A.R.S.E.

Someone had to start this thread.

So after a couple of weeks play time whats your outlook on the comparison? I'll start it off...

HARDWARE:

GT5 - Better wheel support, better options for the device.
Mouse and Keyboard support is great.

Forza - Little wheel support, which is a right shame because I would love to drive both with the same hardware.
Keyboard support, not sure about mouse, never tried it.


SOFTWARE

GUI
GT5 - Looks nice but it seems that getting to different settings and options is very long winded, for example, what is the point of having a tuning shop and the maintenance shop as two different menu's?
Race modification, engine overhaul and those options found in the maintenance menu seem to be a waste of space to me.

Forza - White, which is a pain in the ass at night.
Customisation of your vehicle cosmetically might seem shallow but look at how it is done in Forza 3. I spent more time painting than racing, lol...

RACE PREP
GT5 - It is so hit and miss. You go to one race and blitz the field, next race you are left for dead at the start. Without a performance index it is hard to know where the car you are in control stands next to the competition.

Forza - This is a strong point of Forza in my opinion, the points based classing for racing from the bottom level all the way to the top is a great idea, because you always know what the limits are regarding car performance.

TUNING
GT5 - Its very simple in both the purchase and tweaking of your tuning options.
Increments of tuning are so dumbed down, even the full suspension kit and full transmission kit are so simple. Its good to set things up quickly but with all the hype and the information within the APEX manual I expected more tuning detail than Forza.

Forza - It is more comprehensive, for example being able to take a RWD powerplant and install it into an AWD car to convert it. And I much prefer the Forza options over GT5 when it comes to application of these performance components.

I would like to see one of these games actually incorporate some form of engineering. Giving you the option to polish your own ports, adjust need sizes in N/A cars, move the ports on a rotary etc. I want proper tuning options and then the problems faced when you head in the wrong direction.

PHOTOMODE

GT5 - The pictures are gorgeous when shot correctly, but its less intuitive than the xbox example. I am sure I will get the hang of it, as I learn more I have found it can be quite fulfilling, but it may be the fact I dont own a DSLR yet.

Forza - Simple to use and can be used on any car without limitation.


I have deliberately left out the car comparison and graphics differences, Ill let people with more of an idea about that make that comparison.

Keep it civil, this isn't a fan boy thread...

one thing i really disliked about forza was the tracks. at the start of the game it felt like i was playing the same tracks over and over and over. and i gave up.

GT5 does need custom painting, but tbh it needs 1000 premium cars rather than the 800/200 split more. the way they have done it just smacks of lazyness.

im a bit dissapointed the licence levels arent a requirement now. it was always fun getting the licneces to finally be able to get to that top series!

GT2 had port polishing and a few extra engine upgrades, looks like they have just gone "meh generic upgrades will do"

GT2 is still the best GT out there, it may look like shit but its more indepth than any of its predecessors.

I've only very briefly played a demo of Forza at Hardly Normals once, but it was so long ago I don't remember which version it was. I didn't like the controller set-up.

For me, I agree with Neil that GT2 was the most in depth version.

I really enjoyed Forza 3 but I just stopped playing after a couple weeks. I think I've already put more time into GT5 but its probably the grinding aspect at fault. I'm pretty torn because I geuinely think Forza 3 is a better game but I keep coming back to GT. I guess the physics sort of win out in the end regardless of all the cool features.

I think GT5 is more suited to the "time trial" person, perfecting your line and nailing a lap rather then out and out racing. Forza just feels more about having a good time trying to get traction drifting everywhere . I've done about 100 A-Spec races now and I think the closest gap in any of them was about 5 seconds. Its my fault for coming to a knife fight with a gun (bazooka really) but fark, some of the races in Forza were just out and out hard! You had very limited options (the classing system certainly made sure you couldn't cheat)... what happened to pp system?? In Forza you had to balance up - should I run with lots of HP but crap tyres, race tyres but no HP, or a mild tune on everything? You often had to try different combinations to win races! GT5 you rock up to the European Hot Hatch in your SLS AMG with more horsepower then the entire field combined... WTF? (OR the French Hot Hatch with the 1200 hp Veyron). OK so I'm expoilting the game doing the turbo event in a '89 MINOLTA race car and winning by 3 laps but why does it even let me?!?!?! They had the system implemented in GT5P but I think they just got lazy with the scope of the cars and mods. Forza got this nailed perfectly.

Following on from this I think the simplicity of the tuning in GT5 is one of the bigger gaps. Being able to put different engines in certain cars, change drivelines, ONTOP of the endless tuning options,... Ontop of that you have all the cosmetic changes and bodykits,.. and the ability to create (some truely awesome) paint jobs. Was always awesome rocking up online to show off your UNIQUE paintjob. Actually I spent a hell of a lot of time in the auction house too. It was really fun finding a tuned car and getting it for cheap then on selling it for a profit or just admiring some of the really expensive amazing paintjobs and watching biddings wars unfold.

Lets not even get started about online! Where is the password for a room? Where is the lock for the host? Where is the kick player option? At least the net code is arlight (although I did have a laggy car doing back flips infront of me last night for a whole lap).

In the end GT5 seriously feels (and looks) like a last generation game sometimes (i.e GT4). It has all the same GT bugs; every car has a 100 litre fuel tank in endurance (GT4 was 80 litres), the tyre wear is EXACTLY the same as GT4, the mechanical damage IS THE SAME AS WELL?? I swear GT2 had mechanical damage and tyre wear. You still get weird TC on grass, you still get weird wall physics, the AI is usually the same (and you cant push them off their line).

Mechanical damage is coming soon to GT5.

But so far, I enjoyed Forza more.

Mechanical damage was in the last update

Is that back wheel bent or is it just my eyes playing tricks?

WizardHat wrote:Is that back wheel bent or is it just my eyes playing tricks?

suspensions getting bent, engine losing power, it's all there.
sadly only in multiplayer

GT5 + G25 = Clear winner
That being said, I found Forza to be less of a grind

Is it always going to be a MP only thing Ysu or are they going to integrate it into single player down the track?



I haven't played GT5 so I can't say which is best.. Forza 3 is great fun but a few weeks after I bought it I just stopped playing & now it only gets played once a month or so.. I can't say what it is that made me stop playing but I guess the best explanation is that is seems to get extremely repetitive, especially in the lower classes on the regional tracks..

WizardHat wrote:Is it always going to be a MP only thing Ysu or are they going to integrate it into single player down the track?

Don't ask me, I did not even know they'll have implement it in mp