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Forza Motorsport 4 review: Hybrid synergy drive
Simulation games, be it racing-simulators, flight-simulators or farming-simulators, always run the risk of designing themselves into corners and alienating potential players. These types of experiences are a challenge to craft, as implementing a feature for the die-hard enthusiast often means sacrificing something designed for the novice or hobbyiest. No one seems to have told Turn 10 how impossible a task the all-encompassing simulator is, however, and as a result Forza Motorsport 4 provides the same challenging, exhilarating racing experience to each and every player who gets behind the proverbial wheel.%Gallery-130719%
Forza 4 demo live today for Xbox Gold Subs, 'free' peons on Friday
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! No, not you, free-level Xbox Live subscribers. You leave your engines firmly in the off position. We'll get to you in a second. Everyone else: Engine's on! The demo for Forza Motorsport 4 is now live for paid Gold subscribers, and can be grabbed from the Spotlight reel on the dashboard. If you need inspiration for the big race, we suggest checking out this debut UK trailer, which just happens to be narrated by Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson. (Rad!) Okay, those formerly known as Silverlings: You'll get your chance to play the demo this Friday. We suggest you spend the next four days thinking about your pathetic lot in life, and how you can improve it.
Fanatec's Forza 4 accessories now up for pre-order
Turn 10 Studios and Fanatec have partnered to offer some high-end, wireless peripherals for Forza Motorsport 4. The CSR Wheel ($250), CSR Elite pedals ($150) and CSR shifter ($60) are all made with aluminum parts. The wheel's got force feedback and an LED display for tweaking the turning, force feedback, vibration and sensitivity; five available presets make for easy switching. The wheel is even compatible with PC and PS3, if you've got other racing games, and the pedals are also compatible with PC via an optional USB cable. Take a gander at the goods in the gallery below. %Gallery-135146%
Why Halo 4's Warthog can be seen but not driven in Forza 4
It's nifty that Forza Motorsport 4 will allow players to examine the Halo 4 Warthog in "Auto Vista" mode, but we doubt we're alone in wondering why you can't actually drive it. According to developer Turn 10's Dan Greenwalt, implementing the UNSC's iconic ground transport is much more complex than it sounds. Speaking to Eurogamer, Greenwalt explained that the technology used in the Warthog simply doesn't exist in any of Forza's other cars – notably its "crab walking" four wheel steering – meaning Turn 10 would have to build it from scratch. It's not that the Turn 10 team is incapable, Greenwalt noted that they have the specs, but it would be "a big investment" in order to support a single vehicle. The final straw, apparently, is that there's no way to simulate the Warthog's tires. All of Forza's tire physics are based on real-world tires, meaning that each tire in the game should react to road conditions in a (very) realistic way. Said Greenwalt, "they didn't give us tires from nanotube technology from 2525."
Joining the Club in Forza Motorsport 4
I haven't really played much Forza since the second game, and my biggest concern going into a recent preview event here in San Francisco was what Turn 10 Studios was doing to bring the wayward back. Forza 4's Car Club alleviated my concern, and in a way that I didn't expect. I'm not a member of any club or institution -- wary of elitism and membership -- so why did I find the Car Club so intoxicating?
Forza Motorsport 4 gets a $30 season pass, redeemable for six DLC packs
Turn 10 Studios has announced that it will sell a Season Pass for Forza Motorsport 4, giving players access to six DLC packs the developer plans to launch over the next year. The ticket is priced at $29.99 -- a 30 percent discount from the combined prices of the six expansions -- and comes with a bonus American Muscle car pack on launch day. Is $30 too much to spend on a Coronet Super Bee? God, we hope not. The six DLC packs in question will launch between November 2011 and April 2012, which might be too slow a drip for the high-octane, Forza-consuming audience. We suggest Turn 10 hold off on releasing any of the DLC, and then, in the middle of February: Booyah, a thousand new cars.
Forza 4 demo coming October 3, trailer reveals
The above image comes courtesy of Eurogamer, who noticed the demo date was attached to the end of a trailer that was released on Xbox Live yesterday. You can view the trailer for yourself by queuing it up for download on your Xbox 360 here. Of course, no exact demo contents were revealed, but we're betting that come October 3, it'll mostly be an equal mix of asphalt and cars. Call it a hunch.
