History Videogame / ForzaMotorsport

[[quoteright:325:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/forza_3307.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:325:[[TagLine Where Dreams Are Driven.]]]]

->"''...You and I are being squeezed out, pushed aside, and hunted down at every hairpin turn. And yet, there is hope. There is a safe haven. A place where we are free to challenge conventions, push the laws of physics, and drive our powerful, our beautiful machines hard... And it's right there in your living room.''"
-->-- '''[[Series/TopGear Jeremy Clarkson]]''', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvimE0aNFOg Endangered Species]]'' trailer for ''Forza Motorsport 4''

'''''Forza Motorsport''''' is a simulation RacingGame series for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} brand of consoles by Creator/MicrosoftStudios and their internal Turn 10 Studios division, aimed at competing with Sony's ''VideoGame/GranTurismo'' franchise, and is noted for an extensive car painting system, performance customization and a massive car list. Along with the main ''Motorsport'' series, it has a separate SpinOff series called '''''Forza Horizon''''', which are primarily developed by Playground Games[[note]]Which was formed by a group of British developers known for their work on [[VideoGame/{{Dirt}} ma]][[VideoGame/{{Grid}} ny]] [[VideoGame/{{Driver}} acclaimed]] [[Creator/CriterionGames racing]] [[VideoGame/SplitSecond game]] [[VideoGame/NeedForSpeed franchises]].[[/note]] with Turn 10's assistance.

''Motorsport'' mainly revolves around closed-circuit race tracks in a wide variety of gorgeous environments for players to race at. ''Motorsport'' games have a career mode which has players going to various real and fictional tracks around the world to compete in race events. ''Horizon'' revolves around a fictitious annual music and racing festival, taking place in [[WideOpenSandbox open world]] environments. ''Horizon'' games' career mode have players competing in various events around the festival to become the Horizon Festival Champion. ''Horizon'' is slightly more casual than ''Motorsport'', but it maintains the realistic physics and incredible customization aspects of the latter nonetheless.

[[folder:''Forza Motorsport'']]
The first game was released in Spring 2005 for the original Xbox, and ''Forza Motorsport 2'' and ''Forza Motorsport 3'' followed in 2007 and 2009, respectively, for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}. Each successive game added little things on top: ''Forza Motorsport 2'' added a storefront and auction site where people can buy and sell tuning setups, cars, and car designs, while ''Forza Motorsport 3'' added an in-car camera, rollover damage, and a rewind mechanic to give players the option of redoing corners without starting from scratch. ''Forza Motorsport 4'' added Kinect functionality, additional game modes (autocross, track days, et cetera), 16-player multiplayer, ''Series/TopGear'' branding and features, and an "Autovista" feature where you can look at high-res models of featured cars while Jeremy Clarkson talks about it.

''Forza Motorsport 5'' is a launch title for the UsefulNotes/XboxOne, and is widely regarded as the console's very first KillerApp with ''VideoGame/DeadRising3''. Improvements over ''Motorsport 4'' include the ultra-high detail Autovista mode on ''every single car in the game'', cloud-based racing profiles - the game logs how you drive, and create an AI profile on the Xbox Cloud which emulates exactly how you drive, on any track, dramatically improved graphics (especially in texture resolution and car/world lighting), and more realistic tire physics. The game can also simulate the advanced assists available on high-performance cars, such as the Nissan GT-R's high-tech launch control. Also, open wheel cars make their debut, including vintage UsefulNotes/FormulaOne cars and [[UsefulNotes/IndyCar Dallara DW-12s.]]

''Forza Motorsport 6'' has been announced, featuring the new second-generation Ford GT that was revealed at the 2015 North American International Auto Show. The third ''Forza'' game on Xbox One (after ''Motorsport 5'' and ''Horizon 2''), it has been released on September 15, 2015, which is during ''Forza''[='=]s tenth anniversary year. Rain, night driving, and 24-player multiplayer are the new features included in the game, together with ''5''[='=]s technical advancements. Almost all of ''Motorsport 5''[='=]s car park (DLC cars included) is available from the get-go, with an outstanding total of over 460 cars - the largest roster since ''Motorsport 4''. The game also supports all shared liveries and vehicle setups made in ''Motorsport 5'' and ''Horizon 2''.

In a series first, [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Windows]] will receive a ''Forza'' game for the first time with the upcoming ''Forza Motorsport 6: Apex'' in 2016. It feature support for 4K resolutions and will be released as a free-to-play game on the Windows Store for Windows 10.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:''Forza Horizon'']]
A more "relaxed" game, the first ''Forza Horizon'' was released in October 2012. The game followed a mixture of several free roam and street racing titles from over the years, taking influences from games such as ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed: [=ProStreet=]'' (the track day/car show elements), ''VideoGame/TestDrive Unlimited'' (free roam with other players in real time) and the majority of ''Forza'' games themselves (the physics engine has been carried across from ''4'', whilst the customization system and most of the high-end road cars have also been retained). ''Horizon'' also introduced off-road racing for the first time in the ''Forza'' series, which was expanded in the ''Rally'' expansion pack.

''Forza Horizon 2'' takes place in a version of southern Europe and introduces a weather system for the first time in the ''Forza'' series. It is also the first multiplatform release in the series, releasing on the Xbox 360 as well as the Xbox One. ''Horizon'' 1 developer Playground Games made the leading Xbox One version, while Sumo Digital[[note]]The guys who made the ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic and (Sega) All-Stars Racing]]'' games, and has developers who worked for the now-defunct [[VideoGame/ProjectGothamRacing Bizarre]] [[VideoGame/{{Blur}} Creations]] and [[VideoGame/SplitSecond Black Rock Studio]] in their team.[[/note]] developed the 360 version using the first ''Horizon'''s engine as a baseline. Both versions run at 30 frames per second (like the first ''Horizon''), with the main Xbox One version running at a native 1080p resolution, and it is the only version has the new weather system, downloadable content, and support for both the Drivatar system and the Forza Rewards program. The game also received an expansion pack in the form of ''Storm Island'', which emphasizes extreme off-road racing and severe weather conditions, and adds a new, separated open-world to explore.

A standalone expansion of ''Horizon 2'' based on the ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast & Furious]]'' franchise called ''Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious'' was released on March 27, 2015 for both Xbox One and Xbox 360. The expansion takes place in a restricted version of the French side of the game's world before the events of ''Furious 7'', in which ''F&F'' regular Tej Parker (voiced by Christopher "Music/{{Ludacris}}" Bridges himself) has the player go on the hunt for ten cars by doing events to earn them. While it does take away several features,[[note]]No car customization, no multiplayer on Xbox 360, a shorter (though unique) campaign, fewer Bucket List events, fewer cars, can't go to Italy or certain areas in France, etc.[[/note]] it does add [[NitroBoost nitrous]] to the series (but only for certain events) and it has its own set of easy-to-earn achievements that goes up to one thousand (!) gamerscore. The expansion was free for a limited time until April 10, 2015, after which the expansion now costs US$10 for those who missed out on the free deal. Eight of the expansion pack's vehicles are also available in a separate DLC for the main game which costs US$5.
[[/folder]]

The games feature (usually) monthly new car DLC - one free car (usually a new-model-year of an in-game car) available for everyone, and a mix of other cars which require purchase. ''Forza Motorsport 4'' had monthly $7 packs of ten cars (most of which could be purchased on their own). ''Horizon'' 1 had $5 packs of six cars. Starting with ''Motorsport 5'', all DLC cars have been available to buy for free in-game upon buying their respective DLC.

