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Forza

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Forza
Forza series logo since 2020
Genre(s)Racing
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Xbox Game Studios
Platform(s)
First releaseForza Motorsport
May 3, 2005
Latest releaseForza Street
April 15, 2019

Forza (/ˈfɔːrtsə/ FORTS-ə; Italian for "strength") is a series of simulation racing video games for Xbox consoles, Windows 10, iOS and Android devices published by Xbox Game Studios. The series seeks to emulate the performance and handling characteristics of many real-life production, modified and racing cars.

The franchise is primarily divided into two ongoing titles; the original Forza Motorsport series developed by American developer Turn 10 Studios, which focuses on primarily professional-style track racing events and series around a variety of both real and fictional tracks, and the Forza Horizon series mainly developed by British developer Playground Games, which revolves around a fictional racing and music festival called the "Horizon Festival" and features open world environments set in fictional representations of real world areas in which players may freely roam and participate in racing events. Until 2019, each installment of the franchise series have alternated on a biennial basis; the Motorsport entries were released in odd-numbered years, while the Horizon entries were released in even-numbered years. This pattern was altered due to the absence of a new Motorsport game in 2019.[1] Forza is seen as the primary rival of Gran Turismo on the Playstation systems.

Titles

Motorsport

Forza Motorsport (2005)

Main article: Forza Motorsport

Forza Motorsport was released in 2005 and is the first installment in the Forza Motorsport series, a series that has continued on Microsoft's current systems, the Xbox 360, the Xbox One and the Xbox Series X. It was the only title in the series to be released on the original Xbox console. It is playable on the Xbox 360 via backwards compatibility on the newer platform. It features 231 cars and multiple real-world and fictional racecourses. It also featured online multiplayer via Xbox Live.

Forza Motorsport 2 (2007)

Main article: Forza Motorsport 2

Forza Motorsport 2 is the first sequel to Forza Motorsport and the first Xbox 360 title in the series. The Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel was developed alongside Forza Motorsport 2 and is designed to work with the game. Prior to the game's release, Microsoft launched Forza Motorsport Showdown, a four-part TV miniseries on Speed. The show was produced by Bud Brutsman and hosted by Lee Reherman.[2]

Forza Motorsport 3 (2009)

Main article: Forza Motorsport 3

Forza Motorsport 3 includes more than 400 customisation cars (more than 500 cars in the Ultimate Collection version) from 50 manufacturers and more than 100 race track variations with the ability to race up to eight cars on track at a time. These cars vary from production cars to race cars such as those from the American Le Mans Series. At the E3 2009 Microsoft Press Conference where the game was first showcased, Turn 10 unveiled the rewind feature (much like the Codemasters "flashback" feature on Race Driver: Grid, F1 2009 and DiRT 2), which allows the player to turn back time to fix previous mistakes made on the track. The rewind feature has no limit on how many times it may be used but afterwards, the player must wait 30 seconds before being able to rewind again. It is also the first game in the franchise to feature a cockpit camera and to have sport utility vehicles.[3]

Forza Motorsport 4 (2011)

Main article: Forza Motorsport 4
Promotion of Forza Motorsport 4 at E3 2011

For Forza Motorsport 4, Turn 10 Studios partnered with BBC's Top Gear (and its American counterpart) to get Jeremy Clarkson, among other Top Gear hosts, to do voices for descriptions, race titles, and the new Auto-vista mode, which allows players to explore a certain selection of cars in great detail. The game is also the first in the franchise to utilise the Kinect sensor. Players can utilise the sensor to turn their head to either side, and the game dynamically follows in a similar motion, turning the game camera to the side. It is the final Forza Motorsport released for Xbox 360.

Forza Motorsport 5 (2013)

Main article: Forza Motorsport 5

Forza Motorsport 5 was an Xbox One launch title, the fifth in the Motorsport series, and the sixth game in the Forza series. The game expanded on the Top Gear partnership by having Richard Hammond and James May provide commentary alongside Clarkson. The game was first confirmed by the Se-bull of Microsoft France.[4] The game was released in 2013.[5]

Forza Motorsport 6 (2015)

Main article: Forza Motorsport 6

As part of a development agreement with Ford Motor Company, Turn 10 Studios was given direct access to the design team for the 2017 Ford GT super-car, which is the game's cover vehicle. Forza Motorsport 6 was released on September 15, 2015, for Xbox One. A free-to-play Windows 10 version of the game, known as Forza Motorsport 6: Apex, was released as a beta on May 5, 2016. On September 6, 2016, it was removed from beta and became a full addition to the franchise.

