Hand Polished Quality - One of my biggest gripes with the Forza series has been that while everything looked good it remained slightly soulless. All the cars were accurate depictions and the tracks could be identified easily but it was a clinical experience that would become almost boring with repeated play. Forza 4 has addressed this problem wonderfully. A little digging around uncovered the fact that Turn 10 are using a system called Image Based Lighting. In all honesty, I have no idea what this actually means but what it produces are cars that feel much more tangible as light and shadow bounces off the bonnet and tracks that are far more vibrant that anything they have produced before. The frame rate runs smoothly (reportedly 60fps) and there are plenty of visual clues trackside to assist with braking distances.

Like Batman Chewing Gravel - The sound in Forza 4 is absolutely outstanding. Every car has its own unique engine note, from the sandpaper rasp of an Apollo Gumpert to the understated growl of an Aston Martin DB9.  Each car appears to have had a lavish amount of time spent on getting its individual tone just right. While playing Forza 4 and chatting to a friend in a party he could hear the noise coming from my television. As he described what he was hearing and coming to decisions like valve count and aspiration he finally said ‘You’re driving a Ford Focus RS’ and he was spot on. Turn 10 have got the audio perfectly replicated. Oh, and some of my friends like cars a little too much.

Wagging My Tail - Another feature that was often described as sterile was the handling of the cars. Turn 10 made the right choice by loosening things up. Now most cars feel much more on the point of over-steer. This makes the experience incredibly exciting and leaves the player right on the ragged edge of control on the higher difficulties. It also helps to make the less prestigious cars a bit more interesting to spend time with. 

XXX Car Porn - Autovista is a new mode for the series which takes around 25 of the 500+ cars included in the game and reproduces them to a photo realistic level both outside and in. The player is able to move around the car and receive in-depth audio detail about specific parts of the car from engine size to tricked out gear boxes. Every car has a commentary from the marmite like voice of Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, which gives an overview of the car’s history and also how the Top Gear team feels about it. In order to unlock a car the player is challenged with beating a particular challenge in that car. Although this mode is short it is stunning to see and provides a bit more depth of understanding around the cars.

Do It Again... and Again... and Again... - The biggest issue with Forza 4 is the “meat and potatoes,” that is, the single player offering. If you’ve played any Forza or Gran Turismo you’ll know only too well, what you are getting into. The single player consists of a series of races that have to be completed in a certain category of car which will become increasingly tougher until you get to the end some 30 hours later. It really becomes the definition of grinding. Forza 4 does try to combat this by offering  high level cars early in the game and using a rolling calendar to offer races but it’s a formula that has been around since the original Gran Turismo in 1998 and has barely evolved since. 

You Keep Bouncing Back to Me - Rubber banding is a major complaint in most racing games but, in a title that claims to be a simulation, it is completely unacceptable. You can build a convincing lead on a longer race only for the AI to start pumping in laps that are seconds faster than are possible. The argument is always that it makes the race more exciting but for me the thrill of a racing game is the challenge of the track and if I’ve done the hard work in building a lead the challenge should be to maintain that with fast laps and not be forced to defend 1^st place against overly aggressive AI for the rest of the race. This is not meant to be Mario Kart!

Not Hard to Track the Changes - For a title that boasts 500 different cars and over 100 track layouts it is very disappointing to see that only 4 new venues have been added since Forza 3. Even more disappointing are anomalies like Silverstone not being updated to reflect the massive changes that were made 3 years ago in real life. The vehicle list is as impressive as ever but I would appreciate the developers placing a bit more emphasis on where we are driving them.

Forza 4 is return to form after (for me, at least) a disappointing release that was Forza 3. There are a tonne of little tweaks and additions that make the purchase essential for any car or racing enthusiast. The graphics and handling make barrelling round the track of your choice much more lively.  The rivals mode and car club offer something different from the usual fare and Autovista is truly gorgeous. The wealth of features makes this update a must have, even if the track selection is a little underwhelming.