----
!!The ''Forza Motorsport'' and ''Forza Horizon'' games feature examples of these tropes:

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: All of the ''Forza'' games go rather nuts with Driver Levels; the more dedicated players are very likely to hit at least Level 1000 in the ''Motorsport'' series, while ''Horizon 2''[='=]s Driver Level caps out at 999.
* TheAllegedCar: ''Motorsport 4'' features famous Alleged Cars like the Ford Pinto, AMC Gremlin, Chevrolet Corvair, Mustang King Cobra, and of course the [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture DMC DeLorean]]. However, despite being ''painfully'' slow when stock, they all work just as well as any other car, and several of them become {{Lethal Joke Character}}s when upgraded and tuned.
* AndYourRewardIsClothes:
** Community Bounty Hunter events in ''Motorsport 4''. They require you to beat a certain player's laptime, which vary between very easy to NintendoHard. If you beat the time by the event closure date, you get a car with a unique paint job. Never fear if you miss the event - because someone will make a clone of the paintjob and sell it on the Marketplace.
** Player badges and titles in ''Motorsport 4'' (avatars and little lines of text under your name in the game lobby) are rewarded for doing certain tasks. Some are easy, like getting a perfect Turn score, or owning ten cars. Some require huge amounts of effort and determination, such as owning three hundred cars, or [[FakeLongevity driving one thousand miles in a Prius]].
* AnEntrepreneurIsYou: You can earn plenty of credits solely by selling liveries (''Motorsport 2'' onwards) and car setups (''Motorsport 3'' onwards) you have created. There's also the {{Auction}} House.
* AntiFrustrationFeatures: The rewind feature from ''Motorsport 3'' and beyond. It can be turned off for bonus credits.
* ArtificialBrilliance: The AI in ''Motorsport 4'' will adjust their behavior based on how you drive. What this means is that if you drive like it's a demolition derby, they ''will'' smash into you just as often as you try to smash into them. ''Motorsport 3'' and ''Motorsport 4'' have the "Pressure" system - if you ride on the ass of an AI player, the AI will be pressured into braking later and later in order to try to pull ahead of you. Keep on them long enough, and they will usually eventually miss the braking point entirely and go flying off the track.
* ArtificialStupidity: In ''Motorsport 3'', AI drivers will occasionally spontaneously swerve all over the road and mash into each other, and it's easy for them [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZQtLAHNs3I to get stuck on each other]]. They also did not have upgraded cars, turning single player "races" into glorified hotlapping.
** In ''Motorsport 4'', Track Day (hotlapping while AI cars simulate slower traffic) events in Rivals. Tha AI are painfully slow, reaching single digits in some corners, and they will regularly pull out into your path, sometimes ''for no reason at all''. This turns the longer events into [[ThatOneLevel Those Two Levels]].
** Occasionally if you hit the rewind feature and then resume the race immediately, the AI drivers either won't realize the rewind has occurred and continue driving from where they left off (often crashing into a barrier, or one another, or even ''you''), or will wildly over-compensate (again plunging head-long into the closest barrier).
* AscendedMeme: In ''Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious'' there is an achievement called "How Long Was That Runway?", a nod to the incredibly long runway in ''Fast & Furious 6''.
* ATasteOfPower: Played straight since the third game.
** ''Motorsport 3'' begins with a practice race in an Audi R8... and then makes you pick from a selection of sub-compacts.
** ''Motorsport 4'' starts with a practice race ("A celebration of speed") in a Ferrari 458 Italia, and makes you pick from a selection of city cars.
** ''Horizon'' starts you off in a Viper, engaged in an impromptu street race with [[FinalBossPreview Darius Flynt in his Ferrari [=599XX=]]]. However, the game switches over to your actual character and car once you reach a certain point. That said, the car in question (a VW Corrado [=VR6=]) is actually fairly decent, and modified to the top of its class right from the start.
** ''Motorsport 5'' starts off with a race through the streets of Prague in a [=McLaren=] P1, and then has you pick from a selection of modern sport-compacts (which includes the BMW [=1M=] Coupe and the Hyundai Genesis 3.8).
** ''Horizon 2'' starts you off in the Lamborghini Huracan, in a short drive from the ferry dock to the Horizon festival's main venue, alongside similar exotics. You then get to choose between 3 mid-level sports cars. The ''Fast & Furious'' standalone expansion starts out similarly, using the same car to get to Tej's garage in Nice.
** ''Motorsport 6 '' begins with a race in the streets of Rio de Janeiro in the 2017 Ford GT and then has you choose from a selection of lower-tier Japanese sports cars to begin your career.
* {{Auction}}: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Auction House]]. Players put their cars up for sale on the auction house, and players bid on the cars.
* AwesomeButImpractical: [=SUV=]s and pickup trucks. They can toss other cars around like toys, but they're so heavy and top heavy that they tend to plow through corners. Pickups are basically death traps online in ''Motorsport 3'', as they're very light in the back, rear wheel driven, and it's very easy for other players to accidentally or purposely hit it, and cause it to spin out, though the problem is less noticeable in ''Motorsport 4'' because of the better collision system.
** The SSC Ultimate Aero is the second fastest car in the world, with ''1200'' horsepower and torque. The top speed is higher than the Veyron - but it's rear wheel drive, not all wheel drive. What this essentially means is that you get wheelspin well into ''fourth'' gear, making the car nearly undrivable without traction control enabled.
** The downloadable Hennessey Venom GT manages to trump the SSC by having around the same horsepower figures with slightly less torque, but having a much lighter body, meaning even traction control doesn't help.
** Cowl hood scoops and air scoops in ''Motorsport 4''. They look badass, and reduce weight (being made from lighter materials than steel), but they severely restrict interior vision - the king of these being the cowl available on the 2002 Trans-Am, which blocks ''all'' of your vision in the cockpit view, [[http://i.imgur.com/MHjja.jpg as the cowl is pretty much right at eye level]].
** The Lotus Esprit V8 has a similar issue; adding a roll cage blocks half the windscreen so you can only see the bottom half of the road.
* BilingualBonus: The DJ of classical station Levante FM in ''Horizon 2'' speaks exclusively in fluent Italian. [[GrumpyOldMan He complains about the Horizon Festival, as well as the drivers being allowed to tear up the countryside]].
* BoringButPractical: Weight removal and tire compound/grip upgrades, which are likely going to be the most commonly used upgrades.
* BumperSticker: Can be easily created with the game's vinyl editor.
* BrandX: Performance parts in ''Motorsport 4'' are a generic brand, unlike ''Motorsport 3'', where most of the parts were "made" by a certain manufacturer, such as K&N making air filters for certain car brands.
** Generally justified, as ''Motorsport 4'' features a lot more niche and unique cars where no real company would design aftermarket parts for them. However, said niche cars often use engines or are actually built from other cars (for example, the Bertone Mantide is just a Corvette [=ZR1=] with a lighter, radically designed body), so the reason why aftermarket companies were removed besides advertising billboards remains unclear.
* BribingYourWayToVictory: In-game example, the Hired Driver in ''Motorsport 3'' and ''Motorsport 4''. For a mere 50% of your winnings (easily negated by disabling driver aids and increasing the AI's difficulty), he'll almost guarantee a win in any race on any difficultly. The Hired Driver basically drives like [[Series/TopGear The Stig]].
