If you are a real tuner, you wont be pleased. If you want a fun driving game, this is the one for you!
Now, when I first began enjoying the Forza series (which was with Forza 3), I immediately knew that this game was much different than other racing games. The sheer realism that I experienced with F3 was incomparable to anything that was on the market. The level of detail, the quality in the drive, and just the overall fun factor were astounding. Forza 4, however, misses a lot of the targets it aims for. Justin from Gamespot described it pretty well. For the most part, it feels like Forza 3.5 rather than a full blown sequel. However, as you will read, I based my opinions on different things than him.
In F4, you start off just like in F3. However, there is one difference. F4 tosses you into the seat of a Ferrari so you can get a feel of what to expect when you get higher up in driver level (and credits of course). From there, you pick between a group of pathetic little hatchback 4-cylinders that should be dedicated to picking up hipsters instead of being on a racetrack. However, your time in this vehicle is short lived (thank god). After a few races, you are not only gifted with an increased driving level (from experience points) but also in Affinity. With each level of affinity, you get a 25% cumulative discount on parts for not just THAT car, but the whole make. For example, get to affinity level 5 in a Ford Fiesta, and ALL parts and upgrades for ANY Ford vehicle is officially FREE. Now, I find this personally to be a double edged sword. It's cool, because now when I buy/unlock a car, I no longer have to worry about wasting 50,000 credits to make it decent. However, it also takes away the experience of driving around and getting a feel for the car and its upgrades. With each driver level, you are award a choice between a group of pre-selected cars, each on the same level of class, but from different makes. Most of the time, the cars have a direct comparison between them. For example, I recently leveled up and got the choice between four cars, two belonging to each of a rival company (in this case Mitsubishi and Subaru). I had a choice: the old Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, the new 2010 Lancer Evolution X, the 2000 Subaru WRX STi sedan, or the new 2010 WRX STi hatchback. They don't just give you random cars anymore. Little by little, the car levels increase.
Career mode is more or less exactly the same as it was before. You have X number of races in each qualifying level (Amateur, Semi-Pro, Expert, etc). You are given 3 events to choose from on that track. Each event has different types of restrictions. Each of course is restricted by its car level; you can't race your level S-Class car with the D-Class. Here is a fine example of the illusion of choice. Assume you built a certain car to reach the R-Class. I am currently in Expert series, and I have yet been able to use any of my R-class vehicles. Also, there are certain tracks that ONLY contain races for certain classes. I find it silly that I can buy a '95 Toyota MR2, take it to the capabilities of an R-class vehicle, and cant use it. On the last track of the qualifying level, you race in a Tournament of 2 heats. After you win, you step into the next qualifying round. This is pretty much it for the career mode. Included in it are events, such as TopGear Bowling, where you throw your car against plastic bowling pins for points, Auto-Cross, which is a time-attack style race with obstacles, Multi-Class races, where you race against 2 groups of cars (one group of equal car level, the other of a different level), and Traffic races, where you race against a single driver in the midst of heavy traffic. Most of these events don't feel all that engaging. During the Traffic race, the traffickers are almost to the point of racing against you; they do not drive like commuters.
The rest of the review will divided in "Pros" and "Cons". Its easier for me to describe the entirety of the game this way.
Pros
1. The level of detail is amazing. Every car's curve is shown to perfect. The tracks are beautifully detailed and the environments around them are just as impressive. If there is one thing Forza has always done well, is looking good.
2. New race modes are plenty of fun. Bowling is definitely something different, and its also a great way to practice drifting, since some of the pins are out of reach, and require you to launch other pins to them.
3. Large selection of vehicles. And every vehicle is upgradeable (for the most part). There are hundreds upon hundreds of cars available to you, all of them in pristine look conditions. None of them have been watered down. And all of them take equal damage.
4. Damage to main car parts are hurtful and frequent. Doesn't it piss you off to see someone just PIT you as hard as they can, and they don't suffer for it? Well, in F4, you take considerable damage to all parts of the car, including the suspension, wheels, and even the transmission. Too much damage and you wont function.
5. Replay function is awesome. During the replay sessions, you can pause the playback, and move all around the car selected (doesn't have ot be your own) and take pictures from any angle. And the quality of the photo is immaculate, with plenty of photofriendly adjustments.
6. Community is great. Unlike the GT5 community, F4 has a more positive group. Players wont go out of the way to flame you or derail you on the tracks. They are also much better sports.
