Forza Motorsport 4
Encyclopedia
Forza Motorsport 4 is a racing
video game released by Turn 10 Studios
for the Xbox 360
. It is the fourth installment in the Forza Motorsport
series, and was released in North America on October 11, 2011 and in Europe on October 14, 2011. This latest edition is the first in the series to support the Kinect sensor alongside the traditional controller-based
gameplay.
profiles into Forza Motorsport 4, giving them the ability to transfer a certain amount of in-game credits and gifted cars into their new garage. The amount allowed transferred is based on how long they have played the game and how many cars and credits they have.
A video demo of the game showed that the player was able to look into a corner using a new head tracking feature, allowing them to look toward the apex of a corner or at nearby cars. Another new feature called Autovista allowed the player to walk around and explore inside their vehicle using Kinect. The player could point at certain features, such as headlights, wheels and the engine, for further information about them. The Autovista feature is not limited to Kinect users only, and is usable by a regular Xbox 360 controller. When using Kinect, the game will automatically accelerate and decelerate your vehicle, a feature known as "auto brake" in Forza 3, and the steering would be done by either a controller or by movement of the player's hands. While the game supports head tracking, players can use a controller and Kinect at the same time. Steering will be done by the controller and the Kinect picks up head movement. Kinect will also allow the player to use audio commands to start races and navigate menus.
Players have the option to create car clubs and share cars in their garages within that club. In a departure from previous iterations of the series with a maximum of eight cars on track, the game supports 16 player racing, both online and offline. Three additional real world race tracks new to the Forza franchise, Hockenheimring
, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
and Infineon Raceway
are also available. As well, a new fantasy track known as "Bernese Alps" is also available.
Autovista is a feature originally designed to allow players to get up close to cars within a sub six inch level, where brake pads, and small details became visible. Only 24 cars in the game will support the Autovista feature, as it is primarily for sports cars, classic cars, and dream cars. The graphics used to create these cars are formed using image-based lighting which allowed the developers to create perfect reflections, and would better immerse the car in the environment both when racing on a track or in the garage or Top Gear gear studio when viewing a car.
Like Forza 3 there will be a career mode for players to complete, which sees players racing at multiple locations around the world. This is known as World Tour Mode in Forza 4, previously known as Season Play in Forza 3. However, one new feature that appears in Forza 4 is the game's ability to adapt the difficulty as the player progresses through the career, and collect a trend of data to see how well they perform. This will allow AI drivers to change and upgrade their cars automatically to suit the player's driving abilities. There are several types of races besides standard racing like in Forza 3. Forza 4 will include the original bumper to bumper races, but will also have Drift, Autocross, and multiple-heat races. Unlike in Forza 3 where players had no choice over which car they received after leveling up, in Forza 4 players are now able to choose one out of several cars as a prize.
Unlike previous Forza titles which included Porsche
cars through a sublicense from Electronic Arts
, Forza 4 will not include the Porsche marque, after EA's refusal to agree to another sublicensing deal. Instead, Forza will include cars from Ruf Automobile, a car manufacturer which rebadges
Porsche models. EA's release of Shift 2: Unleashed
earlier in 2011 was regarded as an expansion into the simulation-racing genre, and brought the Forza series into more direct competition with EA Games.
Turn 10 is officially partnered with the American Le Mans Series
(ALMS) for two years from August 8, 2011. The partnership will provide several in-game ALMS themed events to complement the cars and tracks raced in the ALMS present in previous entries in the Forza Motorsport series. More known content was leaked during IGN's visit to E3 2011, which revealed that there will be the option to create car clubs and share garages within that club, and also that the game will support 16 player online racing. As well, Hockenheimring
, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
and Infineon Raceway
will be available, adding three more real world tracks to the Forza series.
