Gran Turismo 5 vs. Forza Motorsport 4 (12/13/12)
Gran Turismo 5 vs. Forza Motorsport 4
I have always wanted to know which Racing Simulator was better Gran Turismo 5
(Playstation) or Forza Motorsport 4 (Xbox). So I sat down put the Turtle Beach’s
(gaming headset) on and raced till my fingers hurt. Throughout my
finger-bleeding session of gaming I took notes on the following in each game:
Physics, graphics, sound, car selection, menus, features, and user skill level
needed to have fun. Now that you all know what to expect lets shift gears and
accelerate on to the first topic.
Racing Physics
The physics of a racing game refer to the laws of physics that apply to a car in
real life. The object for a racing simulator developer is to put those real life
physics in the game as accurately as possible. Therefore the physics of a racing
simulator are very important; being able to drive around a 60 mph corner at 120
mph is not possible. So when you buy a racing simulator you expect to not be
able to go around that corner at 120 mph or else it wouldn’t be a racing
simulator, now would it?
Forza Motorsport 4
Forza does a nice job of making a car perform like it should, when you have the
settings on simulation. This is one feature that makes Forza a great all-around
game for all ages. You can have all the driver aids on if you’re 5 and all you
have to do is keep you finger on the gas button and steer, and the car goes
right around the corner. When all the aids are off and your feeling brave, the
car locks up under full braking, you have to brake up to the apex of the corner
or you won’t go around it properly, and you suddenly become a chain smoker if
you give the car a little too much of those, good old beans. Forza is fun no
matter what age you are or skill level you may
be.
Gran Turismo (The real driving simulator)
At least that’s what they claim. The Gran Turismo franchise has been around since
1997, where the first Forza game just came out in 2005. One would think that
Gran Turismo’s physics would have been perfected by the time Gran Turismo 5 came
out in 2010. Well, you would be right. Gran Turismo’s physics are amazing. The
Physics feel just like they should coming from a studio that’s been in the game
(no pun intended) for quite some time: refined. Naturally Gran Turismo’s physics
do everything Forza’s have done, but better. When you lose control in Forza it
feels generated, but in Gran Turismo this feels more natural. Gran Turismo makes
Forza feel like an arcade game. The only downfall to the heavy simulator physics
in GT5, is there is no “5 year old mode.”May I also add that GT5 is used in a
show called GT Academy. Where people play Gran Turismo to see who the best
driver is and then get a chance to become a real life race car driver. That’s
how realistic the physics are in GT5.
Graphics
After physics, graphics are the most important thing in a racing simulator. The graphics really make you feel like you are there on the track. Forza’s graphics are very good indeed, Andrew, Forza enthusiast says, “It seems they devoted so much time to the small things, for example the interior of the Nissan 300zx is identical to my actual Nissan 300zx.” Even though this is true, Forza 4’s graphics fall short of Gran Turismo’s. Even though Forza has all the small things there, those same small things just look better in GT5. Sometimes when I would watch a replay in Gran Turismo I would actually double take because the game just looks that good. The cars, the shadows, and the burnouts are just better than Forza. Martin Robinson of IGN says “Forget photo-realism; catch it from the right angle and Gran Turismo 5 looks better than the real thing.”
Sound: Engine Noise and Music
Two things: engine noise and music. These two things are another important factor in
the whole racing simulation package. The engine noise in Forza is very cool
sounding especially when you strap a supercharger/turbocharger to your engine.
But there isn’t much specific engine noise, for instance a Ferrari should sound
refined and sexy. While a Lamborghini should sound like a lion with ADHD. Forza
though, just kind of mashes all the super car noises together, and there you go:
everything with 600-800 hp sounds like this… While in Gran Turismo a Ferrari 458
Italia sounds like a Ferrari 458 Italia and a Lamborghini Aventador sounds like
an enraged animal that you just poked with a stick and is now going to proceed
in biting your head off.
The music selection in Forza is great and is very invigorating to listen to when
driving a car. Where Gran Turismo’s music selection sets a calmer atmosphere
with a kick of cayenne pepper thrown into the mix. They are both nice and I
can’t really say which is best because everyone likes different music. I can say
though, Gran Turismo has more variety of music, where Forza’s music gets
progressively more hardcore the faster the car you’re in, or so it seems. But I
like that.
The Car Selection
At first glance you may think that Forza has more cars to choose from as I did, but
when you go to pick this car it winds up being DLC (downloadable content), and
for those of you that don’t know DLC is not free. Forza does have more American
cars than Gran Turismo. Where GT5, seems to be a little bit biased towards
Japanese cars… I wonder why. Gran Turismo has more high-end racers while Forza 4
has more regular manufacturer cars. Forza’s car selection does seem to realize
more, that not everyone likes Nissans. Luke Reilly of IGN says,“Forza 4 captures
the cult of cars better than any racing game before it. It's a game that
understands what makes a 20-year-old high-performance pickup truck just as
important to some people as a brand new Lexus LF-A.” Both have a lot of cars but
I personally like the car selection in Forza over Gran Turismo, but all the good
stuff it seems, is unfortunately DLC. On the other hand one of my good friends
Gabe thinks that “Gran Turismo has a great car selection and I prefer the car
selection in GT5 over Forza 4.”
