Gaming

Forza Motorsport helped me grow up and still love fast cars

A transition from the wacky to the reality

Published

October 9, 2023

Gab Orlina

As a racing game enthusiast, any chance I got to play a simulated racing game made me feel giddy inside. Since getting my hands on my first console, titles like Crash Team Racing, Ridge Racer, and Need for Speed dominated my headspace. Safe to say that I got drawn to fast cars, and only wanted to finish ahead of the pack in the fastest way possible.

To be honest, organized motorsport would be the last thing that I’ll try out within the racing game space. There’s just a lot of things to consider even within your vehicle of choice, especially if you want to improve speed and handling. Also, a huge part of my racing experience revolves around the game just automatically showing me how fast my car could be. Even in supposed motorsport games like Forza Motorsport, speed would still be my priority.

As I grew older, however, I became a bit more open to these types of racing simulation games. Of course, the nostalgia coming from remastered versions of the racing games I grew up on outweighed this sudden interest. Ever since I gained access to better hardware and subscription services, I decided to try them out to see if I will appreciate them to any extent.

Learning how to operate a vehicle

I have to admit that Forza Motorsport had a bit of a learning curve when you first play it. This is especially true if you’re coming from a background of wacky racing games with gimmicks and everything is done for you. Even though I already had some prior experience playing a Forza game like Forza Horizon 5, Motorsport dives deeper into the racing than free roam driving.

Similar to most of the games within Forza’s extensive library, you can tweak your driver settings depending on your comfort. By default, you will have most of the driving-related settings on Automatic (brakes, mode of driving, assisted turns, etc.) to ease you in. I did appreciate the fact that you could do this and they give you a good explanation of what happens when certain settings are active.

When you’re using the controller, its controls are pretty easy to get around; think Mario Kart or Rocket League when it comes to acceleration and brakes. Unlike all the wacky racing games I played, I’m using simulated versions of actual sports cars and the controller will make you feel that through haptic feedback.

Understanding the environment

Here’s a quick side story: I remember on my first day of my driving lessons, I literally bumped a sign post that was on the road. In my defense, I was aware for a brief moment that it was there but I was busy learning how to operate the car I was using. Similarly, with my first race in Forza Motorsport, I took several bumps along some of the tracks trying to get a feel of it, and I scratched my head every time.

Speaking of the tracks, Motorsport for 2023 gave us 20 unique tracks built and based on some of the world’s premier race areas. I literally had to stop the game and go into Photo Mode to get a glimpse of the accuracy at which they rendered everything. I mean, even the crowd watching the races were included into the environment – especially when I was going through practice races.

Going back to those bumps, I also found it rather funny that the level of detail extends even to scratches on decals. The developers did such a wonderful job rendering all the vehicles at your disposal, and even went the extra mile to show you the damage you’ve done. Also, just to give another shout out to Photo Mode, I’m quite happy that you could just remove decal damage there and then it gets removed upon exiting.

Off to the races

By this point, I’ve gotten used to how the vehicles operate, how the tracks go, and how most of the other controls work. Much like driving school, here comes the first checkpoint on my road to getting into virtual motorsport: the practical driving actual racing. I decided to go around three different tracks to see how I would stack up: Suzuka, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and the Le Mans.

In the simplest way possible, Forza Motorsport is as straightforward of a racing game as you can imagine. It’s a simulated race with no special gimmicks, no powerups, no shortcuts, and you can’t drift to go faster. There’s also a blue line that sort of guides you in terms of the best possible path to take when racing bumper to bumper with 19 other cars. Basically, it’s organized racing with fast cars.

My transition from wacky to organized went as well as I thought it would – kinda bad. It’s one thing to know how to steer the car while controlling your input on the gas and brake. However, it’s an entirely different thing when you consider that the vehicle you’re driving doesn’t handle well, or it takes a deeper press of the left trigger to apply the brakes. Although, I still managed to finish first in Suzuka so that’s a good start.

If you ain’t first, build a faster car

After three races, I wanted to understand how I could further improve the cars I chose to race with since I noticed they gained levels. It’s a feature that they introduced within the main Forza Horizon series as Car Mastery, which would allow you to utilize certain perks the more XP you gain. In Motorsport, it comes in the form of levels with car upgrades to enable it to go faster and give you more control.