Forza Motorsport 7 (2017)

Main article: Forza Motorsport 7

Forza Motorsport 7 was developed for Windows 10 and Xbox One. The game was released on October 3, 2017.[6] This game includes many tracks, including the return of Maple Valley Raceway, the fictional track last included in Forza Motorsport 4. Forza Motorsport 7 has the largest set of playable vehicles of any Forza game to date, at 830 cars. 700 cars are included in the base game, while 130 were later added as downloadable content.[7]

Forza Motorsport (TBA)

The latest addition to the franchise was announced during Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase, simply titled Forza Motorsport. The game is currently in early development and is expected to be the first game in the Forza franchise to run on the upcoming Xbox Series X.[8] It will be the first Forza Motorsport game to deviate from the franchise's biennial release schedule, as no Forza title was announced or released in 2019.

Horizon

Forza Horizon (2012)

Main article: Forza Horizon

Forza Horizon is the first open-world game in the series. It is based around a fictitious festival called the Horizon Festival, set in the U.S. state of Colorado. The game incorporates many different gameplay aspects from previous Forza Motorsport titles, like the large variety of cars, realistic physics and high definition graphics. The aim is to progress through the game by means of obtaining "Wristbands" by driving fast, destroying property, winning races and other driving antics. Horizon features the physics of Forza Motorsport 4, which have been optimised to work on the 65 variants of terrain said to be present in the game. Players can drive off-road in select areas, while others are limited by guardrails or other means. Horizon allows the player to modify the car that is selected from the garage by changing numerous features both internally and externally on a car. One can also obtain cars by winning races with random drivers on the street, by winning larger competitive races, and by finding barns that contain treasure cars that cannot otherwise be bought through the game's 'Auto-show' or through racing. This game is also backwards compatible with the Xbox One.

Forza Horizon 2 (2014)

Main article: Forza Horizon 2

Forza Horizon 2 was developed for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The game is set in Southern France and in Northern Italy. The Xbox One version was developed by Horizon developer Playground Games, with assistance by Turn 10 Studios. The Xbox 360 version was developed by Sumo Digital.[9] The Xbox One version introduced a dynamic weather system to the series. An expansion, Forza Horizon 2: Storm Island, was released on December 16, 2014. A cross-promotional standalone expansion called Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious was released in March 2015 for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It is the final Forza game for Xbox 360 and the DLC was exclusive for Xbox One only. The expansion's plot is to collect ten cars by using specially modified cars in different events to get them.

Forza Horizon 3 (2016)

Main article: Forza Horizon 3

Forza Horizon 3 was developed for Windows 10 and Xbox One.[10] The game is set in Australia, and has the player represented in the game as the host of the Horizon Festival itself. The game launched on September 27, 2016 (September 23 for Ultimate Edition owners). The game launched with over 350 cars and is the first game in the series to be launched on both Microsoft Windows and Xbox One. An expansion titled Blizzard Mountain was released on December 13, 2016, featuring a snow area along with the name giving blizzard storms and eight new cars.[11] A second expansion themed around Hot Wheels was released on May 9, 2017. This expansion features a new area called "Thrilltopia" and adds orange and blue Hot Wheels track with loops, jumps, corkscrews, boost pads, half-pipes and more. The expansion also includes ten new cars.[12] As of December 2016, Forza Horizon 3 sold around 2.5 million units.[13]

Forza Horizon 4 (2018)

Main article: Forza Horizon 4
Promotion of Forza Horizon 4 featuring a McLaren Senna at E3 2018

Forza Horizon 4 was developed for the Xbox One and Windows 10. The game is set in the United Kingdom and features dynamic game-play and seasons which change every Thursday in the real world. It was released on October 2, 2018 (September 28 for Ultimate Edition players). The cover car is the McLaren Senna. On December 13, 2018, the Fortune Island expansion was released, featuring the 2019 Lamborghini Urus as the cover car. On June 13, 2019, the Lego Speed Champions expansion was released worldwide featuring a Lego version of the McLaren Senna as the cover car.

Spin-offs

Forza Street (2019)

Forza Street is a free-to-play racing game developed by Electric Square that was initially released for Windows 10 as Miami Street on May 8, 2018.[14][15][16] The game was re-branded as a Forza title on April 15, 2019, and was also released for iOS and Android on May 5, 2020.[17] A Nintendo Switch version of the game has also been rumoured to be in development. [14][15][16] Forza Street uses the Unreal Engine 4 game engine, unlike the series' in-house engine, ForzaTech. Unlike the main Motorsport and Horizon titles, Street features short, quick street races, and is meant to be played on low-end devices. Game-play involves players controlling only the acceleration and braking by pressing and releasing a button or a touch screen; steering is handled automatically. Players can also use nitrous to give their cars a speed boost.

