Forza Motorsport 4 Review

 Within a year of the iconic racing series Gran Turismo 5 was released for the Playstation 3, it is now the Xbox 360's turn with the release of the highly anticipated Forza Motorsport 4. With many new features included in the latest installment, many have been looking forward to another racing sim to grab a hold of their petrol-heads and take them into a realistic racing experience after a letdown which was GT5. A week and a few days since the games retail release, I have been revving some engines, slamming some brakes and crashing my way through the 360's signature racing series.

 One thing you will notice, even before you place the game in the tray for the first time is the "Top Gear" logo on the front of the cover. For anyone who has seen the build up to the game would know that this is one major part of the game and appeals to all type of motoring enthusiasts. Jeremy Clarkson's signature voice has been used in exploring each car in the new Autovista mode. This mode allows you to explore every ripple in the paintwork, every dial and knob in the interior and place into the car as it would be in real life. This mode is also Kinect enabled which adds an extra sense of realism when exploring the car. On top of giving you stats and figures about the cars BHP, engine size, Clarkson has written his own scripts for each car which brings his comical and attention grabbing descriptions straight to your 360. In order to unlock all the cars in Autovista mode however, you need to complete challenges in the car you wish to unlock. Cars such as the Bugatti Veyron, Gumpert Apollo and Pagani Zonda R to unlock, you won't be short on motivation to try these cars out.

 With the car porn out of the way, it is now onto the track where the game has made its name with ingenious races and events to keep you occupied. The career mode has been expanded and several new race types have been made available. Of course there are your standard races in season mode, but new races include gate races where you have to have to race around a track, without touching a cone. One on ones where you and one other racer compete in a point to point race whilst having to avoid traffic. Overtaking competitions where the winner is determined by how many overtakes you complete within a certain number of laps. Multi class races, where another group of less powerful cars are on the track at the same time but are merely obstacles which you need to overtake and cannot finish above you in the race, even if you are dead last. Again, Top Gear have had an influence in providing two race types. Top Gear Bowling and TG Football feature, with the latter available in online mode only. Both are amazing fun and break the barrier of normal race types and of course, you can complete a Lap as the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" in the Kia Cee apostrophe D.

Online modes are as good as they ever were in an online racing experience. Each car that participates in a standard 10 car race is of similar statistics so it makes the race fairer. Also if someone spins out wildly on the track or is static for a prolonged period, then they are automatically invisible, so that racers do not suffer from idiotic driving. Unlike racers such as F1 2011, the race is not won or lost on the first corner where everyone crashes into each other. It is a fun battle and is the most fun I have experienced in an online racer. You can now also interact with your friends online by joining car clubs and exchanging vehicles, as well as sharing cars for the club to use which is a neat touch.

 Kinect also finds its way onto Forza. After much fuss over the Kinect's purpose for Hardcore gamers, Forza now allows us to explore the cars in Autovista, as I have already mentioned, and also race via Kinect. I don't believe that  it adds much to the gameplay, but the wireless controller you can buy, as well as the normal controller are sufficient enough.

 Finally, the selection of cars. Every one of the worlds major car companies are featured in the game with all their flagship cars as well as classic models. The only thing which is missing are Porsches. This is only because of Need for Speed who own the rights to Porsche in video games didn't allow it to feature in Forza. However, RUF produce high-spec Porsches and these are featured in the game. Albeit 2 models but it is better than none. From the Toyota Aygo to the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, this game has it all.

Right to the Verdict...
 From start to finish, this game is very impressive and is compelling yet fun at the same time. No matter what level of racing game enthusiast you are, you will love this game. It oozes charm and will make you want to play it again and again, lap after lap. I am willing to stick my neck out here and say it is the best modern day racer for many years, since Gran Turismo 4, maybe better than that! So I would rate it, as Jeremy Clarkson would say, the best racing game... ... ... ... ... ... ... In the World.

9/10

Forza Motorsport 4 is available on Xbox 360 now.

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Fifa 12 Review

  

The time of year is upon us where we look forward to a winter full of ice, snow and a silly amount of time playing Fifa 12. Ea's latest installment builds on the solid platform which was Fifa 11, one of the most popular online games over the past year, winner of multiple industry awards and outright winner of the classic Fifa vs PES showdown. But where do you begin to improve on such a popular and well viewed game? After a few weeks since release, I will provide my take on the game as a whole, overall verdict is at the bottom of the page.

 As soon as you rip open the game case with excitement and load up the game, the first thing you are greeted with (apart from your game settings and preferred club) is the new defending system tutorial. For those of you who have been familiar with Fifa's of old, then the new defending system comes as a shock to those who are used to pressing B or O to jostle your opponent. This now puts in a tackle every time you press B or O, your timing has to be impeccable. As well as this you now need to master calling in a second defender, giving the attacking player room so that you have a chance to tackle and overall timing of your runs. Many people however are complaining and becoming frustrated over the new defending system as it takes time to master, which some players do not have the patience for.

Coming into this same category is the new real life Player Contact engine which simulates how a player would react if touched, fouled or generally impeded. I have seen a few instances where players fall over dramatically but I am sure this is down to poor balance stats. Like last year, you cannot simply run into a player as any contact while the player is running at you will normally result in a free kick, unless contact with the ball is met. 

 Straight from release date this year, Ultimate Team has been featured and for those of you who have purchased the Special Edition Fifa (for £3 more) you receive 2 Gold packs every month for 6 months. The features of Ultimate Team have stayed the same but that is what made it so addictive from the beginning, it's originality. I find it an enjoyable experience to play against your friends team and buy and sell players at every opportunity. It is a refreshing change to the experiences of Career mode.

Another year, another change in Career mode. With the same options as last year Player, Manager or Player/ Manager, it may seem familiar at first to those of you who are acquainted with previous Fifa Career modes. Much like the rest of the game, as soon as you peel back the familiar packaging, you find a totally new mode which to explore. Players are now more interactive with you in saying they are frustrated, tired or feel as though they are ready for the next game. It brings another taste of realism to this already realistic Fifa experience.

 Online gameplay features the same problems which its predecessors also had. Players tend to go 5 star teams such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Man United and Inter to name but a few. This is all well and good on the odd occasion but every game? No thanks. Quitters also are the exact same. If you are winning 5-0 with half time approaching, your opponent will sometimes quit and you are left with the resulting 'Did not finish' and a 3-0 victory for you. In all honesty however, EA cannot do much about which team people go or if they quit or not. Its the same for most competitive sports games. For some people it is easier to quit than to put up a fight til the game is finished.

Right to the Verdict...

Fifa 12 builds on a solid platform which has given the series wide success. With new features such as a new Career mode, gameplay features like Tactical Defending and Real Life contact engine, I think that this addictive and compelling football game, is the best game the series has had since the early 00's. For those who have played and are unsure or hate the defending. Practice, practice and practice some more. It will come naturally! And one more thing, don't go Barcelona... Pleeeeeeeaaassseee?

9/10

Fifa 12 is available now for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, Nintendo Wii and PSP.

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