The thing though is, well, I’ve never really had any experience tinkering the inside of any car. Even my little experience in Forza Horizon 5 didn’t help me out with this one. Of course, Forza Motorsport lends you a hand by showing you which parts to upgrade and how it affects your car’s overall stats. Yet, I barely understood what I was even doing or what I was upgrading throughout the whole time. I even opted to just press “Quick Upgrade” and the game just automatically showed me the upgrades needed to make the car faster.

Luckily, the Career Mode known as the Builders’ Cup kinda helped me out in that regard. In Career Mode, you basically get to race in circuits with specific types of vehicles built for each. This requires you to purchase or rent only a set amount of vehicles and limit the upgrades to fit the circuit you’re in. Also, the races are quite fun and you get to test out your upgrades properly.

A lengthy drive home

After everything I had done to learn more about this game, I felt the need to just do one more practice run before calling it a day. This time, however, I decided to just turn off all the automatic settings and go manual – with a clutch pedal, too. After all, if I couldn’t drive a car on manual transmission in real life, I might as well do it here.

During the practice run that went on for 20 laps, I started to get the groove of things. From the way the vehicle turns to the gear shifting with the clutch, it felt right. I just found myself coasting through the track, with some hiccups but no bumps this time! This was, for me, the second checkpoint to appreciating virtual motorsport: the practical test; safe to say, I passed!

Forza Motorsport was simple enough to understand and get by with little assistance. Of course, for new players, there is a learning curve to all the features, the vehicles, the tracks, and everything in between. Once you’re in, you will just enjoy what the experience has to offer — no gimmicks, nothing wacky to get in your way.

It’s strategic, organized, and resembles that of driving an actual car — and, I’ve grown to like that now. This game reinforced my love for fast driving in racing simulators, just with a bit more maturity in acknowledging that you don’t need wacky gimmicks to enjoy it.

Gaming

The best Tokyo tour package that is Forza Horizon 6

Discover Japan like a first time traveller

Published

May 14, 2026

Gab Orlina

Ever wanted to visit Japan despite an ongoing fuel crisis crippling your total travel budget? Have you ever wanted to visit iconic tourist destinations like Shibuya Crossing or Mt. Fuji? Did you ever have dreams of becoming the drift king like in Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift? Well, we have good news for you!

On May 19, you’ll be able to do all three of these things as Playground Games will finally release Forza Horizon 6 across all platforms. From an overall lens, the game is slated to build off the incredible features the franchise is best known for, now in a totally different side of the world. Experience a unique kind of car culture only famously featured within popular movie franchises, while also exploring another side to Tokyo reimagined for both new and returning players to the series.

So come, take advantage of this once in a lifetime tour package, complete with the following amenities suited to hopefully make the trip to Tokyo worth it!

Sight-seeing, your way

Forza Horizon 6 features a highly populated simulation of Tokyo with tons of activities to do, sights to see, and Horizon events to satisfy your thirst for action. From street racing to experiencing the hustle and bustle of food deliveries, Playground Games wasted no time in nailing most aspects of Japan’s culture. Of course, that also includes popular tourist attractions like Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo Tower and the Rainbow Bridge.

I mentioned in the early preview that the developers divided all of Tokyo into different sections with their own checklists on what to do and things to collect. When looking at the full game, this list is actually a lot more expansive and comes with its own scorecard for exploration called Discover Japan. It’s similar to your Horizon Events progression, right down to the tasks and rewards so the experience wouldn’t be too unfamiliar.

SEE MORE: Forza Horizon 6 already hits the mark

All of these are within your control and pace as you progress deeper into the Horizon Events, with more areas and activities to explore the further along you are. Honestly, it ends up that you’ll accomplish these things fluidly given the amount of driving you’ll be doing so plan your itinerary ahead!

Reimagining Japanese car culture

Speaking of those Horizon Events, the staple of the entire Forza Horizon franchise once again features a unique blend of racing that is authentic to the place it represents. In the case of Japan, that’s basically all the types of races you’ve already seen in most Fast and the Furious movies, especially Tokyo Drift. And yes, you will have access to a plethora of cars that you can finetune to your liking for the best performance in all the races.

