Digital Foundry vs. Forza Motorsport 5

[Administrator]

On paper, delivering Forza Motorsport 5 to the 1080p60 standard seems like an immediate, crowd-pleasing move; a massive boost in clarity that sounds aloud the series' first crashing footstep on next-gen turf. But even as an Xbox One launch title, this only scratches the surface of what we expect from a series of this pedigree making a technical leap. Indeed, developer Turn 10 has strived to go the extra mile by making each car in its 200-strong roster worthy of close scrutiny in its Autovista mode, with many of its legacy circuits also remixed to a higher level of precision. Improvements over Forza 4 are many - but there are caveats preventing it being the full-on overhaul we had hoped to see.
Coming from the straight 720p of the previous game, where MSAA was in effect to varying degrees based on the race mode chosen, the impact of the resolution boost for this fifth entry can't be understated. True to its word, we have a 1920x1080 native framebuffer that unleashes impressive draw distances on circuits such as the Bernese Alps - where details on distant mountain peaks have been adapted to higher-grade assets to make the most of the upgrade. The introduction of a new materials-rendering technology also benefits hugely. Matte textured cars such as the Hyundai Coupe 3.8 Track sport grill and meshed details with a high density of fine details, many of which would otherwise appear muddied if seen through a lower resolution window.
But as we've seen in the 900p presentation of a game like Ryse, there's more to producing an appealing end image than heightening the pixel count - though this inarguably goes a long way. Even running at full HD, Forza 5's image suffers for the lack of an effective anti-aliasing method, meaning the game gives us a crisp, but ultimately raw end result. There's evidence of a post-process solution in effect, where light shaded gradients appear between each stair-step of banner lines passing overhead, and the jagged edges are partly obscured by the game's use of depth-of-field and per-object motion blur. However, there's no ignoring the rough-looking foliage and cockpit interior details that go entirely untreated here.
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