A Tesla Roadster
was used to record the game's tire sounds. The developers chose the Tesla due to its electric engine which allowed them to record the sounds cleanly without engine or exhaust noise. Two microphones were mounted to the car and pointed at the tire for recording. Lance Hayes, the award winning composer for Forza Motorsport 3, returns to score Forza 4, which features a combination of his music and other licensed artists. 15 tracks were provided by Hayes for the user interface
as well as some in-race music. In speaking of the tone of the soundtrack, Hayes stated "The score has an increased cinematic feel as well as incorporating many of the styles (downtempo, electronic, ambient) that made the Forza 3 OST a fan favorite."
On August 26, 2011, at PAX
Prime it was announced that Turn 10 will include the UNSC Warthog from Microsoft Studios' Halo
series in the 'autovista' mode. The model of Warthog used in Forza Motorsport 4 is of the same design of the model to be used in Halo 4, however the vehicle will not be drivable. Turn 10 has cited the vehicle's exaggerated four wheel steering system, fictional futuristic technology and excessive height as reasons for its exclusion, stating "One, it's got some technology that's built into Halo that would have been a big investment for us to then build into the game only to support one vehicle. [...] Technically we don't support that because no real world cars in our game do."
; a 10 car American Muscle Car Pack, including the Plymouth GTX
426 HEMI and Chevrolet Nova
SS, and also available on Xbox Live
on launch day; a pre-order exclusive Ship Bonus Car Pack, including the Koenigsegg Agera
and Tesla Roadster
Sport; a five car BMW Designer Car Pack featuring five BMWs with unique exterior designs, including a BMW M6
designed by an entrant into an M6 design competition. This pack will also be available on launch day, along with a free download of the 2012 BMW M5 and a BMW theme for the Xbox dashboard. As well as all this, Collector's Edition owners will be given a 96-page volume entitled 'Cars of Forza Motorsport 4 Presented By Top Gear, written by the editors from Top Gear
magazine. This volume also gives detailed information about many of the exotic cars found within the game, as well as photos (both in game and real life) of them. The description of the cars is exactly the same that Jeremy Clarkson narrates while using the Top Gear section found within the Autovista feature.
Turn 10 has entered a multiple year partnership with the BBC's Top Gear. The content provided by the BBC's BAFTA award-winning television show Top Gear, also includes narration from presenter Jeremy Clarkson
during the virtual showroom (Autovista) navigation. The game will also feature the Top Gear test track
at Dunsfold Aerodrome, near the village of Cranleigh, UK. The first in-game demo in Autovista was revealed at E3 2011. An extra piece of content for Top Gear fans is the addition of the reasonably priced car, the Kia Cee'd
. At E3, players were able to complete laps of the Top Gear Test Track and record their own times. The Top Gear test track in Forza 4 will also feature authentic camera angles during replays. The game will also feature Top Gear "Car Football" (only available online with Xbox live) and also a Top Gear bowling mini game, both set on the official Top Gear test track.
The BBC Top Gear studio will also be included in the game as a feature for Autovista, and part of the "Home Space" when viewing a car. The studio has the original TV series cars on plinths, such as the destroyed Toyota Hilux
and Clarkson's Fiat Coupé
police car with boadiceas as seen in Series 11, Episode 1, and all of the original Top Gear logos, Stig posters, and lighting arrangements, that reflect off the paintwork of the car you are viewing, similar to how they would on the real Top Gear show. A live action commercial was also produced and contained a voice over track by Jeremy Clarkson. The commercial is set in a busy city in which a man merely wants to drive fast. As the man speeds through the city streets with police in pursuit Clarkson speaks of lovers of speed as an endangered species. He notes that places for these people to truly enjoy their cars are being taken away, then pitches the video game. The commercial was well received by the media. Jalopnik
's Ray Wert called the advert "epic". The driving was performed by professional stunt driver Martin Ivanov.
