The reviews are in for Forza 4

It’s not often that a racing game is a contender for the Game of the Year accolade, but Microsoft’s Forza Motorpsort 4 already looks like a serious contender.

Just hours after the reviews embargo lifted Forza 4 is already averaging a spectacular 93 per cent on Metacritic.

Like the step up from FIFA 11 to FIFA 12, there’s no going back to Forza 3 now,” IGN wrote in its 9.5/10 review. The changes and updates are too welcome and widespread. The improved visuals, the added cars on track, the wealth of new race types, the tweaked AI and closer racing, the ferocious sound and superior sense of speed, the even better livery editor, the lot.

With Forza 4 Turn 10 has crafted a driving game like no other; it’s hands-down this generation’s premier racing simulator.”

Destructoid awarded the game a rare 10/10, saying: Forza Motorsport 4is automobile love in a box. At its heart is simulation racing, but there’s also car lusting with full interactivity, a robust online community backend, new racing modes galore, off-the-wall bonus games,Top Gearfandom and so much more. Everyone from the most seasoned racing gearhead to kid that just wants to drive fast will find something to get into.

Turn 10 already had a fantastic racer withForza 3, but they somehow managed to add more even features and polish to this sequel, and the end result is a game that seems to have covered every base perfectly. Forza 4is so much more lively, and it shows so much more character than its predecessor. The game practically shines with signature touches that show that the developers truly loved making it.”

Eurogamer awarded Forza 4 a 9/10, saying: The series’ steely heart has softened, revealing a game that’s as exhaustive as it is exhilarating and that’s now been infused with a little extra passion. Forza has always been a series to admire, but now it’s a little easier to fall in love with it too.”

CVG settled on 8.7/10, adding: There’s no doubting the supremacy of the driving experience on offer, nor the level of content crammed into the two discs. But the more demanding serial single-player enthusiasts will undoubtedly pick up on the general lack of humanity within proceedings and overall familiarity, despite the addition of new elements such as the Top Gear challenges or, even, the fun inclusion in Autovista.

For now, and particularly for the social Forza fan, the time to strap yourself in and floor the pedal has come. Forza 4 is not the ‘entirely new car experience’ the marketing slogans want you to swallow – this is no revolution – but it is a superbly crafted console driving sim.”

Forza Motorsport 4 will be released on October 14th.