Ok, first off, I'm not whinging about GT5. And, I still play it thoroughly. So...
Do you think it would be a good idea for me to buy an XBOX 360 & Forza (either 4 or Horizon)?
The main reason I'm asking is, I'm not sure if Forza will be what I think it is (a game similar to GT5, but worse, driving physics-wise - with NFS-like visual customisation).
I've always liked the look of the visual customisations (something GT5 doesn't deliver on - simple fact).
We have a few threads on the topic (
FM4 vs GT5 Physics thread,
General FM4 vs GT5 thread, and of course ForzaPlanet itself), but I wouldn't worry about worse physics. Coming from GT5, I'd say
different than what you're used to, as the tire physics are much, much more complicated than GT5's very simple model, and there are some quirks that you won't be used to.
If you're not looking for an arcade game, don't buy Horizon. (no customizing anyway)
Yep, I'm not completely sold on Horizon - I only loaded it up this month to try the new V6-engined Exige, since I had a MS points card from Christmas. It's fun, and it's definitely the most sim-like of open-world type driving games out there, but the physics are indeed dumbed down a bit from FM4, and the game is surprisingly thin on content once you clear it. I've been at 100% since about two weeks after release, and with the lack of traffic when you play online with friends (and the lack of replays), I just can't muster up much excitement for it.
Just a note, my brother sold his PS3 and GT5 to get a 360 and Forza 4 because he liked the visual customization. 2 weeks later he switched back, didn't like the physics. Take that however you want.
Just a note Xamado, I bought a 360 250gb with FM3 pack for cheap a few weeks before FM4 was released in 2011, with very little experience of the series before-hand (I played the demo of FM1 a few times, and had tried FM3 for maybe a combined 3 days earlier that year). I barely play GT5 now, mostly just photomode stuff (I'll touch on that later), but still play FM4 on the regular. I find there's so much more to do in the game than GT5, and while there's no silly worrying about oil changes and mileage affecting engine power, the fact I can make the car look exactly how I want makes the cars in my garage more important to me than GT5's "gotta-catch-em-all" Pokemon approach.
I also ended up dropping the money on a year of XBL (eh, it's one less full-price game for myself per year, I see it), and bought the Season Pass before the first pack came out... then bought the Porsche Pack and all non-SP car packs. Discounting XBL, my GT5 and FM4 experiences cost roughly similar, but overall, I'm happier with FM4, as a stand-alone game.
I second what neema said above. Horizon is all acclaimed and people call it the best game of that type ever made, but I personally hated it; and you would probably feel kind of silly if you spent all that money to buy a game and you ended up not liking it. And while Forza 4 is generally better than GT4 across the board, there are little niggling things about it that could very easily annoy you enough that you won't like it.
A few things that come to mind:
- No weather/dynamic time of day. The former isn't a big thing for me, as I don't find GT5's very convincing, but the latter is an unfortunate absence.
- GT5's Photomode is leaps and bounds better.
- Tuning menus (actually discussed in the general VS thread just recently).
- You will miss a few of GT's more idiosyncratic car choices, though I imagine you'll also really enjoy some of the unique FM ones.
- At their absolute best (say, LFA on the 'Ring), GT5 does look better. A good chunk of the time... not so much.
- Speaking of... the 'Ring is incredible on GT5. It's a big disappointment on FM4.
If you do get Forza 4, make sure you get an actual copy of the game, though. Microsoft is being rather nasty with their "Forza 4 Essentials" thing, and it's actually a gimped version of the game that you pay extra to unlock everything for use.
Oh, that's nasty 👎
What made me personally choose a PS3 over a 360 is one very simple reason; controller design. I have large hands (and large thumbs) and when I tried both out, I found that since my thumbs are large enough, when I use the D-pad on the *older* 360 controllers it doesn't always give me the direction or option I want. The sticks on the PS3 feel a lot more natural to the way I prefer to game, and that is really the main reason. (Besides obvious things, like reliability questions and the fact that I am posting on a Gran Turismo forum.)
I'm a big DS3 supporter, but if you're stuck with controllers, I've gotta say the 360's are better for driving. The triggers are fantastically long-travel, making it a doddle to modulate the throttle or threshold brake. I've been playing FM4 with no ABS since day 1 and it's been nothing but smooth sailing, and holding a drift is second nature. Though I do remember noticing some oddly strong self-centering of the sticks when I first got the game; the selection in menus would sometimes backtrack due to the reaction.
As for reliability woes, I was comforted by Luminis that the last generation of the bigger 360's didn't suffer the RRoD problems nearly as badly as the old ones, and so far, mine's been a trooper. I've left it on for days on end, including some long hours of hard gaming, and it hasn't blinked. The new slim units are apparently better still, but as they're fairly new, it's hard to judge.
Oh, and moved to a more appropriate section 👍
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