New to Forza

"Ryan A." (rba)
06/19/2015 at 10:02 • Filed to: forza

On impulse, I bought an Xbox One and Forza 5. I’m pretty happy with my decision, because I’m sitting at my desk wishing I was driving my Focus ST around Silverstone instead of writing JavaScript.

Since I’m new to the Xbox One (and modern video games, for that matter), how does one go about playing other Oppo members online? I recall seeing a 2.4 hours of LeMans race last weekend.

A few questions for the seasoned Forza/Xbox crowd:

Is Forza Horizon worth getting?

Aside from watching Netflix, is there anything else that my Xbox can do? Can it replace a Roku?

What are your favorite cars and tracks?

DISCUSSION (17)

Rainbow > Ryan A.
06/19/2015 at 10:06

Forza 5 is universally considered to be the worst of the series, as far as content at least. So if you love that one, you’ll love any of the others for sure!

The Forza 4 crowd is moving up to 6 this September when it’s released, so be sure to get that one and join us! I’m guessing/hoping we’ll do another endurance race early on so we can all get a good boost in credits without grinding story mode too much. Actually, I’m fairly certain we’ll do a Petit Le Mans thing (an hour at Road Atlanta) within the first week of October.

GTI Sprinks > Ryan A.
06/19/2015 at 10:07

Personally, i haven’t gotten aboard the forza5 train yet. been playing horizon2 (well worth getting in my opinion). Seems like there’s a pretty active group of oppos on there according to the oppo car club on there (and judging by how many hours i play versus the ladder standings within the club). The 2.4 hour of LeMans was for fourza i believe.

citizennick > Ryan A.
06/19/2015 at 10:09

I use my Xbox One for everything that doesn’t involve gaming. Horizon 2 is a blast!

The Focus ST in the games comes with 19-inch stock wheels (wtf) and it won’t let you put smaller ones on -__-

They should rename OppositeLock to “Jalopnik ST club” ;)

djmt1 > Ryan A.
06/19/2015 at 10:10

Yes

F10 M5 and Spa

Hermann > Ryan A.
06/19/2015 at 10:12

Forza Horizon is very arcade-y, and is an interesting alternative when you have the urge to just dick around in a car, instead of just chasing perfect lap times.

I believe you can replace your Roku. And it has some amazing connectivity with Windows 8.1, and will have even more on Windows 10, apparently.

Personally, overall, the Ford GT around Spa or the Nordschleife. I spent many hours tuning that car, and it is amazing to throw around. On the lower end, the Fiesta ST and on the top end, the BMW M3 Racing Car.

Ryan A. > Rainbow
06/19/2015 at 10:14

That’s really good to know. I’m very impressed so far. I think the last real racing game I played was Gran Turismo 5 which did have a lot of content but who really needs 17 different variations of a Miata?

Ryan A. > Hermann
06/19/2015 at 10:18

I typically prefer simulators to arcade-y games. Maybe I’ll see I can try it out at a Microsoft Store (unless there is a way to demo games on the Xbox?).

Great to hear that it can replace the Roku. The TV that it’s connected to is an LG Smart TV but the software is so bad that I was about to order a Roku; good thing I didn’t.

I’ve been sticking to slower cars while I’m getting used to the game. I’m not too good with driving with a controller and it’ll be awhile before the new Logitech wheel comes out. I did try a GT40 around Circuit de la Sarthe and it was amazing but I crashed. A lot.

Ryan A. > GTI Sprinks
06/19/2015 at 10:18

Ah, I just noticed that Fourza is Forza 4.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Ryan A.
06/19/2015 at 10:21

I really like Horizon, and there is an Oppo group on there with a whole bunch of us.

Xbox has a ton of great apps: YouTube, Twitch, Plex, Internet Explorer, and a bunch of sports ones.

I love ripping my Renault around the ‘Ring!

Ryan A. > citizennick
06/19/2015 at 10:25

The first car I bought in the game was a white GT86 because I have an FR-S but I don’t actually like driving it in the game. Or, more accurately, I’m bad at driving it in the game.

GTI Sprinks > Ryan A.
06/19/2015 at 10:40

I’d also recommend getting the Forza Hub as well. They like to send achievements and stuff if you play often. And if you end up getting into FH2, you’ll also get money transfers/loyalty credits to start the game. Having come from 360 and playing fh1/fh2 there, i started the game with ~500k in-game credits. And of course, because of E3 there are a bunch of sales on fh2, expansions, etc currently.

Hermann > Ryan A.
06/19/2015 at 10:41

They have a Demo. The game engine of Horizon 2 is the same as the Forza 5, except the cars understeer less to make it more arcade. That’s the main difference.

Yeah, at first you can probably go for the easy answer, which means the BMW 2002 or the Miata, and for your FWD needs, the Fiesta ST. You’ll get better at it as the game evolves. The GT40 is a beast to drive. I prefer the modern GT (2004), as it has a lot of power already, and most upgrades you make are to improve handling. The tuning is the hardest part.

Ryan A. > GTI Sprinks
06/19/2015 at 10:56

Thanks for the tips.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Ryan A.
06/19/2015 at 11:08

Congrats on your purchase! I impulsively bought Horizon so I can give you a quick review. I kinda wish I grabbed F5 instead...

Supposedly Horizon has the best car selection out of any racing game currently available on X1 . I believe that! There’s a lot to chose from. The main problem though is that it’s a half-baked game, like many “rushed out the door” games for the new consoles. Free roam is fun if you’re in the mood to tear around, but that’s pretty much it. The events are very arcadey and I find myself just doing laps around the few “circuits” on offer. I really need to just grab Forza 5 haha.

Horizon’s beautiful, the sound design is fantastic, and the driving is fun, but the game world is a fucking joke! That’s where the corners were cut, which disappoints me because I think Forza in an interesting open world is a cool concept. It’s the size of a couple large Battlefield maps... totally unacceptable for a $60 “next gen” game with 240+ MPH automobiles. There’s only one highway on the map, and it only has a handful of straights where you *might* reach top speed. The devs obviously just imported and touched up all of their car models, then slapped together a tiny world to drive around in. It’s hilarious/sad that they messed with the game in a few ways to disguise the size; The map doesn’t allow you to zoom out very far, so it takes forever to scroll around the map, giving the illusion of large size. They also set fast travel cost at 10,000 credits (more expensive than many of the cars...) so you’re forced to drive around at lot in the beginning, also making the world feel larger.

Hot Takes Salesman > Ryan A.
06/19/2015 at 11:10

1. Get FH2. Get Porsche expansion. PLZ

Hot Takes Salesman > Ryan A.
06/19/2015 at 11:16

Yeah, no one calls FM5 ‘Fiveza’, I don't know why

AthomSfere > Rainbow
06/19/2015 at 12:11

I just moved to 5... It’s easily the best game of the series, it just lacks cars and tracks... So yea, that sucks. But, Bathurst is really worth it all on its own.