** ''Motorsport 3'' had the GameBreaker Porsche 550, which thoroughly dominated almost ''every leaderboard''. It was part of one of the $5 DLC packages.
** Car Tokens allow players to pay real money for a car they can't afford in-game. Available in ''Motorsport 4'' and ''Horizon'' 1.
** The treasure map for ''Horizon'' 1; $3.49 will find every hidden discount sign and barn find for you.
** RealLife example; it's not exactly known what Turn 10 did to get Porsche back, but it's a general assumption they paid EA a huge sack of money. They would do it again for ''Horizon 2''.
** Although ''Horizon'' 1's 1000 Club expansion pack is free, players will have to get paid DLC to unlock most of the achievements, especially the relatively quicker-to-get one involving Shelby cars.
* CarFu: There are game types where you get points for mashing the other cars. The Cat and Mouse game type requires you to defend your team's Mouse (a slow car) and take out the enemy Mouse and their Cats (high performance cars), which usually means mashing into the enemy Mouse as fast as possible and trying to flip them over. There's also a more standard demolition derby game type, where you get points for ramming players at high speed.
** Online play can frequently turn into CarFu, unfortunately. ''Motorsport 3'''s netcode means that a slight bump can cause a car to act like you did a full blown PIT maneuver, and can result in a pileup with every player mashing into each other; the first corner of a track is notorious for causing these pileups. The problem of slight taps sending cars spinning has been fixed in ''Motorsport 4'', but there are usually pileups at the first corner because people drive like idiots.
* CallBack: Each one of the ''Forza'' games (barring ''Horizon'' 1) includes each of the previous game's logos in the manufacturer decal section of the vinyl editor.
** M. Rossi, the MemeticBadass from ''Motorsport 2'', ''3'' and ''4'' returns as one of the random racers you can find cruising in ''Horizon'' 1. He drives a red Ferrari F40.
* CelebrityCameo: The [=DJs=] of the three music label-themed radio stations in ''Horizon 2'' are all subscribed to said label. Tony "London Elektricity" Colman and Chris Goss are the [=DJs=] for Hospital Records Radio; Thomas Mackenzie Bell, aka Toddla T, is the DJ for Ninja Tune Radio; Hanni El Khatib is the DJ for Innovative Leisure Radio.
* CharacterTiers: [[{{In-universe}} A game mechanic]], each car is given a numerical value called their Performance Index (PI) [[note]]PI is calculated by the car's theoretical hotlap time around an imaginary track; claimed to be somewhat like the Sedona racetrack in ''Forza 4''[[/note]], which is then matched to a letter grade; higher letters mean faster classes. Cars can be upgraded to higher classes, and a few can be creatively ''downgraded'' to lower classes too, with engine or aspiration swaps or by installing heavy rims. In general the classes can be thought of as: -
** F class - City cars, old economy cars, hybrids
** E class - Hot hatchbacks, '60-'70s sports cars
** D class - American muscle cars, '90-'00s sports cars
** C class - European and Japanese sports sedans, high performance hot hatches
** B class - Late '00s/high performance sports cars and sport sedans
** A class - 90s/early '00s super cars
** S class - Modern supercars, "track day" cars
** R3 class - Hypercars and road-car-based racing cars.
** R2 class - Purpose built racing cars which still resemble road cars.
** R1 class - Le Mans Prototype cars.
** X class - Modified Le Mans Prototypes.
** Literal example in ''Horizon'', in the form of wristbands.
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Most obvious in ''Motorsport 4'', where the cars each AI driver drives are the same colour, when a car's colour can be chosen.
** For instance, M. Rossi's cars are [almost] always [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority red]], as close to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosso_corsa Rossa Corsa]] as possible.
* {{Cool Car}}s: Hundreds of them! And that's ''before'' you start loading them with performance upgrades and light body kits.
* CrossOver: ''Forza Motorsport 4'' features the ''Series/TopGear'' (UK) test track, and Jeremy Clarkson will provide commentary on dozens of cars in the ''Autovista'' mode. Most of the Reasonably Priced Cars from the various ''Top Gear'' shows are playable. The Suzuki Liana and the Kia Cee'd from ''Top Gear'' UK are there, but the Chevrolet Lacetti is surprisingly absent. The ''Top Gear'' US car, a Suzuki SX4, shows up as well. The two cars from the now-canceled ''Top Gear Australia'' (a Proton Satria Neo and a Ford XG Falcon Ute) are nowhere to be found, however. ''Motorsport 5'' featured very high support from ''Top Gear'': all of the three hosts (Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May) appear in the game.
** The Warthog from ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' appears as an EasterEgg in the Autovista mode with Cortana (Jen Taylor) providing the commentary for it in the place of Clarkson. Unfortunately, it's not drivable.
** ''Forza Horizon 2'' received a standalone expansion to promote ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Furious 7]]''. It involves various challenges using cars from the latest film. All the new cars from this standalone barring Brian's GT-R are available through ''Furious 7 Car Pack'' for the base game. ''Motorsport 6'' is also got its own ''Fast & Furious'' car pack, this time featuring ten cars from different films of the franchise.
** [[https://youtu.be/0O1OrTcfqBI The TV advert]] for ''Motorsport 6'' showcases the 2017 Ford GT driving through ''VideoGame/GranTrak10'', ''VideoGame/RCProAm'', ''VideoGame/PolePosition'', ''Chase HQ'', and ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer''.
* CreatorProvincialism: Not to the same extent as ''VideoGame/GranTurismo'', but there are a lot of classic and modern muscle cars, as the company is American. DLC had greatly expanded the classic European car selection, adding in companies like Austin-Healey, and adding in cars like the Peugot 205 and BMW 507.
** Someone at Turn 10 obviously favors Ferrari; they generally have one of the biggest car selections in each game. With the lower car count in ''Horizon'', this is especially noticeable. Justified, though, as Turn 10 has exclusive rights to the manufacturer.
** With the release of the free 1000 Club expansion pack to ''Horizon'', one of the new achievements that Playground Games added requires that the player earns at least one challenge medal in twenty different British-made cars each. Also, in continuity with the above, there's an achievement for earning one medal each for fourteen different Ferraris.
* DeadpanSnarker: To be expected with Jeremy Clarkson involved.
** Dak in ''Horizon'' very subtly disses the condition of your starter car's engine. All the other celebrity racers you face count as one as well, although they act more and more like dicks about it the further you go, especially Hailey Harper and [[FinalBoss Darius Flynt]], which both reach unbearable levels of condescendence. All three of the radio DJ's count too, though to a ''much'' smaller degree.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: After beating Ali Howard in ''Horizon'', he invites you to join his street racing league and acts the friendliest towards you of all the rivals. Ramona Cravache, Marko Baran, Duke Maguire, and Zaki Malak all become noticeably friendlier towards you after you beat them. Halley Harper [[ThisCannotBe collapses into a black hole of denial]] after you knock her out of the running, while Darius Flynt just tries to [[AppealToObscurity remind everyone that he's still here]] after you take home the Horizon crown.
** Even before you beat Ali, he openly states before some races that he likes the player character, yet he will still race as competitively as possible in the spirit of competition.
* DesignItYourselfEquipment: Players can customize both the paint/apply decals, and customize the mechanics of a car. You might get a Dodge Neon with a V10 from the Viper and the AWD system from the Dodge Stealth/Mitsubishi 3000GT, with a customized body kit, and a replica British Petroleum livery painted on top.
* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: In ''Horizon 2'', your car radio will cut out and be replaced with the same music coming from the festival grounds when you drive near one. Except for Levante FM, which is not being broadcast from the festival.
* DownloadableContent: Mostly just car packs, especially prevalent in ''Motorsport 4'' with its monthly themed car packages.
