I raced through Prague recently. Having been to other European tracks and cities in the past, trekking through Prague was something I had wanted to do for a while. This time around I was able to land a new McLaren P1, painted in a mature orange tone with metallic flake that seemed to flop towards warm or cool depending on if I was facing towards or away from the sun. The early morning race around the city had me zipping past classic Czech architecture, the sun peaking around pillars and casting living shadows inside the interior. I’ve never had a chance to really enjoy the city before, but seeing it from the inside of a powerful and modern sports car didn’t diminish the overwhelming feel of centuries-old European history. The streets, though they’ve surely been paved and repaved, still had raw spots that my tires loved to grip against, often vibrating my hands as I tried to brake or accelerate out of turns.
This is what driving is all about. This is how to experience European roads. This is how to make myself feel like the car is an extension of my body.
And this is in a video game.
Let’s get one thing right out of the way: this is a Forza game. You know exactly what this races like, how the different cars have their own nuances, how Forza’s race mechanics mimic realism maybe better than any other racing series. I don’t need to spend time talking about any of that, because if you’ve played any recent game in the series you know exactly what you’re getting, driving wise.
We can skip all of that.
Where Forza 5 excels beyond its genre predecessors is in how it redefines the actual experience of driving in video games, how it redefines immersion. And, changing that experience changes how we prepare and react to road situations, and how that makes the entire process that much more enjoyable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYTx9DFWMSI
To start, the visuals are beyond belief. In my demo I nearly crashed several times while examining details that we often take for granted in real life driving. From the multiple layers of gloss and color on a hood, to the reflection of light across a windshield’s glass, the visual fidelity is astounding. The addition of the new motors in the Xbox One’s controller triggers, and how they rumble uniquely on different road textures or as brake rotors or tires are grinding down, make driving using the pad nearly as responsive and informative as many racing wheels. The details in stitching and textures that adorn the interiors, or the visual wear on the exterior provides engrossment into the act of driving.
That’s not to mention the cloud-based Drivatars, and how multiplayer will be handled and the progression detailed — none of which were available in our short demo. But, they’ll be there, and they’re extremely intriguing as a dramatic paradigm shift begins to take place in what technology can allow.
The power of the next gen consoles makes this all possible, and Forza 5 takes the first steps into fully realizing what the series has only hinted at thus far: a real Prague, one I can enjoy in a car I can feel, is just around the next turn. Forza 5 arrives this year at the Xbox One launch.
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