Release Date: 2011 TBA
Genre: Racing
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Turn 10 Studios
Exclusively on: Xbox 360
ESRB: RP
It wouldn't seem to make sense for Turn 10, a developer that is all about creating as realistic a racing simulation as possible, to make Forza into a Kinect title. After all, Microsoft's Kinect is all about controller-free gaming mainly targeted at folks who don't play a lot of games. But when I got to check it out for myself, it quickly became apparent that Kinect is exactly the type of hardware that would interest Turn 10.
The E3 demo consists of two elements. One is a racing mode, the other is getting up close and personal with a car. The racing is definitely a casual affair. This is just one mode in what could potentially be a half-dozen (maybe more) when Forza 4 hits store shelves in 2011.
You don't worry about braking or acceleration--which is handled admirably by the game for you--just steering. The goal is to pass as many cars as possible before time runs out. It's simple and enjoyable. Here's the catch: It's still using all of the crazy only-the-most-hardcore-racing-fan-gets-it physics of Forza 3 underneath it all. So while driving in Forza 4 has the feel of a very casual game, there are real physics (and real car damage) working underneath. Pretty cool.
Controlling a car with your hands at the 10 and 2 o'clock positions in the air isn't as odd as you might think. Maybe it's just how the brain is wired, but I was trying to spin the "wheel," hand-over-hand as if I were holding onto something substantial. Maybe after a month or two with Kinect, that will all feel very second nature. The driving experience didn't blow my mind, but I can see it being a bit addictive as I try and retry to better my score.
More impressive, and the real reason I think Turn 10 has bought into Kinect, is the car experience. In the E3 demo, you can look at a car from every angle, get inside, inspect every piece of the car up close. There are hot spots on the car you can touch to get additional information (provided with a voice over so you don't have to read a bunch of text).
You might never get inside a Ferrari in your lifetime, but you can at least do so in your living room. The level of detail is really impressive and it's hard not to want to touch everything. And really, Turn 10 has a lot more that it can (and should) do with Forza 4 to make it an even more unique experience.
The version shown at E3 only had a few parts of the car accessible. You couldn't pop the hood or open the glove compartment or get in the passenger seat. Hopefully those things are coming. But there is a lot of potential here. While you can choose a color to paint your car, you don't actually paint it. But how cool would it be to have the ability to spray paint a car yourself using the Kinect's motion sensor? And maybe more interesting is the possibility of being able to tune your car with your own hands. Heck, Forza 4 could teach you car maintenance. Why not?
Turn 10 has always had an unhealthy love affair with cars. And really, they just want to share that passion with others. While the driving portion may not quite do that, the car experience at E3 is like a love letter to the Ferrari.
