As befitting any game that has anything to do with Top Gear, Forza Motorsport 5 has a soundtrack that can only be described as “epic”. Preferably while travelling at mach 2 with the skin being blown clear of your face and your spine partially liquefied by the g-forces, doing your best to scream “POWER!” before you spin off and end up sideways in a barrier.
OK, I tell a lie. Half of the soundtrack is for roaring along to engine growls and tyre-smoke, but the other half is for lingering sunset shots of cars in Mediterranean summers or for long descents along snowy Alpine roads. As I say, Top Gear. Subtle takes a back seat to Emotive. By some feat of cleverness though, the music never gets in the way of the game or becomes overbearing. You’re aware of it and it enhances the experience but it never distracts from the driving.
I surprised myself by really enjoying Forza 5 – thanks to a highly flexible difficulty and assist system it can be played as a high-fidelity racing sim or an almost slapstick arcade racer. Obviously I fall very much into the latter category and am pleased to report that Forza accommodates me beautifully. Playing like that I’ll never make any real headway up the rankings, but was I realistically ever going to? Not really. But at least I have a good soundtrack to accompany me as I emerge giggling from a multi-car pile-up of my own making.