The video game Forza Motorsport 7 was released this past week on Xbox One and for PC if you pre-ordered the ultimate edition, that is. This is the newest version of a racing game from Turn 10 Studios. It officially launches next week, with some pretty incredible things built into it. Primarily gorgeous dynamic weather and all new Driver Gear. During the opening sequences, players are led through a beautiful lap that begins with a storm and ends with sunlight bursting through the clouds as you cross the finish line. It also shows off the beautiful weather system that really has to be seen in order to be believed.
The graphics are incredible. But the view from the cockpit is definitely one to be admired. You have the perspective of being the driver, but the realism of it all will have you slamming into side rails because you’re distracted. And it’s easy to get distracted from things – like a giant ferris wheel or lights glowing through the fog. Or even puddles that form on the track. The light and reflection effects on windshields are mesmerizing.
The game itself supports 60 FPS and HDR on Xbox One S. But you get a free upgrade for Xbos One X in November. It is also one of Microsoft’s Play Anywhere titles, which means if you buy the digital version of the game, you get a free copy for Windows 10.
When you start the game, be sure to switch to inside view. Otherwise, you will likely find yourself admiring the car that you’re driving. You don’t necessarily need to play it with a steering wheel setup because it’s incredibly responsive to the Xbox One controller. The vibration feedback is fantastic. However, the graphics are the real thing of beauty. They literally blow everything else away. The gameplay feels natural. Over the years Forza has dialed down the “floating soapbox racer” feel into something that feels like it’s made out of metal and fiberglass that roars and shakes. You can feel the rubber on the road and the weight of the car as you slide through puddles or burn around corners.
The most impressive thing about Forza Motorsport 7 is its attention to detail. Every piece of the game’s interface is dialed-in to perfection. The developers must have approached the entire game like a complete tear-down of a race car in order to shave milliseconds off of its quarter-mile time. This is the Forza that the company must have dreamed of creating when it first imagined making a realistic racing simulation.
With over 700 cars and more than 30 tracks, Forza represents one of the largest and most diverse collections of cars and environments in any racing game. Turn 10 Studios gets everything right. This will definitely put Forza Motorsport 7 in the running for “game of the year”. Which is one reason why you might want to go ahead and pre-order an Xbox One X. The game has, by far, the best graphics of any game so far. If this doesn’t make you want to get an Xbox One X, I don’t know what will.