Forza 4 was also featured in the U.S. version
of Top Gear. At the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards professional stunt driver and show co-host Tanner Foust
and Rutledge Wood
, car expert and co-host were featured in the unveiling of the game. Foust drove a 2010 Dodge Challenger
while Wood rode as a passenger. The advertisement showed Foust drifting around the environment and ended with a top-down shot of the pad. On the pavement the word Forza was spelled out in tire marks. Additionally in the final episode of the show's second season Wood and co-host Adam Ferrara
challenged Foust to a timed race at Infineon Raceway
, also known as Sears Point; Foust drove the Lexus LF-A around the real course while Wood and Ferrara drove the course in Forza 4.
, two video game review aggregate websites. It received five perfect scores from reviews posted at Metacritic, with the lowest score being an 80% approval rating. It also won the award for Most Anticipated E3 2011 game from Computer and Video Games
. It ranked first in sales in the United Kingdom during the week of its release.
Luke Reilly of IGN
called the game "this generation's premier racing simulator". Justin Calvert of GameSpot said Forza Motorsport 4 "refines and improves upon its predecessor in a number of ways, but also feels just a little too familiar". Editor Martin Robinson of Eurogamer
gave it a 9 out of 10 rating, stating it is easy to fall in love with.
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
video game released by Turn 10 Studios
Turn 10 Studios
Turn 10 Studios is an American video game developer located in Redmond, Washington. It was established in 2001 by Microsoft Game Studios to develop the Forza Motorsport series for the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles.-Games developed:...
for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. It is the fourth installment in the Forza Motorsport
Forza Motorsport (series)
Forza Motorsport is a popular and critically acclaimed series of racing simulation video games for the Xbox and Xbox 360 developed by Turn 10 Studios and published by Microsoft Studios....
series, and was released in North America on October 11, 2011 and in Europe on October 14, 2011. This latest edition is the first in the series to support the Kinect sensor alongside the traditional controller-based
Xbox 360 Controller
The Xbox 360 Controller is the primary controller for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console and was introduced at E3 2005. The Xbox 360 controller comes in both wired and wireless versions. Original Xbox controllers are not compatible with the Xbox 360...
gameplay.
Gameplay
Players are able to import their Forza Motorsport 3Forza Motorsport 3
Forza Motorsport 3 is a racing video game developed for Xbox 360 by Turn 10 Studios. It was released in October . It is the sequel to Forza Motorsport 2 and the third installment in the Forza Motorsport series...
profiles into Forza Motorsport 4, giving them the ability to transfer a certain amount of in-game credits and gifted cars into their new garage. The amount allowed transferred is based on how long they have played the game and how many cars and credits they have.
A video demo of the game showed that the player was able to look into a corner using a new head tracking feature, allowing them to look toward the apex of a corner or at nearby cars. Another new feature called Autovista allowed the player to walk around and explore inside their vehicle using Kinect. The player could point at certain features, such as headlights, wheels and the engine, for further information about them. The Autovista feature is not limited to Kinect users only, and is usable by a regular Xbox 360 controller. When using Kinect, the game will automatically accelerate and decelerate your vehicle, a feature known as "auto brake" in Forza 3, and the steering would be done by either a controller or by movement of the player's hands. While the game supports head tracking, players can use a controller and Kinect at the same time. Steering will be done by the controller and the Kinect picks up head movement. Kinect will also allow the player to use audio commands to start races and navigate menus.
Players have the option to create car clubs and share cars in their garages within that club. In a departure from previous iterations of the series with a maximum of eight cars on track, the game supports 16 player racing, both online and offline. Three additional real world race tracks new to the Forza franchise, Hockenheimring
Hockenheimring
The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix...
, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
and Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
are also available. As well, a new fantasy track known as "Bernese Alps" is also available.
Autovista is a feature originally designed to allow players to get up close to cars within a sub six inch level, where brake pads, and small details became visible. Only 24 cars in the game will support the Autovista feature, as it is primarily for sports cars, classic cars, and dream cars. The graphics used to create these cars are formed using image-based lighting which allowed the developers to create perfect reflections, and would better immerse the car in the environment both when racing on a track or in the garage or Top Gear gear studio when viewing a car.
