LARUTO
06-19-2005, 09:11 AM
Forza Motorsport: Time to say goodbye to GT4?
I must say that prior to playing this game I had much doubt, I told myself that there is no way I’ll play another GT4 rip-off, I could not have been more wrong.
Forza is, simply put, the best racing simulation game available for the Xbox, it can also be said that Forza is superior to Gt4 in many ways, but there are certain areas where GT4 simply outshines it.
On the visual side of things the tracks look amazingly realistic, to an extent, the tracks look better than those in Gt4, albeit not by much. The vehicles however are a different story, the 2 games offer different art styles on their respective cars, GT4 has always been known for it’s realism, while Forza presents you with cars in a richly animated way (some would call it ‘cartoony’ but I disagree). It’s not that the animation style in Forza is bad or anything I just preferred the look of GT4. And who could forget the effect detail, for years we have been gaping at the tire skid marks in the GT of olden days and clamored for them to give the vehicles damage effects… well at least somebody was listening, let’s say you are playing Forza and you ram your Audi TT into the back of a Nissan Sylvia, be prepared to see the trunk area of the skyline take some heavy damage, also the rear windshield is likely to be shattered as well… did I mention that your own vehicle will suffer some damage to the front as a result? So while both games have their own visual style ( I found the visuals in GT4 better ), it’s the visual detail that makes the big difference and as such Forza is better here.
Audio seems to be done pretty well in both games, I can’t exactly say that either one has, better tire and engine effects than the other. With respect to the soundtrack GT4 comes in as the better prepared game, the in game music is suitable for the game style. Even though Forza has one of the most yawn inspiring soundtracks in a current generation racing game, you are able to use your own music, which you have on the Xbox hard drive. I would say both games are just about equal here.
Gameplay is something that I always felt GT had down and guess what, they still do. In Gt4 you have your asphalt racing, rally, endurance and the option to be either a manager or photographer; while in Forza you are stuck with asphalt racing (though you do have the ability to train a drive team of sorts as well). Both game have a robust amount of upgrade options and it is here that Forza does really well, you can do every type of upgrade that is available in Gt4 as well as some visual customization ala NFSU, you can also perform engine swaps (so picture that Honda Legend engine inside the Civic type R). Another thing about the gameplay that should be noted is that the damage your vehicles receive in Forza will affect your overall performance.
Multiplayer… do I need to say anything here? One side we have Xbox live, and on the other, split screen multiplayer… no contest, Forza simply outshines GT4 in MP.
Overall Forza does have a lot of advantages over GT4, but if you already have GT4, there is no reason to go out and buy Forza right away, unless you are itching for the Multiplayer action.
I must say that prior to playing this game I had much doubt, I told myself that there is no way I’ll play another GT4 rip-off, I could not have been more wrong.
Forza is, simply put, the best racing simulation game available for the Xbox, it can also be said that Forza is superior to Gt4 in many ways, but there are certain areas where GT4 simply outshines it.
On the visual side of things the tracks look amazingly realistic, to an extent, the tracks look better than those in Gt4, albeit not by much. The vehicles however are a different story, the 2 games offer different art styles on their respective cars, GT4 has always been known for it’s realism, while Forza presents you with cars in a richly animated way (some would call it ‘cartoony’ but I disagree). It’s not that the animation style in Forza is bad or anything I just preferred the look of GT4. And who could forget the effect detail, for years we have been gaping at the tire skid marks in the GT of olden days and clamored for them to give the vehicles damage effects… well at least somebody was listening, let’s say you are playing Forza and you ram your Audi TT into the back of a Nissan Sylvia, be prepared to see the trunk area of the skyline take some heavy damage, also the rear windshield is likely to be shattered as well… did I mention that your own vehicle will suffer some damage to the front as a result? So while both games have their own visual style ( I found the visuals in GT4 better ), it’s the visual detail that makes the big difference and as such Forza is better here.
Audio seems to be done pretty well in both games, I can’t exactly say that either one has, better tire and engine effects than the other. With respect to the soundtrack GT4 comes in as the better prepared game, the in game music is suitable for the game style. Even though Forza has one of the most yawn inspiring soundtracks in a current generation racing game, you are able to use your own music, which you have on the Xbox hard drive. I would say both games are just about equal here.
Gameplay is something that I always felt GT had down and guess what, they still do. In Gt4 you have your asphalt racing, rally, endurance and the option to be either a manager or photographer; while in Forza you are stuck with asphalt racing (though you do have the ability to train a drive team of sorts as well). Both game have a robust amount of upgrade options and it is here that Forza does really well, you can do every type of upgrade that is available in Gt4 as well as some visual customization ala NFSU, you can also perform engine swaps (so picture that Honda Legend engine inside the Civic type R). Another thing about the gameplay that should be noted is that the damage your vehicles receive in Forza will affect your overall performance.
Multiplayer… do I need to say anything here? One side we have Xbox live, and on the other, split screen multiplayer… no contest, Forza simply outshines GT4 in MP.
Overall Forza does have a lot of advantages over GT4, but if you already have GT4, there is no reason to go out and buy Forza right away, unless you are itching for the Multiplayer action.