Forza 4 heads to Infineon Raceway in latest trailer
Given that we're not the learned gearheads we'd like to be, you'll excuse us if we assume Forza 4's newest track, Infineon Raceway, is a neverending, brightly colored race track. The trailer above, however, shows us that ... we should probably have just Wikipedia'd it.%Gallery-132818%
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson examines the Warthog in Forza 4
As the irreverent host of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson is used to hanging out with a near-mythical character that's obscured behind a shiny helmet. Commenting on Master Chief's fictional ride is just another day on the job, really.
Examine Halo 4's Warthog in Forza 4's 'Auto Vista' mode
Ever wanted to know the deep lore behind and automotive specs inside Halo's most abundant form of military transportation? You can and you will, provided you pick up Turn 10's upcoming racer, Forza Motorsport 4. At last night's Halo Fest event, the studio announced that the new, Halo 4 model of the ubiquitous Warthog would be featured as an easter egg in the game's spectatorial "Auto Vista" mode. This means that you'll be able to sail around the new iteration of the car (using either a controller or Kinect-based gestures), manipulating its every feature and learning more about its backstory thanks to some 343-penned narration. The best part? Those voiceovers are performed by Jen Taylor, the actor behind Halo's luminous guide, Cortana. The worst part? The Warthog's only viewable in Auto Vista mode, and won't be driveable in actual races. We suppose that would be unfair, because, you know, chaingun.
Forza 4 creative lead: game missing Porsches due to lack of access from EA
Despite the inclusion of Porches in previous Forza Motorsport titles, Forza 4 won't feature any vehicles from the German sports car company. In a FAQ posted to the official Forza website, Turn 10 creative director Dan Greenwalt explained, "EA couldn't see their way towards collaborating again," though it seems that it wasn't for lack of trying on Turn 10's part. EA currently has licensing exclusivity arrangements with Porsche, similar to the publisher's deal with the NFL. With Need for Speed: Shift becoming its own sim racing franchise, it seems EA could be pushing back on the Forza folks. "We've asked our contacts at EA to reconsider their position frequently and regularly over the last 18 months," Greenwalt said. "We also reached out to various influential people in gaming to lobby on our behalf, but that was to no avail." Though he said that his employer and EA have worked out sub-licensing deals before, this time EA wasn't on board -- regardless of how hard Turn 10 lobbied. In total, the game will be lacking 35 Porsche models, replaced with an unnamed cadre of "new makes and models." Greenwalt's lament is palpable in his conclusion, where he apologized to series loyalists: "Fans shouldn't have to think about any of this -- you should just be able to drive Porsches and Ferraris in the games you love. Porsche makes wonderful cars and I'm sorry that we won't have them in Forza 4." EA had yet to respond to request for comment as of publishing.
Forza Motorsport 4 debuts Hockenheim track at Gamescom
No, Hockenheim isn't some made-up word -- it's a famous race track in Germany. What better place than the country's annual games show to debut the latest making-of video for Forza 4?
Forza 4 dev diary takes a lap around the Bernese Alps
A lot of work goes into creating a course in Forza Motorsport 4. Turn 10 Studios toured the Bernese Alps, taking countless photos to recreate the famous mountain range. See a recounting of that process in this developer diary.
No one car should have all that power (in Forza Motorsport 4)
It's the 21st century, folks. And whether or not you're "doing something mean to it" like our main man Kanye, you may want to take a peek at a new trailer featuring a variety of powerful vehicles.
Forza 4 Limited Collector's Edition packs exclusive cars, 96-page 'Top Gear' guide
Forza 4 now comes in Limited Collector's Edition flavor, or at least it will when the game launches this October. The LCE boasts a 96-page photo book, no less than 4 bonus car packs, vinyl stickers, an exclusive BMW Dashboard theme, and "special recognition in the Forza community." As far as the cars go, the "VIP Pack" grants 5 of the world's fastest and least pronounceable cars, including the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera and the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. Your garage will also come stocked with 10 of history's "best classic American muscle cars," although those vehicles have yet to be specifically named. You'll also land the previously announced "Ship Bonus" pack, as well as an unknown number of customized BMW whips that will also be available as day-one DLC. Cars of Forza Motorsport 4 Presented by Top Gear is a 96-page gallery of auto-erotica, highlighting the game's many vehicles via images from Top Gear's "extensive" collection and color commentary from the publication's editors. This mirror's the game's Autovista mode, where Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson says (presumably) hilarious and British things about cars. No pricing information has been given, but we assume it'll probably still be cheaper than buying an actual Koenigsegg. [Thanks, Mircu!]