Like Forza 3 there will be a career mode for players to complete, which sees players racing at multiple locations around the world. This is known as World Tour Mode in Forza 4, previously known as Season Play in Forza 3. However, one new feature that appears in Forza 4 is the game's ability to adapt the difficulty as the player progresses through the career, and collect a trend of data to see how well they perform. This will allow AI drivers to change and upgrade their cars automatically to suit the player's driving abilities. There are several types of races besides standard racing like in Forza 3. Forza 4 will include the original bumper to bumper races, but will also have Drift, Autocross, and multiple-heat races. Unlike in Forza 3 where players had no choice over which car they received after leveling up, in Forza 4 players are now able to choose one out of several cars as a prize.
Development and marketing
A tech demo for Forza Motorsport 4 was first revealed at Microsoft's E3 2010 press conference. The live demonstration showcased a passing challenge driving the 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia where, using the Kinect sensor the player steered the car to pass as many opponents as possible within the time limit. Forza Motorsport 4 was formally unveiled at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards. Turn 10 announced that the game will feature over 500 cars from 80 manufacturers, and confirmed that it will support Kinect as well as a regular controller.Unlike previous Forza titles which included Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
cars through a sublicense from Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
, Forza 4 will not include the Porsche marque, after EA's refusal to agree to another sublicensing deal. Instead, Forza will include cars from Ruf Automobile, a car manufacturer which rebadges
Badge engineering
Badge engineering is an ironic term that describes the rebadging of one product as another...
Porsche models. EA's release of Shift 2: Unleashed
Shift 2: Unleashed
Shift 2: Unleashed is a racing video game, the 17th title in the Need for Speed franchise. It was developed by Slightly Mad Studios and published by Electronic Arts...
earlier in 2011 was regarded as an expansion into the simulation-racing genre, and brought the Forza series into more direct competition with EA Games.
Turn 10 is officially partnered with the American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
(ALMS) for two years from August 8, 2011. The partnership will provide several in-game ALMS themed events to complement the cars and tracks raced in the ALMS present in previous entries in the Forza Motorsport series. More known content was leaked during IGN's visit to E3 2011, which revealed that there will be the option to create car clubs and share garages within that club, and also that the game will support 16 player online racing. As well, Hockenheimring
Hockenheimring
The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix...
, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
and Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
will be available, adding three more real world tracks to the Forza series.
A Tesla Roadster
Tesla Roadster
The Tesla Roadster is a battery electric vehicle sports car produced by the electric car firm Tesla Motors in California. The Roadster was the first highway-capable all-electric vehicle in serial production available in the United States. Since 2008 Tesla has sold 2,024 Roadsters in 30 countries...
was used to record the game's tire sounds. The developers chose the Tesla due to its electric engine which allowed them to record the sounds cleanly without engine or exhaust noise. Two microphones were mounted to the car and pointed at the tire for recording. Lance Hayes, the award winning composer for Forza Motorsport 3, returns to score Forza 4, which features a combination of his music and other licensed artists. 15 tracks were provided by Hayes for the user interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
as well as some in-race music. In speaking of the tone of the soundtrack, Hayes stated "The score has an increased cinematic feel as well as incorporating many of the styles (downtempo, electronic, ambient) that made the Forza 3 OST a fan favorite."
On August 26, 2011, at PAX
Penny Arcade Expo
The Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
Prime it was announced that Turn 10 will include the UNSC Warthog from Microsoft Studios' Halo
Halo
Halo may refer to:* Halo , a glow or ring of light around a head or person in art-Game franchise and spin-offs:*Halo , a video game franchise by Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios...
series in the 'autovista' mode. The model of Warthog used in Forza Motorsport 4 is of the same design of the model to be used in Halo 4, however the vehicle will not be drivable. Turn 10 has cited the vehicle's exaggerated four wheel steering system, fictional futuristic technology and excessive height as reasons for its exclusion, stating "One, it's got some technology that's built into Halo that would have been a big investment for us to then build into the game only to support one vehicle. [...] Technically we don't support that because no real world cars in our game do."
