Gran Turismo against Forza: a duel between two eminent competitors which has animated discussion forums around the world since May 2005.
The two licenses which challenge each other in the racing game category have already confronted each other more or less head-on by the passed in Europe, with GT4/Forza (2005), GT6/Forza 5 (2013) and GT Sport/Forza 7 (2017). While the future Forza Motorsport is still in development, Gran Turismo 7 has just landed on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.
Just a few months after the release of Forza Horizon 5. Admittedly, both titles put motorsport in the spotlight, but they do it in very different ways and target two distinct audiences.
I LIKE CARS, THE REQUIREMENT, AND GRAB A FEW HUNDREDTHS ON CIRCUITS
Some would say it’s more austere, others that it’s more elegant. Gran Turismo 7 is a simulation-oriented racing game that is both technical and accessible.
It allows the player to buy different cars and make a battery of adjustments in order to be as efficient as possible on the asphalt. It is for example possible to configure its suspensions, to manage the DGL or to adjust the gearbox in order to gain in responsiveness or top speed.
Gran Turismo 7The 420 vehicles in the title are driven on 34 circuits (90 tracks in total, counting the variations), among which we find rare rally races. Of course, Gran Turismo 7 is equipped with a whole host of options aimed at making its experience more accessible, such as traction control or ABS, but it is still aimed at car lovers more than neophytes.
To tell the truth, Gran Turismo 7 thus reconnects with this “ RPG” side of the racing game”: we start with a small city car to gradually access extremely powerful vehicles.
Many fans see it as a sort of interactive museum that encourages people to collect legendary cars. With its unlockable licenses and its GT mode full of challenges, Polyphony Digital’s software has once again become the “ Real Driving Simulator ” long awaited by its fans since the fourth episode.
Forza Horizon 5
For its part, Forza Horizon 5 also offers players who wish to beat the best times, participate in classic races on circuits and modify various settings with its 500 cars (at launch). But the goal of the game is elsewhere: to transport the pilot in a fun open world where all audacity is allowed, with challenges that defy reason (race against a train, ride in a pinata vehicle, climb a volcano that threatens to… erupt, etc.).
Unlike GT7, fair play is not evaluated online: it is therefore possible to enter other cars without risking large penalties.
- Most suitable: Gran Turismo 7
I LIKE IMMEDIATE FUN, OPEN WORLDS AND THE ARCADE
Is it the fact of being immediately dropped from a plane to land a few kilometers from an active volcano that makes us say that Forza Horizon 5 is an ode to arcade-oriented racing game?
Unless it’s the burst of speed behind the wheel of a Corvette in the middle of a sandstorm, which occurs only a few minutes after launching the adventure? By organizing the fifth Horizon festival, Playground Games allowed itself all the excesses.
Forza Horizon 5
Immediately fun, Forza Horizon 5 has fun with its large Mexican open world by offering a lot of challenges, ranging from road races to cross-country.
There are also publicity stunts, rallies and expeditions. We also find barn treasures as well as bonus panels to find on its large map. Like previous installments, drivers are always rewarded in Forza Horizon 5 whether they come first or last in a race. More than ever, it tries to adapt to the wishes of the pilots, even if these would be abused by the astronomical content of the title.
Gran Turismo 7
Opposite, Gran Turismo 7 is a fairly classic circuit racing game, even if it includes original modes like the Musical Rally (unfortunately disappointing).
Forza Horizon 5 is an open-world game that allows for shopping and a whole host of other activities. With the creations of the players designed thanks to the Lab mode, the Playground software has in its engine enough to keep the players rolling for dozens of hours. Community aspects are developed in both titles with photos to be taken, liveries to be created and performances to be improved. However, Forza Horizon 5 allows you to create your own special routes and challenges.
- Most suitable: Forza Horizon 5
I WANT TO COMPETE AGAINST PLAYERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
Online play has become an important part of both Gran Turismo and Forza Horizon. It is therefore normal to find an online component developed in these two series today . Gran Turismo 7, which has eSport ambitions since GT Sport, incorporates a “ Sport ” mode where all day, it is possible to do laps on circuits to make the best qualifying time on three different events.
Then, the work of Polyphony Digital gives access to the creation of lounges to organize tournaments or simply do laps around the circuits with strangers or in the company of one’s best friends. Almost everything is configurable, from the weather to the preparations authorized on the vehicles.
Forza Horizon 5 also has a whole anthology of features to play online with friends or strangers encountered on a country road. The shared world of the fourth installment returns, which means that the user finds himself in a Mexico where other speeders are driving at the same time, drivers who can be challenged or invited into a convoy.
Many events highlight the multiplayer mode such as King, Infected, Capture the Flag or even the battle royal Eliminator. As for the Horizon Tour, it is a championship to be done in cooperation. There is something for every taste.
I WANT THE BEST RACE AS GRAPHICAL AND AS AUDIO
If the first Gran Turismo real graphic slaps, Gran Turismo 7 no longer has the same impact today. However, it is rather pretty to look at: the lighting effects are generally successful and the sky is well rendered, whether the weather is cloudy or sunny.
The public and the various NPCs are in a summary 3D. The game aims for purity of realism, but some effects are a bit off (like mud, for example). Rain management on the track is well done. For their part, the vehicles are well modeled and their interiors have benefited from a lot of work. As for the soundtrack, the results are mixed. The choice of music is indeed there, but the selection leaves something to be desired. It is unfortunate to note that it is impossible to change music during a race.
Forza Horizon 5, meanwhile, is sending heavy on Xbox Series X and PC . The graphics are splendid whether you play in Quality (4K/30fps) or Performance (4K/60fps) mode. The display distance is gigantic, the elements with a physics engine are considerable, the special effects are numerous, the cars are superbly modeled and the environments are detailed.
These beautiful graphics showcase various biomes with beaches, deserts, city, rainforest, swamps, and more. Soundtrack-wise, Forza Horizon is festive.
With its six radio stations (Pulse, Bass Arena, Block Party, XS, Hospital, and Eterna), it offers tangy music launched by radio hosts who give their all. If the animators bother you, you can turn them off in the options.
The history of video games has many battles between two licenses competing for first place, like PES against FIFA or Street Fighter against Mortal Kombat. Gran Turismo 7 is designed for you if you like accessible simulations where cars are celebrated, while Forza Horizon 5 will delight fans of arcades and motorized open worlds who like to cut through fields. We now have to wait for more information on the next Forza Motorsport to see how Gran Turismo 7 will fare in the small game of comparisons.
