by Daniel de Bruyne
Now that Turn 10 Studios, EA Games and Microsoft are done playing “what’s in it for me” with the licensing contract that, until Forza 4, allowed us all to get behind the steering wheels of the much loved Porsche brand of vehicles, these nimble little automotive bratwursts have finally found their way to us in the form of a DLC expansion pack that costs… wait for it… 1600 Microsoft Points.
Is the tune of “they planned it all along!” playing in your head too? Uncanny that is.
So, what do you get for coughing up 1600 xbucks? Well, not enough in my opinion, so here is my moan and groan for no credits at all. For around one third the value of the entire game, all you get is a bunch of Porsche’s and a few event extras that you would not have paid extra for if the chiefs in charge came to an agreement before the game was released.
In his original press release. Turn10 director Dan Greenawalt is quoted to say “We’ve asked our contacts at EA to reconsider their position frequently and regularly over the last 18 months. We also reached out to various influential people in gaming to lobby on our behalf, and on your behalf, but that was to no avail.” This leads me to think that the price of this pack has something to do with what finally brought EA to the table. Back to what you get.
Thirty of your beliebtesten autos, from the 1955 550 Spyder all the way up to the 2011 R3 Team Falken and Team Flying Lizard GT3 RSR racing cars have been added to the mix. You’ll be happy to know that this includes a few icons like the 959, Carrera GT and the 1987 #17 Rothmans AG962c, which earned Porsche 7 consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Here is the full list of cars released in the pack in order of appearance.
1970 Porsche 914/6
1955 Porsche 550 Spyder
1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS
1989 Porsche 944 Turbo
1982 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3
2010 Porsche Boxster S
2012 Porsche Cayman R
2012 Porsche Cayenne Turbo
2010 Porsche Panamera Turbo
2010 Porsche 911 Sport Classic
2004 Porsche 911 GT3 (996)
1995 Porsche 911 GT2
2007 Porsche 911 GT3 (997)
2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997)
1987 Porsche 959
2007 Porsche 911 Turbo (997)
2012 Porsche 911 GT2 RS
2003 Porsche Carrera GT
2005 #66 AXA Racing 911 GT3 Cup
2008 #2 Gruppe Orange Racing 911 GT3 Cup
2011 #23 Alex Job Racing 911 GT3 Cup
2011 #54 Black Swan Racing 911 GT3 Cup
2005 #31 Petersen-White Lighting 911 GT3-RSR
2007 #80 Flying Lizard 911 GT3-RSR
2011 #17 Team Falken 911 GT3-RSR
2011 #045 Flying Lizard 911 GT3-RSR
1998 #26 AG911 GT1-98
1987 #17 Racing Porsche AG962c
2008 #7 Penske Racing RS Spyder Evo
2008 #16 Dyson Racing RS Spyder Evo
As one expects, these cars are intuitive, engaging and exciting to drive right out of the pack along with that familiar burbling growl of the flat format boxer engines that Porsche are so well known for. Stick a good tune on one of these little gems, and you have 21 piece bucket of driving delight at your fingertips. The cars are modelled fantastically and the attention to detail is what we’ve come to expect from Forza 4, drool worthy.
You also get twenty new events which account to more than eighty extra races, three new monthly rivals challenge events and Xbox achievements worth 250 gamerscore. However, if you were expecting a Porsche Auto Vista experience to unlock for all those credits you paid, you will be left at the side of the track, disappointed. Unfortunately, if you are already above level 50, you will also be a little disappointed that you can not earn one of these cars through the post-race car rewards system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded
Is the pack worth the bucks? I remain fixed on the opinion that these cars should have been included in the game from initial release. But, is the pack worth purchasing to have some pretty Porsches line up in your garage?
Boogedy Boogedy Boogedy, lets go racing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PVRfLOJlFA4