Forza 4 sliding into retail on October 11
Forza 4 will arrive with head-tracking through Kinect -- that we knew. What we didn't know, however, is that the game will park at retailers on October 11, as announced during this morning's E3 2011 Microsoft press conference. A Turn 10 rep took to the stage to detail the game's new features, including a slew of community items and the Kinect functionality. Other than a new teaser, however, the most pertinent news was the game's planned October launch.
Forza 4's Kinect head tracking features previewed on video
There are two things that every discerning gamer needs to see in the Major's Minute video posted below. First: the Kinect-based head tracking features of Forza Motorsport 4, which look exceptionally neat. Second: the steely, Earnhardtian gaze of Major Nelson behind the wheel of a virtual stock car.
First copies of Forza 4 include five extra cars, pre-order bonuses revealed
Despite the fact that retailers will assuredly have plenty of extra copies of Forza 4 when it arrives at retail, perhaps you're interested in pre-ordering the game long before its planned fall launch? Well that's just peachy, 'cause today Microsoft announced pre-order bonuses that folks can pick up at a variety of retailers. Unfortunately -- as has become de rigeur as of late -- rather than making it so fans of the series can actually acquire all the pre-order items that they're nicely plunking down money for ahead of time, various retailers have exclusive in-game content that can only be attained through a pre-order at their stores. In essence, this means that folks who pre-order Forza 4 at Target are locked out of the bonuses being offered at Amazon, GameStop, Walmart, and Best Buy... at least, unless the retailer DLC is offered later through XBLM. At very least, fans who pick up the game (at any store) around its launch later this year will snag a quintet of free vehicles in the "Ship Bonus" car pack, listed alongside the aforementioned pre-order items below the break. The car pack will only be free to folks purchasing the "first production run" of Forza 4, so be sure to choose your fastest supercar for shuttling to the local brick and mortar.%Gallery-124664%
Forza 4 pitch video pulled by Microsoft
If you must suffer an unforeseen failure in confidentiality on any day of the year, what better day than April 1st? It's the one time when the internet can muster some skepticism, even while presented with purportedly leaked footage of a high-profile sequel. Doubt over the authenticity of an "internal" pitch video of Forza Motorsport 4 might have obscured the news, had Microsoft not pulled it from Youtube. According to a Microsoft statement received and published by several gaming news sites, the video "was not intended for public distribution and may not accurately reflect features and functionality that ship in Forza Motorsport 4." The company's concern may lie in promising features that have yet to be finalized, such as 16-player online races, the contribution of over 80 automobile manufacturers and the introduction of social car clubs. (One promoted feature we can rule out with ease, however, is the career mode that has you "literally" traveling the globe. Forza 4 isn't likely to include a bundle of plane tickets -- if it did, you'd have a cheap opportunity to swing by this year's semantics nazi convention.) Considering the glossy, flattering nature of the video, and the presence of already-announced additions like Kinect head tracking, it's possible that April Fools' Day marked the start of a viral marketing campaign for Forza 4. Let's see how long this version of the video stays up, and whether Microsoft comes knocking on our door. Not literally.
Forza 4 will have Kinect support, Top Gear content
With a quick tease during this past weekend's Spike VGAs, Turn 10 Studios revealed its next project: Forza Motorsport 4. Microsoft confirmed today that Forza 4 will feature Kinect functionality -- the teaser trailer we've dropped after the break shows a brief moment that looks identical to a few of the features we saw at E3 this year. Additionally, the studio is working with the US version of Top Gear "to create an automotive experience unlike anything before it" -- perhaps Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has been cloned and will ship with copies of the game, cheering and jeering players as they pilot supercars? That remains to be seen. What we do know is that Forza 4 will drift into retail outlets sometime next fall.%Gallery-110457%
