Forza Motorsport 7 review for Xbox One, PC

People come to the Forza series for a variety of reasons. Some just like to race online with friends, while others enjoy tuning their favorite cars and trying those builds out on their favorite tracks. Some are just appreciative of how gorgeous the series tends to be, while others will hone their artistic abilities and share their wares with others via the liveries. Needless to say, Forza can be a lot of things to a lot of people, and I think that remains true with Forza Motorsport 7.

For me, I?ve always appreciated the accessibility of the Forza series. You can essentially make the game as easy or as hard as you?d like. That?s still the case with Forza 7, which features a whole host of assist options that you can sort through in order to mold the Forza experience to your liking. I still dig the controls, and the look and feel of the cars is top notch once again. Everything handles great,  I appreciate the various camera views, including the finely detailed cockpit mode. And I love the car customization options, whether I?m actually tuning parts or changing up my paint job. Basically, everything I?ve come to enjoy about the Forza series feels intact here.

As you?ve likely heard by this point, there?s a couple of things that don?t quite mesh. Previous games would generally allow you to purchase whatever car you liked, provided you had the credits to do so. Yes, it could take some time to build up the credits to purchase some of the more high-end sports vehicles, but once you had those credits, whatever you wanted was definitely attainable. Forza 7 unfortunately gates your progress a bit, throwing vehicles behind collection ratings. In order to increase your rating, and your access to higher rated cards, you?ll need to improve your car collection by either purchasing or owning other vehicles. Now if you come to Forza with the mindset of collecting as many cars as possible, that?s not a huge issue. But if you tend to gravitate towards certain vehicles, it is definitely disappointing to be locked out of those options at the onset of the game.

I?m also not particularly partial to the mod system in Forza 7. Mods can be equipped prior to a race, and usually enforce a unique set of rules, like turning of the driving line, or removing assisted steering. If you use them, you?ll earn a bonus percentage of credits at the end of the race. This isn?t that dissimilar to how Forza?s assist settings had worked in the past, except you could pick and choose your assists in settings, and turning off certain assists would give you a permanent boost in credits. Making those options expendable here is downright annoying, especially since obtaining mods will also cost credits (or real world money), and your purchase will be randomized. So if you prefer keeping the driving line on, or using ABS, you can still get stuck with a bunch of mods that don?t cater towards your playstyle.

Thankfully, those are the only two complaints I can level at Forza 7. To Turn 10?s credit, they?ve already implemented a fix based on community feedback for the poor VIP offerings this time around, rolling back a few changes and bringing back the permanent credit boost to those that spend the extra $20 on the package. Ideally, Turn 10 will continue to listen to feedback, and potentially adjust or rethink some of the other issues previously mentioned.

And again, as far as positives go, there?s definitely a lot to enjoy with Forza 7. The visual detail in the game is outstanding, and even though most of the track selection will feel familiar to Forza fans, this is easily the best those locations have ever looked. The sky boxes are amazing, the weather details are outstanding, and the visual fidelity of the vehicles is as immaculate as it?s ever been. The sheer quantity of the cars you can purchase, despite the gate locking, is fantastic. You?d be hard-pressed not to find your favorite vehicle here, outside of a couple manufacturers.

Online play also feels real solid this year, and I?ve had little trouble finding races to jump into. Also, while the A.I. can be over-aggressive, playing online tends to be the best experience to replace the single player side of the game. Most people I?ve played with have been pretty great to race against, and options when initiating the race to craft things to your liking are outstanding. While not all features are present yet, like Leagues, I?ve genuinely enjoyed the time I?ve spent with Forza 7 online.

Overall, I?ve really enjoyed Forza 7 so far, and look forward to playing more of it. The game isn?t without faults, but I?ve managed to progress at a steady pace despite the mod system and collection tiers put in place. There?s a whole host of optional events in addition to the standard races, and a nice variety of vehicle types that in turn help make most of the race experiences feel fresh and unique. If you?ve ever enjoyed the Forza series in the past, I?m sure you?ll find something to love here, regardless of what brings you to the game.