(Forza Motorsport 5) The month of April provided us with building speculation as to what the next pack would bring. First, we heard that the instant-classic Corvette C7 would make an appearance. Shortly after that, we were told to expect the presence of the mighty Veneno. And, to top all of the speculation, there were rumblings that Rolls Royce was to make their video game debut with the Ghost. The following is an explanation of the May Meguiar’s Pack.
Let’s get started! Well, here we are, May 9th. Things turned out much differently than the speculation suggested. We ended up with a pack that, unsurprisingly, is yet another heap of rubbish. The return of the stunning Aston-Martin V12 Vantage is very overdue, and the BMW M Performance M3 is possibly the only interesting car in the pack, until you drive it and realize it is about as entertaining as repeatedly dropping a brick on your foot.
Let’s take a look at the full line up:
2013 BMW M Performance M3 Racing Car
1986 Alfa Romeo GTV-6
1958 Aston Martin DBR1
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
2011 Aston Martin V12 Zagato (Villa d’Este)
1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS-396
1940 Ford De Luxe Coupe
1966 Ford Lotus Cortina
1973 Mazda RX-3
1968 Dodge Dart HEMI Super Stock
BMW
The BMW was fun for about 10 seconds, and then I realized it was the exact same as the other one thousand GT racers in the Forza franchise, and possibly even one of the more worse ones. Mediocracy in a GT racer is a recipe for consistent off-podium racing. Although, I’ll admit it looks pretty good, and the sound is as good as a GT BMW gets.
Alfa Romeo
Why is this even here.
Aston Martin DBR1
The DBR1 is one of the most legendary, and most beautiful cars to ever be built. It is one of my favourite cars from the 50’s, and is my favourite open top racer. Think of this however: how many previous Forza games had this car? Just about all of them. I love this car, but I’ve raced the hell out of it and it should have been in the game to begin with.
Chevrolet Bel-Air
The Bel Air is absolutely iconic, and a joy to look at, but when it was in previous Forza games, did anyone ever really care? No. The reason being it was immensely heavy, and the steering felt as if it had been set in cement. Very pretty, but not fitted for Motorsport.
Aston Martin V12 Zagato
This car is an absolute masterpiece. The steering, the acceleration, the grip, the braking; everything is on point. This car was long overdue to be in the game, but a very, very, nice addition and undoubtably the headline car of the pack. Probably the only car nobody complained was in this pack, and also the only reason anyone bought it, other than that Dart.
Chevrolet Chevelle
The Chevelle is just like any other Big American muscle car in the game. The handling is terrible, the suspension is a joke. But it has that timeless look, and a sound that could melt your skin off. An appropriate car to be in the game for sure, but not a very good car to have if you actually want to win anything. The Oldsmobile, for instance, has been proven to be a better track car, because the AI has given me a run for my money in it.
Ford De-Luxe
Why. WHY. Not going to get into a whole “this is a track racing game” rant, but you get the picture.
Ford Lotus Cortina
Ah, the Cortina. A beautiful car, respected by all of those in the car community. Out of any car of this era, this is in the top 10; if I had to pick a vintage car to be in the game, this would be high on the list. Even so, it’s brutal on the track without upgrades.
Mazda RX-3
“The car is so dangerous, you can get hurt just thinking about it” -Jeremy Clarkson. Respected by the Japanese/Asian car community, but there’s several other Japanese/Asian cars I’d rather see over this and I think a lot of you would agree.
Dodge Dart
Here’s where it gets interesting. This car, as it turns out, the car is absolutely unbeatable on A-Class multiplayer, and in a straight line, almost nothing in the game can beat it (with upgrades) as well. Great car, the dark horse of this pack for sure. Delighted to have it in Forza (again…). This can definitely help with your multiplayer abilities.
OVERALL SCORE: 5
The only thing saving this pack from being a hot piece of garbage is the Dart and the amazing Zagato. Other than that, the pack is largely filler, and unless you are obsessed with the Zagato, or are hopeless online in the A class, just wait for the next pack. Save that money.
