I think when I look back at Forza Motorsport 5, my own personal opinion is that of a flawed diamond. There was so much beauty on show in terms of graphics as well as the now steadfast handling and all the bells and whistles that come with Turn 10’s now iconic Xbox series, but it left you a little deflated because there just felt like there wasn’t enough to start with on the disc. Just after everyone got over the shock of that the DLC packs came flooding in at a rate of knots.
I know this may sound like a bit of a whiney moan, but I know a lot of people that thought the same thing. I got rid of my copy a long time back, but when I heard there was a Game of the Year Edition my ears started to mess up. I thought to myself that this would be the definitive copy of the sim series, with a load of extras to make me want to get cracking with automotive joy once again.
If only this were true. I’ll say it again that the game itself plays as well as it did at launch, but this was a chance to make the doubters quiet, those that felt the initial release was rushed would feel a greater sense of balance now that we had a load of extra cars to tear into, but this simply hasn’t happened. What you get extra is the Top Gear pack, consisting of 10 vehicles ranging from ridiculously fast to just downright ridiculous.
The turbo charged Transit van is a joke to race with and has no real usage other than for some of the mini games or one of those multiplayer races where everyone has to pick the same chariot. Compared to other things in the game it is slow and sluggish and doesn’t do enough to want to be picked often. Some of the others are not too shabby for a go here and there. The iconic pocket rocket in the form of the Renault 5 Turbo from back in the early 80’s to the 3-speed mental case that is the Chapparal #66 Chaparral 2E from 1960 give you some laughs for a bit it has to be said, but other than those and two others (the 1998 Nissan R390 and the Team Holden Commodore VF) the rest of the car pack is a little underwhelming.
The rest of the “Game of the Year” is consisting of the freebies that Turn 10 have released through the year, like the Nurburgring and a small handful of cars, like the Renault E Spark racing car. This is where things get a little nasty, if things are meant to be believed online. I did a little bit of rummaging to see just how much a slightly glorified version of the original Forza Motorsport 5 was going to be when it hit the shelves, obviously thinking that with it being out for about a year it would be the first budget label title for the new current gen.
Boy was I mistaken. After checking a reputable online retailer this game came up with a price that was a hair off of £50, which for the addition of one car pack and things that are already free is quite frankly insulting to those who have had the console since launch, let alone people who are getting ready to splash out for Christmas. I might sound a bit harsh, but let me point you in the direction of my annoyance. If you have a look at games like Borderlands 2 or Fallout 3 when they got their GotY Editions, you’ll notice that all the expansion packs were included. Skyrim would be another one to throw into the argument. Even Dirt 3 did it and that shows that a racing game can give away everything it has thrown your way in terms of DLC over a prolonged period of time.
What Forza Motorsport 5 has done with this is give you one extra thing you may not have had and still leave you well over 80% of the DLC to fork out for, bearing in mind the season pass is still £35 and I don’t think it is a good idea to be spending nearly £85 on a game with a 12 month life on it already, although that might just be me.
The problem is though; the game itself still plays great and solid. The tracks are stunning and a joy to race round. A lot of the cars you get to use are also responsive and the multiplayer is still able to switch between mates having a laugh with some crash and bash or some serious competitive team racing, but I really find it hard to justify buying this iteration of the Forza franchise when you could so easily get a preowned copy of the standard release, buy the add-on separately and still have change to buy Rayman Legends. In a day and age where gamers are having to tighten belts more than ever due to the prices of things getting higher, you have to let your wallet (or purse) rule your spending head and in this case it is difficult.
I would only be able to recommend this to people who have never purchased Forza on their Xbox One and maybe want to get something to enjoy that looks stunning and plays well. From an economic standpoint though, it simply isn’t worth paying full price for something that only has an £8 add on as an extra. The funny thing about this is that it is like buying an actual car. You get this new and it will have depreciated as soon as you hand the cash over, but you get the original in a sale instead and then buy the DLC separately and you’ll save cash, which I think is mental in this day and age. Another thing to add is that Project C.A.R.S. is out in a month and that could shake up the foundations that this and Gran Tursimo have had for many years. Add a mark on if you’ve never had Forza before, but I have to give this a mid-range score because the value for money just isn’t there.
