I never miss out a Forza on launch, but unfortunately FH4 did not work on my PC at launch; going through hell and back just to download and install, later to find out the game wouldn’t even launch. I waited all this time until today when I finally decided to go for it. Got the Ultimate Edition (again).
The game with all its add-ons took less than an hour to download. Installed without issues and launched with no crashes even with RTSS and Afterburner active! In the game, I noticed how smooth this game runs. No stutters like in FM7 or FH3, stable frame rate and gorgeous graphics.
As for gameplay, I found no grinding noises with manual transmissions/clutch, the handling is actually pretty decent even with the default settings and no assists, the cars finally go to a complete stop when breaking gently, brakes are now very well balanced, with a nice progressive feel to them instead of the “slamming on the pedal” feel of other Forzas when cruising, the steering feels light when cruising and gives good feedback when racing.
Sounds are a bit “okay.” Very low volume, but as far as I’ve experienced, most cars sound correctly, if some a bit weird compared to their other game counterparts.
Gameplay mechanics are fantastic like in FH3, with all the freedom included and no restriction BS like in FM7. I can drive my cars stock if I want now and race against whoever I want. As for customizing, I was very excited to see you can adjust the track width now! That adds so much quality of life for those who are a bit OCD when it comes to that perfect look. Again, props to PG for letting us adjust the stock wheel size and color! Still no exhaust tip options…
All in all, fantastic job, PG. I came in expecting very little and probably having to go for a refund again, but I found myself with a very well polished, super-fun car game. Like it should. Again, the game needs some work in certain areas, but so far, it does look like an improvement over FH3. Please, PG: Let’s not go through hell again on the next title launch. Let’s do it right from start! Same goes to T10 with the next FM.
Now, to wait until all the cars I missed from special events get unlocked like in FM7. For $100, you would expect to have access to all these.