GT5 is marketed as a simulator, and its physics model is extremely realistic. The behavior of the cars is startlingly faithful to their real-life counterparts, and so they respond accordingly to poor driving and when you miss critical braking and turn-in points. In contrast, Forza is extremely forgiving, and provides a much larger margin of error.
the racing is excellentcredit the finely tuned physics engine and attention paid to individual cars handling characteristicsand isnt that what the game is supposed to deliver?
And so Forza is much more of a game than a hard-core simulator, but for the impatient and those less interested in absolute realism, this is hardly a demerit. Forza may feel slightly less realistic than GT5, but that just means inexperienced players can dive right in
Lapping Laguna in both games supported our conclusion that Gran Turismo 5 is the more challenging of the two, punishing players (especially the less-skilled) with its slavish adherence to real-world physics and handling, and both drivers turned in higher lap times than in Forza. Forza, conversely, made us look like pros, its vehicle-dynamics model allowing for often unrealistic cornering speeds. In Forza, for example, the GTI absolutely refused to exhibit anything resembling bad behavioryoull notice our less-experienced player turned the faster lap in the VWturning in crisply no matter the entry speed, while GT5s VW faithfully recreated the real cars penchant for tossability, responding to midcorner throttle lifts with a progressive rotation of the back end and a balanced feel. Cooking into corners with the VW in GT5 also sent us realistically understeering through them.
Forzas physics engine, however, does not feel as comprehensive, as if it were using the one that was employed in Gran Turismo 3 A-spec or GT4 (10 years or so ago!). The experience, to me, is more of an arcade game; easier to jump in and start playing with less of a learning curve. With the GTI, you simply get somewhere close to your braking marks, turn in, and the car zips around the corner under throttle. GT5s GTI is far touchier, with the front end washing out more dramatically if you carry too much speed. You must be much more precise and have greater finesse to master GT5. I noticed several corners that were particularly tricky in GT5, yet were surprisingly easy to ace in Forza.
Power oversteer, however, is much easier to manage and thus more entertaining in Forza. The M3 frequently slides around under power, but it was easy to catch and modulate. Again, more arcade-like. GT5, conversely, can get pretty wild if you like to go sideways; the drifting events are the most difficult in the entire game because its so easy to get crossed up. You really have to be on top of the cars behavior and it can get away from you very quickly.
the properly warmed sport tires in Gran Turismo felt about the same as the normal tires in Forza.
Going off track in Forza was less detrimental to vehicle speed and control (less realistic) than in GT5.
Overall, theyre both great driving games. But Forza is the game, while GT5 feels more like an actual simulator, with a steeper learning curve, more opportunities for error, and greater configurability.
Forza is what you play with your friends when hanging out; GT5 is what you attempt to master in solitudeand what makes you end up throwing the controller across the room, because its more difficult than it looks.
