I've been spending some time over at the GT Sport sub-forum (mostly just lurking) the past month, and am I wrong, or does it seem like there's several diehard GT fans over there who are extremely... sensitive... about the idea that the Forza series (either series) is better than those games at just about anything?
The thing is, GTPlanet started as a GT site. That's still what the majority of our community comes here for too. We've since expanded to cover everything — or as much as we can! — with as much detail and enthusiasm. By dint of its origins however, it's more likely — though far from a sure thing — that folks that regularly visit this portion of the site have, at some point in their gaming lives, played GT. It's less likely to be the other way around in the GT section, not least because, in terms of bald figures, there's just more people. So the percentage of folks that have played both is just going to be higher here.
The weird tribalism you're talking about stems from confirmation bias: "I bought x, so it must be better than y". Nobody likes to think they made the "wrong" choice — the irony being that there really isn't one. Both games do some things very well, and other things quite poorly.
I'll never really understand the "lol Forza's arcade" brigade: its physics engine does some things worse than GT Sport, but also some things better. Its funny "magical" tires during rainy stints is just a different sort of realism-fudging than things like GT's 12x tire wear. And honestly, both games are much closer to each other in terms of simulation than something like rFactor 2, iRacing, or AC. So if one is arcade...
I maintain both do what they're supposed to: find the happy balance between realism and accessibility. It's little wonder they're the two biggest names in the genre. People just throw around "arcade" or "simcade" to justify their own choices.
Seems to vary from outright dismissiveness of Forza tinged with slight desperation, to neverending arguments over how the things Forza does well "don't really matter", to backhanded compliments that grant Forza a few token nods before concluding that GT is obviously the better actual game.
Heh. The best example would probably be livery editing. It was long discussed pre-GTS, and there was a much louder subset claiming it was a completely pointless feature then than there is now. I wonder why that is...
Of course, it works both ways: there are certainly Forza faithfuls out there that undoubtedly bashed GT's Sport Mode and its sometimes heavy-handed penalties, but PD must be onto something if T10 has extended FM7's development longer than any previous title, almost specifically for the Race Regulations system.
I don't really have a voting interest, as I have played and enjoyed both series' over the years and think the both have their strengths and weaknesses. It has just really struck me reading some of the threads there.
What's good for the genre is good for everybody's preferred franchise, too. 👍
With the Horizon franchise in particular, I think you'll find quite a lot of GT fans that would like to see a similar two-pronged attack on that side. With GTS targeting the portion of the market it is, I'm inclined to agree that it'd be a big deal: the original GT game was so massively successful because it appealed to casuals just as much as those wanting more realism. It's a shame Sony shuttered Evo Studios, as I imagine DriveClub could've continued on as the perfect companion (and gateway) to GT.
Plus, with the arrival of PCARS2, FM7, and GTS all within a month of each other last year, all three have actually never been more different from one another. They all complement each other quite nicely. PCARS2 absolutely nails the feel of a race weekend, complete with seasons. FM7 keeps the spirit of old GT games — a sort of Pokemon-for-cars automotive encyclopedia — alive and well. GTS marches to the beat of its own drum, focusing on esports with a slight influence from the real thing, but really, its own take.