** ''Horizon'' has a '''monsterous ''fifty US dollars''''' season pass.
** ''Horizon'' 1 and ''Motorsport 5'''s DLC have been particularly controversial due to the vast majority of the DLC vehicles being cars that were in previous games which were removed in the sequel.
* DiegeticInterface: Starting with ''Motorsport 2'', the game has [[http://i.imgur.com/t0PoA.jpg fully-modeled interiors]] for all its cars, with appropriate gauges depending on what the car is equipped with - tachometers, speedometers, boost gauges, fuel gauges, accelerometers, clocks, ''et cetera''. In the high end purpose-built cars, you can actually disable the entire HUD and still remain fairly aware of your status - the car's electronic dashboard or wheel-mounted display will list lap times, your position, remaining fuel, [=RPMs=], gear, speed, and so on. In cars like the Lamborghini Reventon, with its fully digital fighter-jet esque dashboard, it goes all the way to TechnologyPorn.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: M. Rossi, the fastest AI driver in single-player. He will occasionally mash you off the ''starting line'', and use the PIT maneuver on you if you get in his way on corners.
* DrivingStick: ''Motorsport 3'' and ''4'' allow the player to set the shifting behavior to "Manual + Clutch". On the Xbox controller, you'll have to hold down the LB button while shifting up or down. On expensive racing wheels (like the Fanatec CSR), this mode will make you use the clutch pedal and the 6 speed H-pattern shifter. Poor shifting will result in near-stalls, engine damage (shifting into first gear at 200mph, for example), or engine lugging. If you don't use the clutch when starting from a standstill (such as at the start or after a wreck), the engine will repeatedly stall, resulting in a ''painfully'' slow start, especially in cars with huge turbochargers or tall gearing.
* DummiedOut: Jeremy Clarkson was originally going to narrate the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' Warthog Autovista experience, but it was cut from the game in favor of having Cortana, from the ''Halo'' series, narrate it. However, the Jeremy Clarkson Warthog narration [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzUNdXPGOf4 can be viewed online]].
* DynamicDifficulty: Shows up in ''Motorsport 4'''s World Tour. The AI starts ridiculous easy, but the more events you win, the harder they become. In races, the AI will try to drive more aggressively (braking later and turning harder) if you're catching up to them to make up a better lead, but their plan can backfire and send them careening through a corner because they braked too late.
* EarlyBirdCameo: In ''Motorsport 6'', one of the bridges over Le Mans has a Porsche advertisement on it, before the manufacturer would appear in a 2016 expansion.
* EasierThanEasy: All the games (but ''Motorsport 3'' in particular) have plenty of ways to make things easier on yourself. You're encouraged to crank up the difficulty and turn off the driver aids, though: the harder the difficulty is, the more money you earn. Many driver aids also slow you down, compared to driving without them.
** Somewhat [[HarderThanHard inverted]], unintentionally, as some of the more skilled players find it more difficult to race with assists turned on.
** In ''Motorsport 4'', once the player reaches affinity level 4 for a manufacturer, they get all upgrades, bar rims and bodykits, for free. Couple this with getting a new free car - which is already upgraded to the top of its car class - every time you level up your driver, means you can save ridiculous amounts of money fairly early into the game.
* ExpansionPack: The Porsche expansion pack in ''Motorsport 4'' re-introduced twenty-three of ''Motorsport 3'''s Porsches, added seven new ones that weren't in previous games, added achievements, and added more single-player events. Another Porsche expansion pack was released for ''Forza Horizon 2'' a few years later.
** A Rally expansion pack was revealed for the first ''Horizon'' about a week before the game was even out.
** A free expansion pack for the first ''Horizon'' called the ''1000 Club'' added medals for players to win and two cars.
** ''Horizon 2''[='=]s ''Storm Island'' expansion pack adds a new open-world which emphasizes extreme rally racing, abrupt and violent weather conditions, and six new vehicles. It can be easily summed up as the ''Rally'' expansion pack for the first ''Horizon'' turned UpToEleven.
** ''Forza Horizon 2 Presents [[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast & Furious]]'' is a standalone example that is essentially a limited version of the full game (or, looking at it another way, a glorified demo with its own achievements that happens to be an advergame for a film as well) with Music/{{Ludacris}} guiding the player though various events to find cars found in the film series. It's also the only expansion of the game for the Xbox 360 version of ''Horizon 2'', but ''Horizon 2 Presents F&F'' on 360 is entirely self-contained, as none of the twelve cars can be transferred to the main game, whereas on the Xbox One version [[BribingYourWayToVictory you have buy the separate]] ''Furious 7'' car pack to get those cars (although finding and smashing all twenty reward boards does unlock a car in the main game's garage).
* {{Expy}}: The Horizon Festival from the two ''Horizon'' games seems to draw heavy inspiration from both the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and Hot Import Nights.
** Duke Maguire is ''Horizon'''s version of Johnny Knoxville, who makes it quite clear he's only there to smash up expensive cars for his new show. He was even threatened to be kicked out from the Festival due to his behavior towards his cars.
** Open for interpretation, but both reviewers and players have likened the main character to that of Paul Walker.
** The Vinyl Editor/Decal Editor is also an in-house expy to UsefulNotes/MSPaint, which was also developed by Microsoft.
* EveryCarIsAPinto: Averted, despite having an ''actual Ford Pinto'' in the game.
* ExpositionFairy: Alice Hart in ''Horizon''. Every couple of minutes, she'll tell you about the hidden discount signs (even if you've already found all of them) or advising you to blow some cash on a car at the Autoshow.
** The free ''1000 Club'' expansion pack contains a patch which resolves this issue, with Alice only advising you to buy a car once you've been playing over a set time and are sitting idle. This patch also tracks whether or not you have all the discount signs, and will disable her comments for good if you have.
** The lady narrator in ''Motorsport 5'', whenever you buy a new car. She's back in ''Motorsport 6''.
** Both Ben and Ashley in ''Horizon 2'', although Ben is the one provoked most of the ire from the fans.
** Tej is this in ''Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious''. Either he keeps telling you to switch to an appropriate car or remind you to use nitrous boost in the beginning of a race ALMOST every time.
* FirstPersonSnapshooter: The games let you take pictures (adjusting focus, aperture, all that jazz) in-game and upload them to the ''Forza'' website to download. ''Motorsport 4'' introduced the Big Shot, which lets you take ''massive'' 3840x2160 pixel shots, then upload them directly to your ''Forza'' website profile in all their 30+ megabyte BMP glory.
* FragileSpeedster: Small cars like the Lotus Elan and Mazda Miata offer extremely good handling, but they're ''tiny'' and slight nudges can cause them to spin out. On the other end of the size (but ''not'' weight) scale would be the Le Mans Prototypes.
* GaidenGame: ''Forza Horizon'', to some extent.
* GameBreakingBug:
** ''Motorsport 4'' had a bug in online player where players may hang up in loading screen - sometimes up to ''five minutes'', until the game boots them out to the lobby or pukes up a "disc is dirty" error. When this happens, the ''entire lobby'' gets stuck in the loading screen until the person causing the delay get booted out by the game. This was patched in the March 23rd update, which then introduced...
** If your car's decals are not visible in a race, your Xbox '''will''' crash when you return to the lobby. How often it happens varies by player, from every other race (rendering the game effectively unplayable) to every dozen or so races. However, the bug only seems to occur in the public matchmaking lobbies - private or user-created lobbies don't seem to cause the bug.
* GreenAesop: ''Motorsport 4'' has hybrids like the dreaded Toyota Prius, and electric cars like the Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf, and Tesla Roadster. There's a player title reward for driving 1,000 miles in hybrid or electric cars.
** BrokenAesop: The is undermined--only slightly--by Jeremy Clarkson's introductory monologue lamenting the decline of petroleum-powered automobiles and those who still love them.
* HardModePerks: Disabling driver assists (such as anti-lock brakes, traction control, racing/braking line) and increasing the AI difficulty nets you more cash - disabling every assist and enabling the hardest AI will give you an extra 165% cash on top of the regular winnings in ''Motorsport 4''.
