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Photorealistic Racing?
Forza Motorsport 5 Trailer

May 23, 2013 by Matt

It looks like I might have to buy an XBox One.

For car buffs, games like the upcoming Forza 5 qualify as killer apps for any platform, especially if the above clip represents real in-game footage (and with a few slight exceptions, there’s little reason to think it doesn’t).

I’m not quite convinced, for example, that in the actual game, chunks of rubber kick up from a car’s tires, or that carbon fiber weaves will be perfect alignment. Not only that, but contrary to what’s shown in the trailer above, it’s extremely unlikely that a McLaren F1, great though it is, would be able to hold its own around a racetrack against the upcoming P1. More likely it would get its ass handed to it.

But such disparities between the intro sequence and the game itself are expected. Even if the actual graphics are several notches less refined than those shown above, they will still represent the cutting edge of driving simulation. Couple that with refined vehicle dynamics, engaging circuits, and especially key licensing arrangements with premier performance automakers, and you’ve got yourselves a winner.

As an aside, it’s interesting to compare the clip above to the intro sequence for Microprose’s 1992 landmark racing game Formula One Grand Prix, one of the first racing simulations to feature realistic track and car detail. We’ve come a long way in 20 years.

Filed under: Media, News

2 Comments

  1. Ryan says:

    It’s just insane the difference 20 years makes even in things as “simple” as video games. And I’m not much of a gamer but that teaser video makes me want to buy an Xbox too, lol. I use to love Gran Turismo on PS2.

    • Matt says:

      It’s true. And GT3 was the last game I really “lost myself” in. GT4 came out and I had to keep myself from getting too much into it; I could have easily gotten sucked in for days at a time…

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