it had well decent car mechanics. Apart from the critical acclamation,
Forza Motorsport 7 had over seven hundred cars, and the visuals were pretty
nice. Its only drawback was that it could not distinguish itself from its
predecessor.
FORZA
MOTORSPORT 5
This was the stage when Forza took the title of being an Xbox
exclusive, and the stage was set for it to be a massive success or a failure.
Turn 10 Studios, who are the developers for the game, took the responsibility
but couldn’t stick to their promise as it was a letdown in the series till
then. But fortunately, even with its drawbacks, the game was leagues ahead of
its competition. Forza Motorsport 5 was the first of its kind that brought
“driveatars” to the game to focus on the AI-based game progression. It had the
legendary McLaren P1 as its cover vehicle, and the detail on the car with the
active arrow made the game a true classic of its time.
FORZA
MOTORSPORT
This was the first Forza game that came out and also the last to
release before the discontinuation of Xbox 360’s Project Gotham Racing. Both of
these games had the same publishers, but different developers. Both were
released to the dawn of a new era of racing games, and that’s why they are on
number seven.
FORZA
HORIZON 2
Probably and mostly the most underrated game in the Forza
franchise. Although its predecessor Forza Horizon was the first to take the
step in this direction, this game was the one that redefined the whole game and
play style. The open-world aspect of the game was intensified by giving the
players more freedom to roam around without any mission going on. There was the
value of roaming around with friends endlessly in the open areas in the game,
and that really brought the audience into the series. It also introduced new
game modes such as “King of the Hill,” which were instant hits.
FORZA
MOTORSPORT 4
Carrying on the trend that Forza Motorsport games had, to just
polish and re-publish the same playstyle, maps and cars were carried on to this
game too. Although not a complete lackluster game, Forza Motorsport 4 did copy
a lot. The Kinect Autovista mode was an excellent addition for those who owned
a Kinect. It allowed you to interact with vehicles like never seen before in
the Forza Motorsport series. It was a decent game, but when you add too much
content into one, the game often feels too stuffed, and that’s what happened
with this one. Looking at the game objectively and not criticizing its added
content, this is a highly polished game that plays phenomenally.
FORZA
MOTORSPORT 6
One of the best in the Motorsport series, Forza Motorsport 6,
was a significant improvement over its predecessor. With new car and gameplay
mechanics, revised graphics, the addition of new maps, this game was a
game-changer then. It made the game significantly more enjoyable, and for this
very fact, it deserves a higher place than its predecessors.
FORZA
MOTORSPORT 3
This was the game that, apart from being an Xbox exclusive, made
Forza a definitive Xbox 360 racing game. This version of the game was different
from the earlier additions as it was more realistic than its predecessors and
had a substantial learning curve. This game became so popular that even after
several generations after its release, it remains the best racing game of the
Xbox 360.
FORZA
HORIZON 3
This game became a turning point for the series as Turn 10
Studios, and Playground Games made a winning combination. And this became
exclusively evident with the near-flawless open-world gameplay and the
revolutionary DLC packages that it offered, which changed the standard of
racing DLCs as such. This game gave the players a more free feeling and a
relaxing environment to just chill. It was an instant hit.
FORZA
HORIZON 4
Forza Horizon 4 is the deserving first position holder, and it’s
not even close. This game completely changed the game with new playstyles and
significantly improving the older ones. Like the Forza Motorsport series is the
ultimate racing simulator, Forza Horizon takes on a more arcadey feel. It
increased the replay value of the game infinitely and promised unlimited fun
with all the new weather, car, and gameplay and AI mechanics. There is no
reason you shouldn’t buy this game if you have been meaning to.
David Root is an inventive person who has been doing intensive research
in particular topics and writing blogs and articles on Norton.com/setup and many other
related topics. He is a very knowledgeable person with lots of experience.
Comments
Post a Comment