The History of Forza | The Gran Turismo Clone

Introduction:

Sony has been kicking butt for years now with their PlayStation systems, and once 1999 rolled around, the original console's successor was announced. We know just how successful the PlayStation 2 was; when I think Sony knew it would be the case back then too, they saw the system as being something that could replace a desktop PC. Bill Gates at the time, head honcho of Microsoft, took it personally. Windows was a dominating force in gaming across the '90s, staying far ahead of the console competition. But the PlayStation 2 threatened their markets, so Microsoft took to a market they originally didn't feel they needed to: the home console.

Creation of Xbox:

Members of the DirectX team set to work creating a console that could rival the PlayStation 2 but could also easily be developed since it was just a PC. The Direct Xbox was trimmed down to just Xbox, and Microsoft's first home console launched in 2001. Halo: Combat Evolved was the big launch title for the system, but because they were going up against Sony's behemoth platform, they wanted to beat them at their own game. The flagship titles for the PS1 were arguably Gran Turismo and Gran Turismo 2, so Microsoft's sights were set. This is the history of Forza; we are targeting Gran Turismo with this game on Xbox, and I think we've been very focused on that.

Development of Forza Motorsport:

It was not a huge secret that Forza Motorsport, announced at E3 2004, existed to simply be Gran Turismo but for the Xbox. But similar to Polyphony Digital's efforts throughout the '90s, Microsoft wasn't going to half-ass this game. Turn 10 Studios was founded in 2001 within Microsoft Game Studios itself, and after two and a half years of development, three delays, and a hell of a lot of marketing, the original Forza Motorsport dropped for the Xbox in May 2005.

Release and Reception:

Released to universal acclaim, the title was praised for its incredible realism, phenomenal graphics, vast roster of cars and tracks, and deep customization, as players could create their detailed liveries in-game, something Gran Turismo didn't do for another 12 years. Even by today's standards, the original Forza Motorsport is an impressive-looking title, utilizing the power of the original Xbox. The inclusion of both system link and online play made the original FM a fantastic platform for racing, selling hundreds of thousands of copies compared to Gran Turismo's offering at the same time. Gran Turismo 4 was released a matter of months before on the PlayStation 2. 

Forza Motorsport is ranked three points higher than GT4 on Metacritic. It's safe to say that Xbox's Gran Turismo rival had a fantastic start, though the series didn't remain on the original Xbox for all that long as less than a year later, its successor came onto the scene. The Xbox 360 was a truly stunning bit of kit, featuring much more powerful hardware, and a radical design choice to make it stand out. The 360 was off to a good start, and the hopeful graphical powerhouse that would be Forza Motorsport's sequel wasn't all that far behind. 2007 saw the release of Forza Motorsport 2, with more cars, more circuits, more customization, and more graphics than ever before. Xbox Live became even better with the release of the 360, so online racing became immensely popular with players, even auctioning their handcrafted vehicle deliveries off to other races. Forza 2 was phenomenally successful, selling over 2 million copies in its lifetime.

Conclusion:

Metacritic ranked this two points lower than its predecessor, but you still can't knock a 90. Of course, this was early days for developers with the system, so the true capabilities of the Xbox 360 were yet to be harnessed. But come 2009, Turn 10 put their foot on the gas. Forza Motorsport 3 was released in October 2009 and first used the branding we're used to today, donning the backside of an Audi R8 on its box art. The stakes were raised once again in terms of drivable cars, tracks to hurtle around, customization options, and new ways to play the game. 

Cockpit cam, photo mode, improvements to AI behavior and the physics model, the introduction of the rewind feature we all know and love, and the 360's hardware was better used with Forza Motorsport 3, not only running at a solid 60 frames per second, something even modern titles on current hardware can't seem to do, but also looking incredible. Once again, the series was met with critical acclaim. Forza Motorsport 3 was the best of the bunch, matching the 92 Metacritic score the original landed, yet having a lower user score compared to Forza 2.