History Videogame / ForzaMotorsport

** When listening to Bass Arena in ''Horizon 2'', 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!"]].

'''''Forza Motorsport''''' is a simulation RacingGame series for the {{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 {{spin-off}} 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.

''Forza Motorsport 5'' is a launch title for the 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 FormulaOne cars and [[IndyCar Dallara DW-12s.]]

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). ''Horzion'' had $5 packs of six cars.

''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.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Aside from the game explicitly taking place in 2012, there are a few things in the game that tie it to that year. The most obvious being the existence of {{Music/Lostprophets}} songs on the soundtrack, [[HarsherInHindsight something that would be unthinkable just a few months later]].

* 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. Although, as is the norm recently, both of these can be purchased via Xbox Live.
** ''Forza Horizon'' 1 again has one of five cars for you to choose from. Many players are irritated by this as the cars in question are ones which you'd expect to have been put in the game anyway (such as the Ferrari 458 and the Nissan 370Z). It's debated that these cars just come with unique liveries, and are already in the game, but Turn 10's details - and pre-order trailer - don't seem to support this theory.

** Dak in ''Horizon'' very subtly disses the condition of your starter car's engine. All the other celebrities you face count as one as well, although they act more and more like dicks about it the further you go. All three of the radio DJ's count too.

* NoNameGiven: Your [[TheVoiceless silent]] protagonist in ''Horizon''. Lampshaded by the other c

* 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. Although, as is the norm recently, both of these can be purchased via Xbox Live.
** ''Forza Horizon'' 1 again has one of five cars for you to choose from. Many players are irritated by this as the cars in question are ones which you'd expect to have been put in the game anyway (such as the Ferrari 458 and the Nissan 370Z). It's debated that these cars just come with unique liveries, and are already in the game, but Turn 10's details - and pre-order trailer - don't seem to support this theory.
* 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.
* 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 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.
* 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 [[Film/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 "[[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 LeMans prototype, bearing the number of [[Film/JamesBond 007]]. As well as this, when you first find the 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.]]
* 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. And 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 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]].
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Aside from the game explicitly taking place in 2012, there are a few things in the game that tie it to that year. The most obvious being the existence of {{Music/Lostprophets}} songs on the soundtrack, [[HarsherInHindsight something that would be unthinkable just a few months later]].
* 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.

''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. Toth 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.

** M. Rossi, the MemeticBadass from ''Motorsport 2'', ''3'' and ''4'' returns as one of the random racers you can find cruising in ''Horizon''. He drives a red Ferrari F40.

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Most obvious in ''4'', where the cars each AI driver drives are the same colour, when a car's colour can be chosen.

* 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. ''5'' will feature very high support from ''Top Gear'': it's confirmed that all of the three hosts (Jeremy, Richard and James) will appear in the game.

* DiegeticInterface: Starting with ''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 singleplayer. He will occasionally mash you off the ''starting line'', and use the PIT maneuver on you if you get in his way on corners.

* ExpansionPack: The Porsche expansion pack in ''Motorsport 4'' re-introduced 23 of ''Motorsport 3'''s Porsches, added seven new ones that weren't in previous games, added achievements, and added more single-player events.

* FirstPersonSnapshooter: The games let you take pictures (adjusting focus, aperture, all that jazz) ingame and upload them to the ''Forza'' website to download. ''4'' introduces 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.

** The May DLC for ''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 features 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 has the GMC Vandura.

* 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 ''4'' are cheaper than ''3'', such as the Ferrari 250 GTO being a mere 10 million credits, rather than 20 million.
** Furthermore, in ''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.

* MarathonLevel: Endurance races in ''3'' lasted around an hour to two hours. The events were removed from the career in ''4'', though it's possible to create a custom online race lobby for an endurace race, up to 50 laps (be it on the 1 mile long Ladera test track or on the 10 mile long Nurburgring). A special event to win a [[RareVehicles Unicorn car]] in ''4'' had players join a multiplayer lobby on the Le Mans track in Le Mans Prototype cars, and then required them to do 360 laps. [[BladderOfSteel In an online race.]]

** The player's character in ''Horizon'' has the exact same animations as the driver in ''4'', albeit is dressed in a neutral fashion rather than full racing attire.

** ''Forza Horizon'' 1 again has one of five cars for you to choose from. Many players are irritated by this as the cars in question are ones which you'd expect to have been put in the game anyway (such as the Ferrari 458 and the Nissan 370Z). It's debated that these cars just come with unique liveries, and are already in the game, but Turn 10's details - and preorder trailer - don't seem to support this theory.

** ''Forza Motorsport 2'' through ''4'' also have "unicorn cars". These cars are only available from official competitions, by being a VIP, or via auctions set up by Turn 10.

** 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 realise 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''.

** ''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'' 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!]]

* ShoutOut:

''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. The 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 the Drivatar system and the Forza Rewards program.

''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. The Xbox One version runs at 30 frames per second (like the first ''Horizon'') at a native 1080p resolution, has support for the Forza Rewards program, and will be the only version that will get DLC.

''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. The Xbox One version runs at 30 frames per second (like the first ''Horizon'') at a native 1080p resolution.

** ''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.

** ''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. While those starters are free in the Xbox One version, they require in-game credits in the 360 version.

** What gets really weird is that some actual rare cars (eg. the aforementioned Ferrari [=F50=] [=GT=]) aren't considered unicorns, while some of the unicorns aren't actually rare (the particular Chevrolet Camaro that was a Unicorn in ''Motorsport 3'', for example)

** ''Horizon'' starts you off in a Viper. 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.

'''''Forza Motorsport''''' is a simulation [[DrivingGame racing game]] series for the {{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 spin-off series called '''''Forza Horizon''''', which revolves around a fictitious annual music and racing festival, contrasting the more serious, track-day-focused overtones of ''Motorsport''.

''Forza Motorsport 5'' is a launch title for the 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 will log how you drive, and create an AI profile on the Xbox Cloud which will emulate 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 FormulaOne cars and [[IndyCar Dallara DW-12s.]]

An open world, more "relaxed" game, entitled ''Forza Horizon'', was developed by Playground Games (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]]) along with Turn 10 and released in October 2012. The game follows 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 introduces off-road racing for the first time in the ''Forza'' series, which was expanded in the ''Rally'' expansion pack.

* 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 ''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.

** ''3'' begins with a practice race in an Audi R8... and then makes you pick from a selection of sub-compacts.
** ''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.

** ''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).

** 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 un-drivable without traction control enabled.

* BrandX: Performance parts in ''Motorsport 4'' are a generic brand, unlike ''3'', where most of the ports were "made" by a certain manufacturer, such as K&N making air filters for certain car brands.
** Generally justified, as ''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 ''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]].

** Car Tokens allow players to pay real money for a car they can't afford in-game. Available in ''4'' and ''Horizon''.
** The treasure map for ''Horizon''; $3.49 will find every hidden discount sign and barn find for you.

** Although ''Horizon'''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.

** ''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.

** Player badges and titles in ''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 10 cars. Some require huge amounts of effort and determination, such as owning 300 cars, or [[FakeLongevity driving 1000 miles in a Prius]].
* AnEntrepreneurIsYou: You can earn plenty of credits solely by selling liveries (2 onwards) and car setups (3/4) you have created. There's also the {{Auction}} House.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: The rewind feature from 3 and beyond. It can be turned off for bonus credits.