When it comes to console racing games, there have only ever been two franchises that have really stood against one another. While the likes ofF1andtheBurnoutserieshave catered to specific audiences, they don’t really hold the same weight or influence as theGran TurismoorForzafranchises. For decades now, PlayStation has used itsGran Turismoseries to push the technical capabilities of its consoles, while Xbox has done the same withForza. WithGran Turismo7getting a release a few months ago, it’s nowForza Motorsport’s turn.
Announced during theXbox and Bethesda Showcase,Forza Motorsportis the eighth game in the mainline series, and is acting as somewhat of a reboot for the franchise. Along with an overhaul of the game’s mechanics and racing systems, 2023’sForza Motorsport’s graphics and physics systems are also being built from the ground up, and if the deep-dive shown during the showcase is anything to go by, then it may just be one of the most technically impressive games of all time.
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Forza Motorsport is Pushing Graphical Boundaries
TheForzafranchise has always looked pretty great, even the earliest entries in the franchise pushed the original Xbox to its very limits. WhiletheForza Horizonseriesfocuses on creating impressively huge open-worlds to roam around in,Forza Motorsportfocuses on making the most technically brilliant racing game possible, and the upcoming entry looks to be carrying on the tradition in style.
During the six-minute gameplay demo,Forza Motorsport’s development team took fans through some of the technical updates coming with this next-gen only release. The demo opened on a simple note, showingthe iconic Maple Valley trackfrom the original games - albeit looking the best it ever has. As the camera dips down into the valley, and fixes itself behind a car, the sheer scale of the technical improvements on offer are fully realized.
Every inch of the track and environment has been rendered in painstaking detail, with the smallest of stones, and even each individual blade of grass looking visually-stunning. The demo then moved on to coverForza Motorsport’s new lighting systemand how that interacts with the time-of-day functionality. Apparently, as a race goes on, the time of day shifts, with shadows being rendered in real-time based on where the sun would be. As the environmental light changes, so do the reflections, with car headlights now being visible in the glossy bodywork of vehicles. The time of day does not only impact the game’s visuals, either, as it will also affect the temperature in-game, which in turn affects how it feels to drive on the road.
During the day, players will be able to see their own car’s reflection in the bumper of the car in front of them, along with the rest of the environment around them.Forza Motorsportwill apparently even render every single scratch on a car following a crash, with it being accurate to where an object would have come into contact. This is easily the most technicallyimpressiveForzagame ever created, and it may just be one of the most technically impressive games of all time.
With that being said, Turn 10 Studios should be willing to share its hard work with the rest of the gaming industry. While Sony’s slate of upcoming first-party releases will certainly contain some technical marvels, it’s unlikely that any in the next year or so will be able to reach the apparent heights ofForza Motorsport. Put simply,Forza Motorsport’s new physics systems and real-time rendering could benefit the entire gaming industry, with more than just the racing genre being able to use these new technical systems to make the experience feel that much more realistic.
Forza Motorsportis scheduled to release in Spring 2023 on PC and Xbox consoles.
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