At a Glance
Platform: Xbox One
Genre: Open-world racing
Rating: 3+/E
Developers: Microsoft, Turn 10, Playground Games
Price: Around £40

After having this game for over half a year and putting in about 80 hours, I thought I should give it a review. So here goes.

Story: 6/10
The game is set in an unspecified location in Australia. The player manages the PR by taking part in race event, series, championships and stunts. By doing this, the player earns Fans which allow the player to expand their Festivals or build another one. There are also showcase events which involve racing against unusual opponents - there's a train, a stunt plane, even a giant blimp!

While the storyline is OK, it's rather short and leaves the player with very little to aim for once it is finished. The voiceovers are also annoying - let's hope you don't mind Irish accents...

Accessibility: 9/10
Despite Forza being a "simulation" racing series, the driving in this game is rather accessible. While some professionals use specialised racing wheels, a regular controller is all you need. Trust me.

The game uses an Assist system which allows you to turn things on and off as you need. If you're new to racing games and prefer to have everything on, go ahead and have fun not crashing. It'll show a racing line with where you need to accelerate and brake, and even steer and brake for you if you wish. Or if you're like me, you can turn everything off including traction control and anti-lock brakes and have control of the gears and clutch. This gives you a little more money when you win races and makes it easier to drift.

No matter what you choose, you'll find Forza relatively forgiving as long as you avoid messing with the tuning settings. If you know how, you can make a car undriveable pretty easily.

Gameplay: 9/10
The gameplay is varied, allowing regular races and multi-race championships. You can choose how many laps and what sort of car you can use. The cars are divided into classes and computer opponents will never use a car with a higher class than yours, so you won't be underpowered. There are also fun events such as drift, jump and speed-trap stunts and Bucket List Challenges - these involve doing crazy stuff with set cars. You can also make your own challenges and play community-created ones.

Economy: 7/10
Money in the game is rather easy to come by - almost too easy. You'll quickly be able to afford flashy, expensive cars - heck, you start off with a nice car given to you (I think I took a BMW M4 Coupe). You can farm money on the long Goliath circuit if you feel like it, but there isn't really a need.

However, the game relies heavily on paid DLC. Want to be a VIP? That's £16.74. Just for double prize spins and five exclusive cars. Every month, seven cars get released and each pack is a few quid (you can buy individual cars as well for about £2). Want the expansion packs? £16.74 for one or close to £30 for both. You can spend £100 on this game easily.

Car Selection: 9/10
The game currently has over 450 cars, from 60s classics to the latest hypercars to off-roaders to mundane everyday cars like the Mazda MX-5. There are even a few "joke" cars like the BMW Isetta "bubble-car" and a few 3-wheelers. However, there is a lack of "everyday" cars. You can't just go and drive a base Fiat 500 - you'll only be able to get the most powerful Abarth versions.

Customisation: 10/10
Forza's customisation system is incredible. You can choose the upgrades you put on each car or even swap in a different engine (within reason!). You can tune everything from your differential to your tyres, gears, downforce and suspension! Don't do this unless you know what you're doing though - as I said, it's not difficult to make a car undriveable. Thank goodness you can reset...

You can select lots of different aesthetic parts like paint jobs, rims and wings. Some cars have special widebod kits. You can even make advanced liveries with up to 200,000 layers, or save time and download those that others made. If someone downloads your livery or tune, you earn a little in-game cash, and the best creators can earn serious bucks!

Online: 10/10
Really, Forza is an online game. You can do online races and "playground games" (strange games like Tag with cars). You can join a Crew and earn rewards, or try to compete for leaderboards on races and stunts. You can also participate in car auctions which can be a good way to get rare cars or make a few bucks.

Every week (sometimes more often), there are Forzathon events which allow you to win special cars that can only be won through those events. Keep an eye out for those because if you miss one, you'll have to buy it through the Auction House which will cost you big time. Or you can go without the car, but where's the fun in that?

Forza uses a "Drivatar" system which means that when you're not playing, your Drivatar (a virtual version of you that mimics your driving style) may be used when other people do races. Sometimes your Drivatar will win, meaning it earns money for you!

Overall: 9/10
While the game has some flaws, it's an incredible experience whether you're new to racing games or you're a hardcore petrolhead.