** In ''Horizon'', try to win the final race of the game with all assists turned off and on [[HarderThanHard Insane difficulty]], and see how much money you get. '''Whoa.'''
* HoodOrnamentHottie: The intro to the first game had one of these. Ramona Cravache and Hailey Harper in ''Horizon'' count.
** Lampshaded by Hailey herself: she mentions she already gets thousands of dollars just for unzipping her race suit on photoshoots.
* HummerDinger: The Autovista mode for the Hummer H1 Alpha in ''Motorsport 4'' describes its extreme offroad prowess... and then notes that 20-inch deep flooded roads are not something generally encountered on the way to the gym.
* InfinityPlusOneSword: The Ferrari 250 LM in ''Motorsport 3'', ''Motorsport 4'', and ''Horizon'' 1. It is '''by far''' the best car in its class (B class)... but, with a ten million credits price tag (twenty million in ''Motorsport 3''!), cue much LevelGrinding.
** Justified slightly by the fact that the real world car is the most expensive car... ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpDdQaS73eM in the world]]''. If one goes up for auction, it can cost around ten million pounds sterling. That is a lotta dosh.
* InformedAttribute: The mechanic in ''Horizon'' implies that your VW Corrado has seen better days and is running rough; none of which shows in-game with the just-out-of-the-showroom paint and perfectly maintained mechanical bits (semi-justified, as ''Horizon'' doesn't have SubsystemDamage like previous games)
* InsurmountableWaistHeightFence A few, but the most egregious being the low tire walls, which stop you as if they were made of cast iron.
* {{Itasha}}: Can be done from ''Motorsport 2'' onwards. A nice part of the ''Forza'' fanbase even makes Itasha liveries and put them on sale online, although a few times with a very high price tag for a car livery, ranking up to 25-30k credits, but it is very often WorthIt!
** Can actually be used to a player's advantage online; risque paintings or vinyl groups have actually [[DistractedByTheSexy distracted other players]] [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny ogling them as they drive along]], often causing them to crash.
* JackOfAllStats: Sporty hot-hatchbacks like the Ford Focus ST offer a good blend of speed, acceleration, handling, and braking.
* JerkAss: M. Rossi, big time.
** Practically everyone in ''Horizon'' besides Dak, the radio [=DJs=] and Alice treats the player like crap. Until you beat them, at least.
* JokeCharacter: Hybrids, which for the most part, are outran by ''everything'' else in the game when stock. You can of course, turn them into insane drag racers because of ''Forza'''s huge customization, though.
** Most DLC packs usually include one or two.
** The May DLC for ''Motorsport 4'' has a Smart [=ForTwo=], a Ford Transit van[[note]]It's the racing version, but it's still a ''delivery van''[[/note]], and the AMC Pacer X.
** The June DLC featured the Aston Martin Cygnet. For those unaware, it's a 1.0 litre, front wheel drive Toyota iQ with [[InNameOnly Aston Martin's signature features on both the outside and interior.]]
** The September DLC had the GMC Vandura.
** The ''Fast & Furious'' car pack in ''Motorsport 6'' featured the humongous Terradyne Gurkha LAPV, which is [[HeroAntagonist Agent Luke Hobbs]]'s car in ''Fast Five''. It's the heaviest car in the entire franchise, with a listed curb weight of ''16,499 pounds'', or more than ''twice'' that of the former heaviest, the Hummer.
** ''Motorsport 6'''s October DLC featured the Cadillac XTS Limo, none of the cars featured in this franchise have ever been this long. It is even lampshaded in it's official description:
-->"''Simply put, this is one hulking and fancy piece of machinery that has no business on the track. All the more reason to have it in Forza Motorsport 6 we say.''"
** ''Motorsport 6'''s January DLC has the Pontiac Aztek. The trailer {{Lampshades}} this by gives it an epic introduction, before showing it driving off at a snails pace.
** The Porsche Expansion for ''Motorsport 6'' adds the [=356A=] Speedster. While it's one of the iconic stars of Porsche's early years, it qualifies as a Joke Character because it's slow (only 60 HP stock) and it has more body roll than a Jeep Wrangler.
* LethalJokeCharacter: The city cars are ridiculously fast when upgraded, and handle very well.
** The car dominating the lower-class leaderboards in ''Forza Motorsport 4''? The Chevrolet Spark.
** In the right hands, the Hummer H1 Alpha. It may be slower than the other cars, but being twice as wide makes it impossible to pass.
* LevelGrinding: Getting money in ''Forza Motorsport 3'' was a relatively slow affair, upgrades were ''expensive'', and the player had no choice in what the level-up cars were, forcing them to spend credits to buy them. However, ''Motorsport 4'' inverts it, by dumping tons of free cars onto the player (already upgraded, too!) up to level 50, and after that, dumping six figure credit rewards on the player every time they level up, up to level 150. Additionally, many cars in ''Motorsport 4'' are cheaper than ''Motorsport 3'', such as the Ferrari 250 GTO being a mere ten million credits, rather than twenty million.
** Furthermore, in ''Motorsport 4'' you don't earn levels for individual cars anymore by racing with/in them, but for whole manufacturers. These "Affinity Levels" grant you massive discounts to upgrades, starting with 25% on 1st level and going to 100% at 4th Affinity Level. This means that except for 3rd-party items like aerodynamic parts, rims, and tires, as well as new engines from other cars of that manufacturer, all upgrades are free. And on top of that you earn additional cash for increasing a manufacturer's Affinity Level, which doesn't seem to be capped.
* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: Each game starting from ''Motorsport 2'' has one of them. Typically the game cover is a special ''Steelbook'' one and often features special cars and add-ons, otherwise unobtainable. ''Motorsport 4'' also introduced some in-game perks for owners of collectors edition ("[=VIPs=]") in the form of more online upload slots for pictures and videos. For those that missed the collectors editions, the content in the special editions for each game can be bought for $5-10 a few months after the game comes out.
* [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters Loads and Loads of Cars]]: ''Forza Motorsport 4'' has almost 500 cars on its own. The monthly DLC packs and the Porsche ExpansionPack increases the car count to over 600.
* LongName: The standalone expansion to ''Horizon 2'' is officially titled ''Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious''.
* LoopholeAbuse: Players were particularly fond of this in ''Motorsport 3'''s single-player events. The vast majority of events had no maximum cap on a car's performance index, allowing one to show up to a race featuring French makes such as Peugeot and Renault, in a 1000-horsepower Bugatti Veyron.
* LostForever: ''Forza Motorsport 3'' and recently ''Forza Motorsport 4'' no longer has their DLC available, not even Tokens (its reached "end of life" stage), so newer players to those games will not be able to access any DLC cars. This also means the Porsche DLC-related achievements for ''Forza Motorsport 4'' are also Lost Forever to any new players. Thankfully, ''Forza Horizon'' 1 hasn't done this... yet.
* LuckBasedMission: Track Day events, if you're trying to get a "clean" laps (no contact with other cars, stay on the track at all times, no rewind). The AI cars that drive around the track will brake and swerve with no warning.
* MagikarpPower: The [[TheAllegedCar Datsun 510]] and [[JokeCharacter VW Rabbit]] in the third game absolutely dominate with enough modification, although any heavily modified car applies.
* MarathonLevel: Endurance races in ''Motorsport 3'' lasted around an hour to two hours. The events were removed from the career in ''Motorsport 4'', though it's possible to create a custom online race lobby for an endurance race, up to fifty laps (be it on the one-mile long Ladera test track or on the ten-mile long Nurburgring). A special event to win a [[RareVehicles Unicorn car]] in ''Motorsport 4'' had players join a multiplayer lobby on the Le Mans track in Le Mans Prototype cars, and then required them to do [[ShoutOut 360]] laps. [[BladderOfSteel In an online race.]]
