Better than Forza3, better than GT5 and very nearly better than 'it'.
In my opinion this is the best driving/racing game available today on any platform, and i shall now try and explain why.
So lets start with the graphics, now Forza3 wasn't exactly a minger but you can see the improvement easily as soon as you see some of the exquisitely detailed cars on offer whether it be on the track or in the new autovista mode, add to this the truly breathtaking surroundings of some of the tracks and its obvious this is an impressive visual game right from the off.
There are 26 tracks included in the game with any number of variations on them available which ensures you don't get too bored of the same old tracks, a particular highlight is the top gear test track that i know is also included in GT5, however in Forza 4 the Top Gear reasonably car is available to drive from a standing start (rather than the somewhat annoying rolling start seen in the afore mentioned GT5) which means you can compare how quick you can do to the celebrities times on the tv show.
Now the career mode, for me the make or break of any game. This one doesn't disappoint, although i will admit to being slightly confused to how it worked to begin with. What you get in this fourth Forza game is a world tour career where you take part in a set number of races at varying circuits, but the real genius in it is that you have a choice of three different races at each location and to add to that if you change car the events will be changed to suit that car so you can choose what sort of car you want to use to match the circuit rather than driving around a really tight circuit in a big American muscle car that has the suspension from an old wagon and the handling characteristics of your average boat, you can change to something thats light and quick, like a nice Lotus or similar.
One thing you shouldn't have to worry about is having a shortage of cars, every time you level up you receive a new car, but in a change to the old format you now get the choice of different cars each time so not everyone ends up with a garage full of the same cars as often happens with games of this genre, especially to start. Another change for this game is that cars no longer level up with you, instead the more races you do in one car the more discount you get from parts ect from the particular manufacturer up to a point where upgrades are free.
I could go on about everything thats good in this game but it has occurred to me i'm basically repeating whats said in the official GS review so lets just skip to the racing.
This is where Forza 4 really excels, the handling of the cars is different for each car, representing setup differences ect. But its the realism and responsiveness of the cars that puts this above GT5, its rewarding to nail a corner bang on and it becomes really addictive trying to get every corner perfect, indeed i did around 30+ laps around Mugello in an Audi RS4 in an attempt to get the perfect lap (without success).
Add to all this the online multiplayer together with the online community, a huge choice of different cars and with more to come with new DLC in the future you know this is a game that can last for years at the very top. The only worry is where they can possibly go from here.
If your not a fan of this type of game then its unlikely to change your mind, but if like me your a big fan then this is true perfection, better than the competition, better than anything likely to come soon and certainly better than an ice cream sandwich.