The Menus and Features
Right of the bat you can see Forza 4’s menus are very organized, neat, and user
friendly. Gran Turismo 5’s menus are also very organized and neat but are more
fun to look at, and a little more customizable to make your home screen more
you. Which one’s best you ask: probably Gran Turismo’s. The menu music is great
in both games but as Gabe says “The menu music in GT5 is very
welcoming.”
This is where Forza comes into its own: the features. Forza Motorsport 4 has quite a
few amazing features: Auto vista, car auctions, and Top Gear challenges. In
Forza 4 there is a mode where you can choose a car of your choice and the game
lets you interact with the car while filling your noggin with helpful
information you can use to beat your friend in a: “who’s the biggest Gear Head
battle.” This feature is called Auto Vista. You can also Auction cars off in
Forza. This feature makes the game for another one of my good friends Nick. He
says, “The auction Feature makes the game for me, I love how I can auction cars
to other people in the Forza community, and my favorite car is the Range Rover.”
Nick also said “I love the bowling.” The bowling he is referring to is one of
the Top Gear challenges where you race around the Top Gear test track trying to
knock down as many bowling pins as possible. Gran Turismo has a lot of cool
features too, like special events (Top Gear, Jeff Gordon Racing School etc…),
license tests where the game teaches you how to drive, seasonal events that are
updated regularly, and avatar customization, which Gabe says he likes a
lot.
User Skill Level Needed To Have Fun!
I found that as soon as I started playing Forza 4 it was easier than GT5. Forza
still feels very realistic but again, it’s more arcade like. This makes it
easier to have fun in Forza. You definitely have to be pretty good at GT5 to
start having a good time, while Forza 4 has that “5 year old mode” that lets
people of all skill levels and ages enjoy Forza. So I would say definitely,
Forza is easier to just pick up and have a good
time.
Which Is Best?
Well, one is better at being a game and one is better at being a simulator. Forza is
crazy fun, and wins the “overall better game to buy for most people award.” If
you are a hardcore racing fan like I am though, you have to stick with Gran
Turismo 5. GT5 is just more realistic. There you have it Forza Motorsport 4 is
overall more fun and Gran Turismo 5 is more realistic, both fun, but Forza
Motorsport 4: takes the cake.
- Joe Chaves
I have always wanted to know which Racing Simulator was better Gran Turismo 5
(Playstation) or Forza Motorsport 4 (Xbox). So I sat down put the Turtle Beach’s
(gaming headset) on and raced till my fingers hurt. Throughout my
finger-bleeding session of gaming I took notes on the following in each game:
Physics, graphics, sound, car selection, menus, features, and user skill level
needed to have fun. Now that you all know what to expect lets shift gears and
accelerate on to the first topic.
Racing Physics
The physics of a racing game refer to the laws of physics that apply to a car in
real life. The object for a racing simulator developer is to put those real life
physics in the game as accurately as possible. Therefore the physics of a racing
simulator are very important; being able to drive around a 60 mph corner at 120
mph is not possible. So when you buy a racing simulator you expect to not be
able to go around that corner at 120 mph or else it wouldn’t be a racing
simulator, now would it?
Forza Motorsport 4
Forza does a nice job of making a car perform like it should, when you have the
settings on simulation. This is one feature that makes Forza a great all-around
game for all ages. You can have all the driver aids on if you’re 5 and all you
have to do is keep you finger on the gas button and steer, and the car goes
right around the corner. When all the aids are off and your feeling brave, the
car locks up under full braking, you have to brake up to the apex of the corner
or you won’t go around it properly, and you suddenly become a chain smoker if
you give the car a little too much of those, good old beans. Forza is fun no
matter what age you are or skill level you may
be.
Gran Turismo (The real driving simulator)
At least that’s what they claim. The Gran Turismo franchise has been around since
1997, where the first Forza game just came out in 2005. One would think that
Gran Turismo’s physics would have been perfected by the time Gran Turismo 5 came
out in 2010. Well, you would be right. Gran Turismo’s physics are amazing. The
Physics feel just like they should coming from a studio that’s been in the game
(no pun intended) for quite some time: refined. Naturally Gran Turismo’s physics
do everything Forza’s have done, but better. When you lose control in Forza it
feels generated, but in Gran Turismo this feels more natural. Gran Turismo makes
Forza feel like an arcade game. The only downfall to the heavy simulator physics
in GT5, is there is no “5 year old mode.”May I also add that GT5 is used in a
show called GT Academy. Where people play Gran Turismo to see who the best
driver is and then get a chance to become a real life race car driver. That’s
how realistic the physics are in GT5.