Limited Collector's Edition
Players who buy the Limited Collector's Edition will have a polished Steelbook case, with the 2012 BMW M5 as the cover car. As well as a regular copy of the game, they will receive a V.I.P. car pack, including the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and Noble M600Noble M600
The Noble M600 is a handbuilt British supercar made by Noble Automotive in Leicestershire. It is made from stainless steel and carbon fibre and uses a twin turbocharged V8.-Engine and transmission:...
; a 10 car American Muscle Car Pack, including the Plymouth GTX
Plymouth GTX
The Plymouth GTX was introduced as the Belvedere GTX in 1967 by the Plymouth division to be a "gentleman's" muscle car.It's most notable appearance in modern popular culture is in the television series Angel, in which the title character drove a black 1967 model.-1967:It was to be an exceptional...
426 HEMI and Chevrolet Nova
Chevrolet Nova
The Chevrolet Chevy II/Nova is a compact automobile manufactured by the Chevrolet division of General Motors produced in four generations for the 1962 through 1979 model years. Nova was the top model in the Chevy II lineup through 1968. The Chevy II nameplate was dropped, Nova becoming the...
SS, and also available on Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
on launch day; a pre-order exclusive Ship Bonus Car Pack, including the Koenigsegg Agera
Koenigsegg Agera
The Koenigsegg Agera is a mid-engined sports car made by Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg as of 2011. It is a successor to the Koenigsegg CCX/CCXR...
and Tesla Roadster
Tesla Roadster
The Tesla Roadster is a battery electric vehicle sports car produced by the electric car firm Tesla Motors in California. The Roadster was the first highway-capable all-electric vehicle in serial production available in the United States. Since 2008 Tesla has sold 2,024 Roadsters in 30 countries...
Sport; a five car BMW Designer Car Pack featuring five BMWs with unique exterior designs, including a BMW M6
BMW M6
The BMW M6, also known as the BMW M635CSi, is a high-performance version of the 6-Series automobile, designed by the motorsport division of BMW...
designed by an entrant into an M6 design competition. This pack will also be available on launch day, along with a free download of the 2012 BMW M5 and a BMW theme for the Xbox dashboard. As well as all this, Collector's Edition owners will be given a 96-page volume entitled 'Cars of Forza Motorsport 4 Presented By Top Gear, written by the editors from Top Gear
Top Gear (magazine)
Top Gear is an automobile magazine published by BBC Worldwide, and named after the BBC's Top Gear television show. It was first published in October 1993 and is published monthly at a price of £3.95. The major presenters of the television series—Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson—are...
magazine. This volume also gives detailed information about many of the exotic cars found within the game, as well as photos (both in game and real life) of them. The description of the cars is exactly the same that Jeremy Clarkson narrates while using the Top Gear section found within the Autovista feature.
Top Gear content
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
during the virtual showroom (Autovista) navigation. The game will also feature the Top Gear test track
Top Gear Test Track
The Top Gear test track is used by the BBC automotive television programme Top Gear. It is located at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, United Kingdom. The track was designed by Lotus Cars...
at Dunsfold Aerodrome, near the village of Cranleigh, UK. The first in-game demo in Autovista was revealed at E3 2011. An extra piece of content for Top Gear fans is the addition of the reasonably priced car, the Kia Cee'd
Kia cee'd
The Kia Cee'd is a front wheel drive small family car released in the European market by the Korean manufacturer Kia Motors in December 2006—superseding the Kia Spectra—and available as a five-door hatchback, three-door hatchback , and five-door estate with a choice of up to four...
. At E3, players were able to complete laps of the Top Gear Test Track and record their own times. The Top Gear test track in Forza 4 will also feature authentic camera angles during replays. The game will also feature Top Gear "Car Football" (only available online with Xbox live) and also a Top Gear bowling mini game, both set on the official Top Gear test track.