** The final race in the Xbox One version of ''Horizon 2'' takes place in a circuit which circumnavigates the entire map, with the Festival's main hub as start/finish location. It takes around 20 minutes to finish.
* MoralDissonance: All three [=DJs=] in ''Horizon'' rail against the evils of street racing, yet the game allows to you participate in ad hoc street races against rivals out on the hub map, and the ''actual'' street race events hosted by Ali Howard have some of the highest payouts in the game, so you'd be a fool to ignore them.
* MultiTrackDrifting: There is nothing (besides common sense) stopping you from tuning the four-ton [[JokeCharacter Hummer H1 Alpha]] to be used as a drift car.
* MyRulesAreNotYourRules: In ''Horizon'' various CPU characters use cars which are only available in the Limited Collector's Edition, which can't be available for the player if he/she doesn't have it: the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, the Pagani Huayra, the Koenigsegg Agera, the RUF RT 12 R and the Audi R8 GT Spyder are these cars.
** Thus, if you have the Limited Collector's Edition and have redeemed the codes, this trope will be then subverted.
* NintendoHard: Any event with a field of R1 Le Mans Prototype cars and no assists. These cars have 6-700 horsepower but only weigh 900kg ''at most'', so the slightest twitch on the throttle is almost guaranteed to cause you to spin out and mash into a wall.
** ''Forza Motorsport 4'' can become just as hard as '''''VideoGame/{{F-Zero}} GX''''' or '''''VideoGame/MidnightClub: Los Angeles''''', if you win loads and loads of races.
** ''Forza Horizon'' games: [[HarderThanHard Insane]] difficulty.
* TheNineties: One of the Rivals mode events bears the same name as this trope. It's description talks about pivitol moments such as the arrival of the internet and the [[MillenniumBug [=Y2K=]]] scare. The event itself is a drag race with any 90's car of your choice.
* NitroBoost: Debuted in ''Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious'', but only used in certain events.
* NoCommunitiesWereHarmed: Though played straight in the first Horizon, the second game [[ZigZaggedTrope is a bit more indecisive]]. Some places such as Nice, Sisteron and Castelletto (Genoa) are based on real places, but Montellino, Saint-Martin and San Giovanni are fictional.
* NoNameGiven: Your [[TheVoiceless silent]] protagonist in ''Horizon''. Lampshaded by the other competitors, invoked by the radio stations; they point out your character doesn't even ''register his name into the events he's entering''.
* OldSaveBonus: Having a ''Forza Motorsport 3'' game save will reward ''Motorsport 4'' players with additional credits, a few select level-up cars, some unicorn cars (see RareVehicles below), and an achievement.
** ''Horizon'' 1 rewards players if they have a game save of ''Motorsport 4''. Playing the demo also gives them a unique car.
* OverDrive: Any player looking to get the achievements for completion of every event in the game will experience this, especially in ''Motorsport 3'' and ''Motorsport 4''. The endurance races in ''Motorsport 3'' and the two-stage championships in ''Motorsport 4'' are enough to [[StealthPun drive you insane.]]
* PaletteSwap: Not as many as ''Gran Turismo'', but still a fair few. Several examples:
** Toyota Aygo, Citroen C1 and the Peugeot 107. All the same apart from the front bumpers (although the Aygo does have a different rear end as well).
** Alternate market versions of the same car (e.g. Infiniti G35 and the Nissan Skyline 350GT). Besides badging and steering wheel position, nothing else is different.
** A common complaint about the car list is how often several manufacturers will have the same race car with the same stats, but be classed as separate models because of the livery. Holden is the worst offender, with only two road cars - one if you don't have the DLC pack - and five race cars with identical performance factors and price, but different paint jobs.
** The player's character in ''Horizon'' 1 has the exact same animations as the driver in ''Motorsport 4'', albeit while dressed in a neutral fashion rather than full racing attire.
** ''Forza Horizon'' features the Ford SVT Raptor ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' edition in one of its DLC packages. It's a bog standard Ford SVT Raptor with ''Halo'' decals (The UNSC eagle logo) and a camouflage pattern - something which anyone can design on their own and apply to the standard car. It's not even the free DLC car, either.
* PassThroughTheRings: Autocross events in ''Motorsport 4''. Cones are set up to form gates along the track, and you pass between them as you go along the track. Hitting the cones results in a +5 second time penalty to your lap. The cones are set up to form slaloms and create extremely tight corners, making them excellent ways to test a car's handling and stability.
* PreOrderBonus:
** Depending on which retailer you ordered from, ''Forza Motorsport 4'' would come with a code for one out of a possible five exclusive cars. Regardless of where you preordered, the game would also come with a code including five additional cars. However, both of these can be purchased via Xbox Live.
** ''Forza Horizon'' 1 again has one of five cars for you to choose from.
* ProductPlacement: Obviously parts, fuel and tire companies are advertised, however ''Forza'' has been supported by several manufacturers over the years and have had numerous free car packs. ''Motorsport 2'' was supported by Nissan. ''Motorsport 3'' and ''Motorsport 4'' were backed by Hyundai, with the free pack in each game normally having an upcoming model and a racing variant along with it. ''Motorsport 4'' was closely linked with BMW, and the new Viper. ''Horizon 2'' had a free car pack to promote the 2016 Mazda MX-5.
* {{Pun}}: There's a challenge in ''Horizon 2'' called "Train in Vain" where you race against a train. [[Music/TheClash Guess what song plays during that challenge]].
* RareVehicles: The ''Forza'' series has two types of rare car:
** There are numerous examples of actual rare cars. For instance, you could be in a race with sixteen Ferrari [=F50=] [=GTs=] - Ferrari only made three!
** ''Forza Motorsport 2'' through ''4'' also had "unicorn cars". These cars were only available from official competitions, by being a VIP, or via auctions set up by Turn 10.
** What gets really weird is that some actual rare cars (eg. the aforementioned Ferrari [=F50=] [=GT=]) aren't considered unicorns, while at least one of the unicorns aren't actually rare (the 1969 Chevy Camaro SS in ''Motorsport 3'' and ''4'').
** In ''Motorsport 4'', the auction house used to be a good place to get them, although gamers charging 999,999,999 credits for them made Turn 10 realize that the only good that would come out of selling them online would be discovering hackers. An update now prevents players from gifting or selling unicorn cars on the auction house. Hackers are also allegedly the reason why unicorn status has been abolished in ''Motorsport 5'' and ''Horizon 2''.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: During Autovista, Clarkson will every now and then address his own opinions on the car - for better or worse. A good example would be his take on the Ferrari F50.
** ''Horizon'' may let you find one of only six Shelby Daytona Coupes rusting away in a barn, but don't think for a second you can actually ''buy'' a concept car. Instead, they're now unicorn cars.
* RealityIsUnrealistic: One of the complaints a few reviewers had about early titles in the series was that some of the cars did not sound like they would in real-life. However, those cars sound ''exactly'' like they do in real-life. The audio engineers even went and sampled the individual components of those cars' engines on electric motors so they could fine tune individual engine noises as players modified their vehicles. However, this is not necessarily how [[TheCoconutEffect those vehicles sound in Hollywood films]].
** Every game allows racing front splitters and wings to installed, regardless of how rare and/or unlikely the car would be.
* RecycledInSpace: The basic game engine, modification system and car models from ''4'' are re-used in ''Horizon'', only in an Coloradan open-world setting.
* RiceBurner: Some people do up their cars like this.
** Painting and selling cars was such a major part of the ''Motorsport 2'' community that it got turned into an entire section of the game in ''Motorsport 3'', complete with leaderboards.
* RPGElements: Each race in career mode gives you experience as well as money. At certain levels you are gifted what ''should'' be an appropriate car...
