Carrying away the title of the go-to racing sim in the world, Forza Motorsport 7 continued to be lovingly pampered and held in awe by the gaming community well into its later years. The official Forza Motorsport Twitter account reminded us recently why this game was a Real Big Deal! 4K HDR racing, an absurd number of collectible cars, dynamic weather, and the debut of the glorious 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS. So, the final Spirit of Motorsport Tour will now be permanently slotted into Career mode as a final bait for the players.
The thing here lies: the new Forza Motorsport 8, or just Forza Motorsport for short, is out and about; a considerable number of players say that the current game remains somewhat distant from the great acclaim its predecessor received. The reactions to Forza Motorsport’s official Twitter account crossed into pure nostalgia and then outright frustration. One user, MukaRomero, put it plainly: “Now that’s the best in the franchise. The current Forza Motorsport still has a long way to go to reach the level of Forza Motorsport 7.”
And honestly? They are not wrong. FM7 had things that fans are still screaming for in the new one: drag racing, split-screen, and even a test track airport. That mod system before races (XP boosts for stuff like nailing perfect turns) really added a whole other level of strategy that this new entry just… does not have.
Here is where things become a bit complicated. Some people, like Critical Punch, said FM7 was “the best sim racer hands down.” It was the best in their eyes for its then-unheard-of graphics, sounds, and tight controls. But then, jabs started to fly from Josh W (Gigacide), saying this new Forza has a physics and multiplayer that are “night and day better.” By the sounds of it, this debate will never end.
Then comes the licensing issue. Forza Motorsport 7 got its digital stores taken down because licensing for cars ran out, so now, if you want to play, either you have to be the proud holder of a physical copy or possess the key for Xbox. Players like ABabyAtDennys find this very annoying and wonder if at least buying a key would work since the licenses have already expired. (Spoiler: it should, but who really knows nowadays.)
Along with those other totally random but really funny complaints-from SpiceeLord pushing for motorcycles in the next Horizon title (“It’s the only motorsport you guys never add”) to yellowcan1 giving FM8 some roasting for still lacking real leaderboards.
With good reason, FM7 remains in the hearts of many to this day. There was more to the game than just racing. The race was an experience: one that everybody else seems to have forgotten about. Whether they’ve gone back for a replay or are grieving FM7’s absence from digital storefronts, one stark thing remains clear: FM7 left tire tracks down the asphalt that won’t fade away anytime soon.
So, if you have it installed, you might want to dust it off again. Maybe it would remind you of what made it so great in the first place. Or you might just get angry and scream about how no split-screen exists in FM8 either. Legacy will live on, no matter what.