Graphics
After physics, graphics are the most important thing in a racing simulator. The graphics really make you feel like you are there on the track. Forza’s graphics are very good indeed, Andrew, Forza enthusiast says, “It seems they devoted so much time to the small things, for example the interior of the Nissan 300zx is identical to my actual Nissan 300zx.” Even though this is true, Forza 4’s graphics fall short of Gran Turismo’s. Even though Forza has all the small things there, those same small things just look better in GT5. Sometimes when I would watch a replay in Gran Turismo I would actually double take because the game just looks that good. The cars, the shadows, and the burnouts are just better than Forza. Martin Robinson of IGN says “Forget photo-realism; catch it from the right angle and Gran Turismo 5 looks better than the real thing.”
Sound: Engine Noise and Music
Two things: engine noise and music. These two things are another important factor in
the whole racing simulation package. The engine noise in Forza is very cool
sounding especially when you strap a supercharger/turbocharger to your engine.
But there isn’t much specific engine noise, for instance a Ferrari should sound
refined and sexy. While a Lamborghini should sound like a lion with ADHD. Forza
though, just kind of mashes all the super car noises together, and there you go:
everything with 600-800 hp sounds like this… While in Gran Turismo a Ferrari 458
Italia sounds like a Ferrari 458 Italia and a Lamborghini Aventador sounds like
an enraged animal that you just poked with a stick and is now going to proceed
in biting your head off.
The music selection in Forza is great and is very invigorating to listen to when
driving a car. Where Gran Turismo’s music selection sets a calmer atmosphere
with a kick of cayenne pepper thrown into the mix. They are both nice and I
can’t really say which is best because everyone likes different music. I can say
though, Gran Turismo has more variety of music, where Forza’s music gets
progressively more hardcore the faster the car you’re in, or so it seems. But I
like that.
The Car Selection
At first glance you may think that Forza has more cars to choose from as I did, but
when you go to pick this car it winds up being DLC (downloadable content), and
for those of you that don’t know DLC is not free. Forza does have more American
cars than Gran Turismo. Where GT5, seems to be a little bit biased towards
Japanese cars… I wonder why. Gran Turismo has more high-end racers while Forza 4
has more regular manufacturer cars. Forza’s car selection does seem to realize
more, that not everyone likes Nissans. Luke Reilly of IGN says,“Forza 4 captures
the cult of cars better than any racing game before it. It's a game that
understands what makes a 20-year-old high-performance pickup truck just as
important to some people as a brand new Lexus LF-A.” Both have a lot of cars but
I personally like the car selection in Forza over Gran Turismo, but all the good
stuff it seems, is unfortunately DLC. On the other hand one of my good friends
Gabe thinks that “Gran Turismo has a great car selection and I prefer the car
selection in GT5 over Forza 4.”
The Menus and Features
Right of the bat you can see Forza 4’s menus are very organized, neat, and user
friendly. Gran Turismo 5’s menus are also very organized and neat but are more
fun to look at, and a little more customizable to make your home screen more
you. Which one’s best you ask: probably Gran Turismo’s. The menu music is great
in both games but as Gabe says “The menu music in GT5 is very
welcoming.”
This is where Forza comes into its own: the features. Forza Motorsport 4 has quite a
few amazing features: Auto vista, car auctions, and Top Gear challenges. In
Forza 4 there is a mode where you can choose a car of your choice and the game
lets you interact with the car while filling your noggin with helpful
information you can use to beat your friend in a: “who’s the biggest Gear Head
battle.” This feature is called Auto Vista. You can also Auction cars off in
Forza. This feature makes the game for another one of my good friends Nick. He
says, “The auction Feature makes the game for me, I love how I can auction cars
to other people in the Forza community, and my favorite car is the Range Rover.”
Nick also said “I love the bowling.” The bowling he is referring to is one of
the Top Gear challenges where you race around the Top Gear test track trying to
knock down as many bowling pins as possible. Gran Turismo has a lot of cool
features too, like special events (Top Gear, Jeff Gordon Racing School etc…),
license tests where the game teaches you how to drive, seasonal events that are
updated regularly, and avatar customization, which Gabe says he likes a
lot.
User Skill Level Needed To Have Fun!
I found that as soon as I started playing Forza 4 it was easier than GT5. Forza
still feels very realistic but again, it’s more arcade like. This makes it
easier to have fun in Forza. You definitely have to be pretty good at GT5 to
start having a good time, while Forza 4 has that “5 year old mode” that lets
people of all skill levels and ages enjoy Forza. So I would say definitely,
Forza is easier to just pick up and have a good
time.
Which Is Best?
Well, one is better at being a game and one is better at being a simulator. Forza is
crazy fun, and wins the “overall better game to buy for most people award.” If
you are a hardcore racing fan like I am though, you have to stick with Gran
Turismo 5. GT5 is just more realistic. There you have it Forza Motorsport 4 is
overall more fun and Gran Turismo 5 is more realistic, both fun, but Forza
Motorsport 4: takes the cake.
- Joe Chaves