** The third and fourth ''Motorsport'' games also have manufacturer levels, which give cash and increasing discounts on aftermarket parts. In the fourth ''Motorsport'' game, you can (eventually) get all manufacturer upgrades for free!
* SceneryPorn: The Fujimi-Kaido track in ''Motorsport 3''; cliff faces, rivers, waterfalls, and none of this is in the skybox. You can actually look alongside the track and see some rapids with water flowing over them. They even put in a small scenic overlook so you could stop and gawk at it all.
** ''Forza Motorsport 4''. Bernese Alps. Whoa.
** ''Forza Horizon'' 1's rendition of Colorado. Beautiful mountain vistas, desert roads, and all the fireworks above the Horizon Festival at the center of the map lead to a whole lot of SceneryPorn.
** ''Motorsport 5'' has pretty much this trope all over the '''freaking''' place. Prague? Bernese Alps? Yas Marina? Le Mans? Oh yes.
** ''Horizon 2''[='=]s Xbox One version is shaping up to have the best graphics seen so far in the series, with its ''amazing'' rendition of the French Riviera, Tuscany, and the Amalfi Coast. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63JNz7UZYwU Just look at the E3 trailer!]]
* ScunthorpeProblem: Rigidly enforced by the Xbox Live language filter.
** The storefront will block out any searches for obscenities, as well as come down hard on anybody who dares post pornographic designs and vinyl groups. However, the system refuses to acknowledge the word 'Honda' as anything but a nasty curse word.
* SequelHook: Open for debate, but many players have considered the addition of [=SUV=]s and other classic cars in ''Motorsport 4'' as a way of boosting the car list for ''Horizon''.
** Jossed, as practically ''none'' of these cars were added. Instead, it seems older variants of cars have been replaced/updated with newer models in time for the next game.
* ShoutOut:
** The "Out of Time" achievement in ''Motorsport 4'' is to [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture reach 88 miles per hour in a DeLorean]].
** The loading screen for Drift events has a [[InitialD white-and-black Toyota AE86]] drifting through a corner.
** Buying a Ford Falcon XB will give you the "[[Film/MadMax Last of the V8s]]" title
** Where else have we seen a quiet, nameless guy, good with cars and owns a [[Film/{{Drive}} cool jacket and driving gloves]] other than ''Horizon''?
** Yet in ''Horizon'', you can challenge the CPU drivers driving around Colorado by tailing them. ''TokyoXtremeRacer'' and ''WanganMidnight'', anyone?
** One of the special edition Aston Martin cars is a Le Mans prototype, bearing the number of [[Literature/JamesBond 007]]. As well as this, when you first find the [[Film/GoldFinger Aston Martin DB5]] in Horizon, in addition to damage from years of neglect, the car has ''bullet holes'' in it's door, and the comments made about it go exactly as far as they can without actually saying the name of it's most famous owner...
** One of the achievements in ''Horizon 2'' is called "The Train's in Vain". [[Music/TheClash It references one of the songs in the soundtrack.]]
** When listening to Bass Arena in both ''Horizon'' games, after being reminded about what station you are tuned into, you can sometimes hear someone say "[[VideoGame/ZeroWing All your bass are belong to us!"]].
** ''Motorsport 5'' has a rivals event and achievement for doing a 10 minute lap of the Nurburgring named "I could do that in a van!" after Sabine Smidt's BadassBoast on ''Series/TopGear''.
* ShowWithinAShow: Duke Maguire hosts a series called ''Krash Max'', which is referenced often in ''Horizon''.
* [[SkillGateCharacters Skill Gate Cars]]: [=SUV=]s end up as this in ''Horizon'', since their poor handling makes little difference when most cars are piling into the walls oin every corner whilst their large size and high weight work great for ramming, commonly used at low level as well as being the best vehicles off road. However, at higher or average levels, most people in smaller cars than an SUV can duck through their inside around a corner whilst the SUV driver is incapable of doing anything about it.
* SubsystemDamage: ''Forza'' splits your cars into sections; bodywork, engine, gearbox, brakes, steering and suspension. Damage to each section reduces your car's performance accordingly.
** For instance, a shunt in the rear will damage the [[CaptainObvious rear bumper]] and can usually be shrugged off. However, changing down a gear at too high a speed will [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything over-rev and ruin the engine of the car]], severely limiting top speed and acceleration.
** Somewhat flawed, as many cars can be rammed by the wheel well or front quarter panels, but will be registered as direct hits to the front bumper, despite there being no damage done to it.
** Some DLC cars, presumably due to rushed programming to get the car pack ready in time, take this even further; the driver's door may be hit, but the game counts this as a ruined rear bumper.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: RUF to Porsche in ''Forza Motorsport 4''. Whilst initially seen as a ReplacementScrappy, RUF is one of few manufacturers to be fully sponsored through the game, as shown by the various billboards with the RUF logo. Even with the arrival of the Porsche expansion pack, the developers still add to RUF's car selection with their more famous cars such as the CTR "Yellowbird" as downloadable content.
** The inclusion of both Porsche and RUF makes it only the second game in history - the first being ''Test Drive II: The Duel'' - to feature both manufacturers. The reintroduction of Porsche in ''Horizon 2'' makes it the third game to do so.
** The first game had the Blue Mountains course. It was an exact replica of Australia's Bathurst circuit, albeit with more lush scenery.
* TechnologyPorn: The Autovista mode in ''Motorsport 4'' and Forzavista mode in ''Motorsport 5'' is this.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: According to Jeremy Clarkson's Autovista for the Mercedes [=McLaren SLR=] the designers couldn't even agree what the car sounded like. (The Germans say it's like a Messerschmitt, the Brits said it is like Spitfire.)
** This is pretty much taken exactly from the review he did of the car on TopGear, but without the additional [paraphrased] line of: "Personally, I think it sounds like the God of Thunder... Gargling with nails!"
* TeleportSpam: A non-intentional, hilarious side effect of players joining with terrible connections. Cars with poor connections will start phase-shifting across the track wildly, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JmElhK0LLo suddenly appearing in the sky]], partially submerged in the ground, or [[TeleFrag inside someone's car]].
* TheRival: ''Gran Turismo''.
** In-game, M. Rossi will eventually become the rival of any decent ''Forza'' player. ''Horizon'' 1 meanwhile is packed to the gills with ready-made rivals from Ramona Cravache all the way up to [[FinalBoss Darius Flynt]].
* ThoseWackyNazis: The Auto Union Type D, a downloadable car in ''Forza Motorsport 5''. It also appears in ''6''.
** NoSwastikas: The Nazi references were not used, at all.
* VanityLicensePlate: Similar to the BumperSticker, it's very easy to create one.
* VariableMix: ''Forza Motorsport 5'''s in-game soundtrack is an orchestral soundtrack that varies to fit with different situations, that is, it becomes louder and more pompous as the player performs better during races or is in a close combat with other racers.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Not a "villain" per se (it's a racing game, after all), but Darius Flynt in ''Horizon'' is the most self-centered and vapid of all the serious competitors you face. He is, however, an amazing driver, something the fans keep supporting.
* TheVoiceless: Like any open-world racing game, ''Horizon'''s character keeps his mouth shut through the entire game.
* WearingAFlagOnYourHead: Some liveries are based entirely around nation flags - for example, a racing livery for a Lotus based on the flag of the United Kingdom.
* WideOpenSandbox: The ''Forza Horizon'' series.
* WronskiFeint: If an AI car is riding on your ass and they only start to overtake you right before a turn, they'll go flying through the turn from breaking too late, often slamming into a wall. Happens frequently in multiplayer when dealing with [[CarFu rammers]] - if you see someone aiming to smash into you, just go wide at a turn and smash on the brakes, and the rammer will go flying through the turn and smash into the walls of the track.