Following its announcement, Forza Street was heavily criticized for its overly simplistic gameplay, its gameplay-limiting energy system, and predatory use of microtransactions, with critics calling Street a stain on the otherwise well-regarded Forza brand.[18][19][20]

Reception

Aggregate review scores
Game Metacritic
Forza Motorsport (Xbox) 92[21]
Forza Motorsport 2 (X360) 90[22]
Forza Motorsport 3 (X360) 92[23]
Forza Motorsport 4 (X360) 91[24]
Forza Horizon (X360) 85[25]
Forza Motorsport 5 (XONE) 79[26]
Forza Horizon 2 (XONE) 86[27]
Forza Motorsport 6 (XONE) 87[28]
Forza Horizon 3 (XONE) 91[29]
(PC) 86[30]
Forza Motorsport 7 (XONE) 86[31]
(PC) 82[32]
Forza Horizon 4 (XONE) 92[33]
(PC) 87[34]

As of February 2010, Forza games have sold over 10 million copies.[35] As of December 2016, the series has made over US$1 billion at retail,[13][36] making Forza one of the highest grossing video game franchises. Over 14 million unique players were registered in the Forza community on Xbox One and Windows 10 by December 2016.[37]

References

  1. ^ Batchelor, James (June 10, 2019). "Microsoft confirms no Forza Motorsport 8 in 2019". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  2. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (October 31, 2006). "Forza 2 Gains Speed". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  3. ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (June 1, 2009). "Forza Motorsport 3 Microsoft Press Conference Impressions". GameSpot. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  4. ^ Jessey. "Forza Motorsport 5 Coming 2013; Horizon and Motorsport Are "2 Different Games"". Analoghype.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  5. ^ "Forza Motorsport - Forza Motorsport 5 Is Coming!". Forzamotorsport.net. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  6. ^ "Forza 7 Revealed". Gamespot. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  7. ^ forzamotorsport.net https://forums.forzamotorsport.net/turn10_postst99201_FM7-Car-List.aspx. Retrieved July 26, 2020. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ Avard, Alex (December 12, 2019). "The next Forza Motorsport game is already playable, with plans for an official announcement next year". GamesRadar+. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  9. ^ "E3 2014: Forza Horizon 2 Launching September 30". Gamespot. CBS Interactive. June 9, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  10. ^ Slive, Marty (June 13, 2016). "E3: 2016: Forza Horizon 3 Revealed, Release Date Announced". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  11. ^ "Forza Horizon 3 Blizzard Mountain - Microsoft Store". Microsoft Store. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  12. ^ "Forza Horizon 3 Hot Wheels - Microsoft Store". Microsoft Store. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  13. ^ a b Hartman, Alan (February 13, 2017). "The Forza Franchise Has Exceeded $1 Billion in Retail Sales". Xbox Wire. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  14. ^ a b Bouwmeester, Jason (April 15, 2019). "Microsoft Studios releases Forza Street for PC, except it's not a new game". Techaeris.com. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Madan, Asher (April 15, 2019). "Free-to-play 'Forza Street' hits PC, Android and iOS versions announced". Windows Central. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  16. ^ a b Smith, Rebecca (April 15, 2019). "Miami Street Officially Rebrands to Forza Street". TrueAchivements.com. TrueGaming Network. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  17. ^ "Forza Street Coming to iOS and Android May 5". Xbox Wire. April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  18. ^ Atkin, Alex (April 16, 2019). "Review: Forza Street stains a pedigree series with an awful spin-off title". MSPoweruser. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  19. ^ Stanis, Ignas (April 17, 2019). "REVIEW: Forza Street". AR12Gaming. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  20. ^ Gardner, Matt (May 10, 2019). "Is 'Forza Street' Good? No, It's A Horrific Moment For The Franchise". Forbes.com. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  21. ^ "Forza Motorsport Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  22. ^ "Forza Motorsport 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  23. ^ "Forza Motorsport 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  24. ^ "Forza Motorsport 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  25. ^ "Forza Horizon Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  26. ^ "Forza Motorsport 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  27. ^ "Forza Horizon 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  28. ^ "Forza Motorsport 6 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  29. ^ "Forza Horizon 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  30. ^ "Forza Horizon 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  31. ^ "Forza Motorsport 7 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  32. ^ "Forza Motorsport 7 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  33. ^ "Forza Horizon 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  34. ^ "Forza Horizon 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  35. ^ "Gran Turismo sales run over Forza". Play.tm. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  36. ^ Regan, Tom (February 14, 2017). "'Forza' is a billion-dollar success story for Microsoft". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  37. ^ https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2017/02/13/forza-franchise-exceeded-1-billion-retail-sales/
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