Reviewed on PC The Forza name is usually one that is held in high regard. After the decline of Gran Turismo and the shocking console performance of Project Cars, Forza Motorsport and its spin-off Forza Horizon have raised the bar as the pedigree of racing games. This is not the case with Forza Street. Forza Street is easily the worst game in the Forza series, one that drags down the high bar the series has earned over the years. In Forza Street, it’s difficult to describe what you’re doing as racing. There are certainly races taken place, there are definitely cars moving along a circuit track, but it’s more like an awful virtual version of Scalextric. Here, you’re only given the power to brake, accelerate and use boost. This might seem like enough to make a compelling racing game – there are plenty of mobile games that do – but Forza Street doesn’t even leave you free to use these controls. The control you have over races is essentially a stripped-down quick time event. The lack of control you have is best shown by being taken through the proceedings of a race. It all starts with the launch, where you’re allowed to accelerate and rev your car in order to hit power bands which will give you the best boost, so long as you don’t overshoot. This is the most demanding gameplay you’ll see. After that, you’re tasked with the intensity of holding down the accelerate button until you reach a corner. There you’ll let go at the generously marked points on the ground to get perfect braking, and then, whilst the car steers itself around the bend, you’ll wait for it to reach the other side in order for you to press the accelerator again at the marked right time so you can drive off. This happens three times in a race. Every race follows the same formula: launch, three corners, end. So needless to say, the gameplay quickly gets repetitive as you’ll be doing exactly the same thing in every race. To keep things interesting, there is a boost function that charges up that you may use at any time – so long as its charged – and whilst this might seem to bring in some strategy, the best plan of action always seems to use it whenever it’s charged unless you’re just about to go into a braking zone. Since it seems to have the same effect wherever you use it, there is no reason not to use it whenever you can do, so it just becomes another button you have to push when it flashes at you, rather than one with any meaningful choice behind it. Not only is the Forza named defaced through the simplistic gameplay that stretches the mere definition of what is a racing game, but it’s also dragged through the mud by the predatory business practices of mobile games. Forza Street seems to pull out every trick in the book: energy timers for near enough doing anything as you progress through events, countless different loot boxes to get different car types, a myriad of tokens to buy loot boxes that are designed to leave you on odd intervals so you seem closer than you are and are more tempted to continue, two different primary currencies, and of course there’s also a store to buy these currencies with the traditional best value pack coming in at £79.99. While it is clear that Forza Street is designed to be a mobile game, that does not immediately cast the game into the pits of hell, as there are plenty of mobile games that show it can be a good platform for racing. Games such as Asphalt 9: Legends and Real Racing 3 give you far more control over the action as you are able to actually race the cars how you want to. In these games, you use the phone as a motion controller to steer around the track which not only gives you control but connects you to the game to immerse you in their worlds. In Forza Street, however, the mobile device was used as a constraint, stripping out the ability to steer entirely which leaves it feeling hollow in comparison and a mere shadow of what a racing game on mobile can be. I’m happy to say that Forza Street at least looks good, for the most part, which is a good thing as its basically just an interactive cutscene. The nighttime setting is nicely decorated with lots of modern light installations, and the models for the cars are all high quality and glossy as though they just rolled out of a showroom. There are even fireworks that go off when you go around the corners to give the gameplay that little bit of flare and make it more exciting(!) Unfortunately, however, Forza Street’s camera system, ruins all of this. A cinematic camera is no bad thing, even in traditional racing games such as the main Forza series of the Grand Turismo games, a cinematic camera can make every moment and corner feel dynamic and intense. Those camera modes seem to have been carefully designed however as they’ll cut after a pan or a corner. The camera in Forza Street, however, seems to thrive on chaos, cutting without explanation or motive to try and make an incredibly dull game of holding down one button seem more exciting. Beyond just being annoying however, this game became one of few to make me feel physically sick whilst playing – which I have only experienced before when I first played a VR game – as the action was constantly jumping about, being impossible to follow the blurry inconsistent mess of the night setting mixed with moments of neon brightness. Forza Street is a poor showing for racing games, even for mobile racing games, which Forza Street is aimed at being. Whilst the models and level design are a well-made high point, they are the only such high point within the game as the rest is a sea of microtransactions, simplistic quick time event gameplay and shoddy camera work which ruins the entire experience. Forza Street is best avoided unless you’re really craving some late night braking and accelerating around three corners.<doc-sep>Microsoft's exclusive Forza racing series has alternated between its track-based Motorsport and open-world Horizon entries each year with great success, but now the publisher is ready to take the brand into the free-to-play arena with Forza Street, available from today (April 16) on Windows 10. It will make its way to iOS and Android devices later in the year. Although Forza Street was announced by Turn 10 Studios today, the game is actually a rebranding of the existing title Miami Street, which was released by Microsoft almost a year ago and has now been significantly updated to include a refreshed narrative, upgraded car parts, faster boot-ups, new animations, languages and an audio polishing. Unlike previous Forza titles, Forza Street does not require you to steer your car to victory. Instead, gameplay is timing-based and involves clicking the left mouse button or pressing the space bar to accelerate, and letting go to slow down around corners. Boosts can be earned depending on how well you time your gas-pressing, and winning races earns you a constant stream or credits and car unlocks. Of course, being a F2P title there are also microtransactions if you just can't wait to unlock your dream car. While the game's mechanics are incredibly simple, it must be said that Forza Street's bite-sized gameplay is quite addictive, making it ideal for mobile play. You can grab Forza Street now from the Microsoft Store.<doc-sep>
Microsoft’s exclusive racing franchise is shifting to another gear. Joining Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon, free-to-play game Forza Street is bringing another way to race on PC and mobile gaming platforms. After a few leaks teased its existence, Microsoft released the official announcement trailer and the game is available right now on PC. The gameplay itself is not that of an actual racing game, at least not in this first entry in the series. The game focuses on an experience that is optimized for mobile gaming and all that you must do in a race is speed up or slow down as the car runs on autopilot. You press the left mouse button for gas and release at specific sections so that your car can turn a corner. The right mouse button utilizes a nitro boost that builds up throughout the race. It’s an incredibly simple concept with impressive visuals that could be fun for some mobile gamers. Those jumping into Forza Street will notice that the current version of the game is 23.0.6 and includes a collection of updates and fixes. That is because Forza Street is the new name for existing racing game Miami Street, which launched in 2018. This may stifle some of the immediate excitement, but this does give the Forza franchise another series to develop over time. Forza Street features an endless story that is enhanced with weekly new content, including challenges and events. Because it has already been available for a year, Forza Street comes with a solid collection of content. It has a roster of cars that has expanded since launch, a great deal of optimization in place, and more. It seems like a typical free-to-play gameplay loop with loot box content, but we’ll have to wait and see if any changes are made to the game with the newly added Forza name. Windows 10 gamers can grab Forza Street now and it will be coming to iOS and Android in the near future. There’s no confirmation of an Xbox One version of the game, but there’s plenty Forza racing that can be done using the Xbox Game Pass subscription, including the latest entry in the Horizon series. Editors' Recommendations