** One of the special edition Aston Martin cars is a LeMans prototype, bearing the number of [[Literature/JamesBond 007]]. As well as this, when you first find the [[Film/GoldFinger Aston Martin DB5]] in Horizon, in addition to damage from years of neglect, the car has ''bullet holes'' in it's door, and the comments made about it go exactly as far as they can without actually saying the name of it's most famous owner...

** The Porsche Expansion for ''Motorsport 6'' adds the 356 Speedster. While it's one of the iconic stars of Porsche's early years, it qualifies as a Joke Character because it's slow (only 60 HP stock) and it has more body roll than a Jeep Wrangler.

** Somewhat inverted, unintentionally, as some of the more skilled players find it more difficult to race with assists turned on.

* ThoseWackyNazis: The Auto Union Type D, a downloadable car in ''Forza Motorsport 5''.

->"''...You and I are being squeezed out, pushed aside, and [[GreenAesop hunted down at every hairpin turn]]. And yet, there is hope. There is a safe haven. A place where we are free to challenge conventions, push the [[BadassDriver laws of physics]], and drive our [[CoolCar powerful, our beautiful machines]] hard... And it's right there in your [[UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} living room]].''"

* [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters Loads And Loads Of Cars]] ''Forza Motorsport 4'' has almost 500 cars on its own. The monthly DLC packs and the Porsche ExpansionPack increases the car count to over 600.

* LostForever: Forza 3 and recently Forza 4 no longer has their DLC available, not even Tokens (its reached "end of life" stage), so newer players to those games will not be able to access any DLC cars. This also means the Porsche DLC related achievements for Forza 4 are also Lost Forever to any new players. Thankfully, Forza Horizon 1 hasn't done this....yet.

** ''Horizon 2'' starts you off in the Lamborghini Huracan, in a short drive from the ferry dock to the Horizon festival's main venue, alongside similar exotics. You then get to choose between 3 mid-level sports cars.

** ''Forza Horizon 2'' received a standalone expansion to promote ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Furious 7]]''. It involves various challenges using cars from the latest film. Later, all the new cars from this standalone barring Brian's GT-R will be available through ''Furious 7 Car Pack'' for the base game. Forza 6 is also getting another Fast and Furious car pack, which this time it features 10 cars from different films of the franchise.

** ''Forza Horizon 2 Presents [[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast & Furious]]'' is a standalone example that is essentially a limited version of the full game (or, looking at it another way, a glorified demo with its own achievements that happens to be an advergame for a film as well) with Music/{{Ludacris}} guiding the player though various events to find cars found in the film series. It's also the only expansion of the game for the Xbox 360 version of ''Horizon 2'', but ''Horizon 2 Presents F&F'' on 360 is entirely self-contained, as none of the twelve cars can be transferred to the main game, whereas on the Xbox One version [[BribingYourWayToVictory you have buy the separate]] ''Furious 7'' car pack to get those cars.

** The Vinyl Editor / Decal Editor is also an in-house expy to UsefulNotes/MSPaint, which was also developed by Microsoft.

** The Fast and Furious car pack in ''Motorsport 6'' featured the humongous Terradyne Gurkha LAPV, which is [[HeroAntagonist Agent Luke Hobbs]]'s car in ''Fast Five''. It's the heaviest car in the entire franchise, with a listed curb weight of ''16,499 pounds'', or more than ''twice'' that of the former heaviest, the Hummer.

A standalone expansion of ''Horizon 2'' based on the ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast & Furious]]'' franchise called ''Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious'' was released on March 27, 2015 for both Xbox One and Xbox 360. The expansion takes place in a restricted version of the French side of the game's world before the events of ''Furious 7'', in which ''F&F'' regular Tej Parker (voiced by Christopher "Music/{{Ludacris}}" Bridges himself) has the player go on the hunt for ten cars by doing events to earn them. While it does take away several features,[[note]]No car customization, no multiplayer, a shorter (though unique) campaign, fewer Bucket List events, fewer cars, can't go to Italy or certain areas in France, etc.[[/note]] it does add [[NitroBoost nitrous]] to the series (but only for certain events) and it has its own set of easy-to-earn achievements that goes up to one thousand (!) gamerscore. The expansion was free for a limited time until April 10, 2015, after which the expansion now costs US$10 for those who missed out on the free deal. Eight of the expansion pack's vehicles are also available in a separate DLC for the main game which costs US$5.

* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: In Horizon 2, your car radio will cut out and be replaced with the same music coming from the festival grounds when you drive near one. Except for Levante FM, which is not being broadcast from the festival.

** Tej is this in the ''Horizon 2 Furious 7'' standalone. Either he keeps telling you to switch to an appropriate car or remind you to use nitrous boost in the beginning of a race ALMOST every time.

** ''Forza Horizon'' 1: [[HarderThanHard Insane]] difficulty.

* [[RecycledInSpace Recycled In Colorado]]: The basic game engine, modification system and car models from ''4'' are re-used in ''Horizon'', only in an open-world setting.

** Buying a Ford Falcon XB will give you the "[[MadMax Last of the V8s]]" title

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Not a "villain" per se (it's a racing game, after all), but Darius Flynt in ''Horizon'' is the most self centered and vapid of all the serious competitors you face. He is, however, an amazing driver, something the fans keep supporting.

** ''Forza Horizon'' 1. {{Two words|Obvious Trope}}: [[HarderThanHard Insane]] difficulty.

* MightyGlacier: The Hummer H1 Alpha in ''Motorsport 4''. It's nigh-impossible to really damage, and weighs the better part of ''three and a half tons''. The "Weight removal" upgrade on it effectively acts like removing an entire Ford Focus from the weight of the truck. Even after applying full weight reduction, it's still heavier than the second-heaviest car in the game.
** The Terradyne Gurkha LAPV in ''Motorsport 6'''s Fast and Furious car pack fits this trope even better. The fact that it's twice as heavy as the H1 alone made it the heaviest vehicle in the whole franchise.