The BBC Top Gear studio will also be included in the game as a feature for Autovista, and part of the "Home Space" when viewing a car. The studio has the original TV series cars on plinths, such as the destroyed Toyota Hilux
Toyota Hilux
The Toyota Hilux is a series of compact pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Most countries used the Hilux name for the entire life of the series but in North America, the Hilux name was retired in 1976 in favor of Truck, Pickup Truck, or Compact Truck...
and Clarkson's Fiat Coupé
Fiat Coupé
The Fiat Coupé was a coupé produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1993 and 2000. The car was introduced at Brussels Motor Show in 1993....
police car with boadiceas as seen in Series 11, Episode 1, and all of the original Top Gear logos, Stig posters, and lighting arrangements, that reflect off the paintwork of the car you are viewing, similar to how they would on the real Top Gear show. A live action commercial was also produced and contained a voice over track by Jeremy Clarkson. The commercial is set in a busy city in which a man merely wants to drive fast. As the man speeds through the city streets with police in pursuit Clarkson speaks of lovers of speed as an endangered species. He notes that places for these people to truly enjoy their cars are being taken away, then pitches the video game. The commercial was well received by the media. Jalopnik
Jalopnik
Jalopnik is a Weblog covering cars, car culture, and the automotive industry. Owned and operated by Gawker Media since 2004, Jalopnik emphasizes irreverent humor....
's Ray Wert called the advert "epic". The driving was performed by professional stunt driver Martin Ivanov.
Forza 4 was also featured in the U.S. version
Top Gear (U.S. TV series)
Top Gear is a motoring television series, based on the BBC series of the same name. The show's presenters are professional racing driver Tanner Foust, actor and comedian Adam Ferrara, and automotive and racing analyst Rutledge Wood. As with the original British version, the show has its own version...
of Top Gear. At the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards professional stunt driver and show co-host Tanner Foust
Tanner Foust
Tanner Foust is a professional racing driver, stunt driver, and television host. He competes in rally, drift, ice racing, time attack and rallycross with multiple podium placements and national championships. He is a co-host on the American version of the motoring television series, Top...
and Rutledge Wood
Rutledge Wood
Rutledge Wood, born in Birmingham, Alabama, is a roving auto racing analyst employed by Speed Channel. Wood is one of three hosts for the History Channel's Top Gear along with Adam Ferrara and Tanner Foust, which premiered on November 21, 2010....
, car expert and co-host were featured in the unveiling of the game. Foust drove a 2010 Dodge Challenger
Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles marketed by the Dodge division of Chrysler.The first generation Dodge Challenger was a pony car built from 1970 to 1974, using the Chrysler E platform and sharing major components with the Plymouth Barracuda. The second...
while Wood rode as a passenger. The advertisement showed Foust drifting around the environment and ended with a top-down shot of the pad. On the pavement the word Forza was spelled out in tire marks. Additionally in the final episode of the show's second season Wood and co-host Adam Ferrara
Adam Ferrara
Adam Ferrara is an American actor and comedian who is currently playing the role of Chief "Needles" Nelson on the critically acclaimed FX series Rescue Me and is also a co-host on the U.S. version of Top Gear...
challenged Foust to a timed race at Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
, also known as Sears Point; Foust drove the Lexus LF-A around the real course while Wood and Ferrara drove the course in Forza 4.
Reception
Forza Motorsport 4 was released to critical acclaim. It currently holds a score of 91.33% at GameRankings and 92/100 at MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, two video game review aggregate websites. It received five perfect scores from reviews posted at Metacritic, with the lowest score being an 80% approval rating. It also won the award for Most Anticipated E3 2011 game from Computer and Video Games
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
. It ranked first in sales in the United Kingdom during the week of its release.
Luke Reilly of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called the game "this generation's premier racing simulator". Justin Calvert of GameSpot said Forza Motorsport 4 "refines and improves upon its predecessor in a number of ways, but also feels just a little too familiar". Editor Martin Robinson of Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
gave it a 9 out of 10 rating, stating it is easy to fall in love with.