The review is a little later than I had hoped but I didn’t receive Forza until late last week and really needed a little time to dig deeper in the game and get a firmer grasp on the game.

Another year another fantastic racing experience with the latest installment of Forza Motorsport. For a while now the Forza Motorsport series has been one of Microsoft’s flagship series’ and it shows year after year. With the release of the Xbox One X looming – it’s no surprise Forza 7 is without a shadow of doubt one of the prettiest games you’ve ever laid eyes on and one can only assume that with the added horsepower it’s bound to look even better come November 7.

It’s easy to get lost in the sheer beauty of Forza Motorsport 7. From the rain slick roads, the changing shadows as day turns to dusk or night turns to dawn there were more than a few times where I just simply got mesmerized and ended up in bouncing off a wall. A really nice effect I noticed was the way rain beads up on the windshield and moves differently with each turn or tap of the brake. A really cool effect to see that probably goes unnoticed by many. The addition of dynamic weather is masterfully done. The first time it happened, the changes in the sky and the lighting were subtle and I honestly didn’t even notice it was going to happen until I was stuck deep in the middle of a torrential downpour.

One of the things about the Forza series is just how well it makes itself accessible to both the hardcore and less than professional racing fans like myself. Thankfully the rewind button is still a thing in the series. Adjusting to the changing weather can be a bit of a challenge when driving at 200+mph taking even a slight turn in the road in a super car can send you careening off the road and into the barrier so having that little cushion allowing the racer the opportunity to learn to correctly adjust is always welcome. Brake and steering assists are also very present which further helps people just getting into the series. If you decide you’re mopping the floor with the competition, you can adjust the assists to make the game much less forgiving of your shortcomings. I’m not one to get super creative with the assists but I have a few friends who eat and sleep these titles and will spend hours upon hours honing their skills to take those hair pin turns at just the right speed and angle to perfect each track with a variety of different vehicles.

Turn 10 has decided to utilize a loot crate system that other Xbox-exclusive titles like Gears of War 4 use. The loot crates can open up contain cars, mods and cosmetic driver appearances. Currently the loot crates are only unlockable with in game currency that’s earned by winning different races and using mods to provide money boosts but that’s looking like it’s going to change. I guess it’s a welcome addition to some people but I’m personally not a huge fan and tend to avoid those transactions at all cost and quite frankly would really rather they didn’t go down this path.

The Offline career mode is split across 6 different tiers with varying difficulty, race types and requirements all culminating to the player advancing to the next tier once a predetermined number of races and experience points have been amassed. Winning these challenges will also provide cash winnings which are needed in some cases to purchase new cars to be able to participate. With all the modification, paint jobs and cars you’ll surely run low on funds and return back to lower tier challenges for the easy cash winnings. The online racing is still one of the best experiences in the market. The menus are clear and concise and the game just works great. As someone who’s just not that great at these games. I’m always around the middle of the pack but still I have a great time playing.

Forza Motorsport 7 is still the cream of the crop in the racing genre. It’s got something for the tastes of every car enthusiast from the tinkerer to the perimeter people like myself who are just average at playing but know a beautiful car when they see it. The graphics are simply the best money can buy and I just love the dynamic weather and the day/night cycle. I’m more than a little excited about seeing what this stunning game looks like in 4K and HDR in the coming weeks – I’m quite certain it’s going to melt my eyes. Forza Motorsport 7 is a must buy.

J