7. AI opponents are MUCH more aggressive. I have heard some people say that the AI is much more defensive, and steers away when you get too close. I found that to be the opposite. I get closer to an opponent, and they either continue their path or try to intercept me. Its actually quite a thrill now.
8. Level gifts are actually worthwhile. As I said previously, when you get a new car as a gift, you are actually excited about it now. Not only because of the choice, but also for the choices available.
Cons
1. Engine sounds are NOT what they are supposed to be. Being a tuner myself, I have sat in many different vehicles. My own vehicle, a 2006 G35 coupe, is supercharged. You can definitely hear the whining sound of the blower when I charge up. In the games case, you don't hear it. Also, none of the cars in the game that are boosted with turbo actually sound like they are. All turbo'd cars have the resonating sound of a blowout valve, and they aren't present in the game. This for me is a huge disappointment, considering this is considered a SIMULATION more than a game.
2. AI opponents have amazing recovery from mess ups. Lets say you take a turn, and the driver 1 second ahead of you loses control and hits the wall at an angle. He can easily get back to the track at a normal rate and still maintain his spot. This has happened to me on numerous occasions and its down-right annoying. If I cant do that, the AI shouldn't be able to either. And its sucks even more when they head straight to collide with you. Which brings my next point.
3. AI opponents do not suffer from damage as you do. This I find extremely disturbing, especially when the AI is as aggressive as it is. They can take 5 hits to a wall, and still drive with normal conditions. If I can mess up my tranny from one single front end hit at 30 mph, so should they.
4. Music isn't the greatest. I know, that's not a major thing, since you should be able to turn it off anyways. I personally like listening to some type of music while im driving. Unfortunately, the soundtrack is overflowing with repetitive Dubb Step (which I despise).
5. Cockpit view is limiting. I agree 100% with Justin's assessment of the cockpit view. When I look from the inside of my car, I have the ability to see to both sides of the car through my peripheral vision.
6. Lack of aesthetic modifications is sad. Like I said before, I myself am into tuning cars. And one of the great thing about tuning cars is making it look cool with your own unique style. Cars have thousands of different things that can be added to them. However, the majority of aesthetic mods are left out. Midnight Club: Los Angeles had a huge variety of different mods and different companies to chose from. Aside from decals, F4 is very cut and dry, and I for one hate decals.
7. Wheel modifications are bogus. Forza has been broadcasting that their driving engine is based on technology developed by Pirelli Tires. If that's the case, how come there is such a huge limitation on wheel changes? Why can I change the height, but not the width, which in fact has a direct influence on grip? How can I put certain wheels on cars that do not match the bolt pattern? And why are the wheels copy/pasted on the cars? If you run a staggered setup (for a RWD vehicle) the rear should be deeper, wider, and sometimes taller than the front wheels. In this game (and the last) that's not relevant. I feel discouraged that I truly cannot make my car look the way I want it to, simply because this was left out.
8. Tune setups are inefficient. I don't know, maybe for certain cars it doesn't work. However, I know that if I lowered my car further than what it is from the basic racing spring kit, it should LOOK lower. It doesn't. If I leak air out of my tires, the tires should flex a bit, but they don't. If I camber my wheels a full degree negatively, my wheels should be pointing inwards from the top… But they don't. This to me feels like a slap in the face. How do we know what level of camber or drop is good? We just have to lose control of our car a few times? Tune setup should sit you infront of your car and whenever you change a stat, it should visually affect your car, as it would in the real world.
I know my cons seem to outweigh the pros, but do not take me for disliking this game. This game is definitely one of the greatest racing games out there today. The problem I have is I look at a simulation game for driving, and I analyze its key points from a real world point of view. A simulator isn't just about the quantity of cars, or the quantity of tracks (as some people believe). I think it is more about the integration from real life driving to driving on a console, and how subtle that change can be. Do not promote "realistic visuals" if I cant get my car to look like how I want it. Don't promote this to be a tuners game, if half of the things I can do in real life, I cant apply to my car.
If there is anything you should take from this review, it's the following: If you are looking for fun driving game, with great visuals, realistic driving, and great competition… Then this is the game for you. If you are looking to get deeply involved with the evolution of your vehicle to watch it transform into the car of your building dreams, then be prepared to be let down. This has definitely steered away from the "Simulator" category into the "Game" genre.