Much like in previous games, there are also pockets of events called Stories that venture into specific aspects of Japanese car culture through the lens of the characters in-game. From day-trips to learning how to be a DK or “drift king,” these were designed not only to help with game progression but to expose a culture to those who are only hearing about it now. Also, some of the events can be quite challenging even for returning and experienced players.

This even extends into multiplayer features and Horizon Stunt Events that allows you to show off your skills and your car collection. Adding in car meets within major POIs on the map was a nice touch in incorporating multiplayer activities beyond the normal racing route. Also, they added the actual Daikoku Car Meet space as a staple to this aspect of Japanese car culture!

Is this your GamingMatch?

In a nutshell, Forza Horizon 6 remains true to its roots, enabling it to bring out the best of Japan in more ways imaginable. Playground Games knew what worked from every other game in the franchise and decided to double down for the better, from mechanics to the improvements. While it had already hit the mark from the preview alone, expanding it further truly made it an exciting release to watch out for.

For a game that simply offers a more casual racing experience and pushes the car collect-a-thon a lot more, it is completely decked out with activities galore. Even with some of them feeling repetitive at times, every Horizon event and mode felt just as addictive and unique to play no matter how you want to play them. It’s a formula that encourages experimentation and enables car mastery that is easy to digest, no matter the experience level – and we’re all for it.

This truly feels like an instant Swipe Right for all intents and purposes, and definitely a must-try for anyone who plans to visit or return to Japan for a quick vacation or two. Assuming, of course, that the oil crisis will finally end by then.

Gaming

The Steam Controller literally screams when you throw it

Please throw it at padded surfaces only.

Published

May 14, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

We love harmless Easter eggs. Think of Chrome’s jumping dino or Android’s yearly quirk. It’s always fun when a device or app hides a special surprise for those in the know. Today, Valve is keeping the tradition alive by putting a screaming Easter egg in its new Steam Controller.

The first of its trio of new hardware, the Steam Controller converts the iconic layout of the Steam Deck into controller form. Besides offering an accessible controller, it also connects seamlessly to Steam, offering an easy doorway to plug and, literally, play.

Since it launched on May 4, users have already been playing around with their Steam Controllers. Presumably, this also includes a few rage moments that involve throwing the controller over a frustrating game.

If you threw your controller already, you might have heard an interesting surprise. As spotted by users online, the Steam Controller lets out a Wilhelm scream whenever it’s thrown.

For the unaware, the Wilhelm scream is the world’s most iconic scream. If you’ve watched a few movies, there’s a high chance that you’ve heard it before, as it’s often used as a background scream in many, many movies.

Notably, this has a cooldown of approximately one minute, so you can’t spam it over and over again. This also works on padded surfaces, so you don’t need to throw your controller at a hard wall. It’s just one of those nice Easter eggs that add a little spice to a favorite controller.

All that said, please don’t throw your Steam Controller at hard surfaces.

Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Hexe leak reveals the return of a major character

Is Ezio Auditore coming back?

Published

May 14, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Undoubtedly, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is the most hype that the franchise has enjoyed in a while now. A lot of gamers are excited to replay one of the most prolific entries in the vast history-hopping series. But Black Flag isn’t the only entry getting some eyeballs. The mysterious Codename Hexe is also getting some love, and we might finally have some more information about the game, thanks to a new leak.

In 2022, Ubisoft teased Codename Hexe as a darker entry in the franchise. Four years later, the game is still shrouded in mystery. Today, a leaker (@xj0nathan on X) has shared some interesting details about the game.

For one, the game will reportedly be set during the Wurzburg Witch Trials in the 17^th century, confirming earlier rumors that the setting would be dark one. Adding to that, Codename Hexe might have most of its gameplay in forest biomes, using a lot of trees to parkour around.

The return of an icon

Confirming rumors is just a tiny part of the leak. The more interesting bit is the alleged return of the franchise’s most beloved character: Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

Ezio has not been seen in an Assassin’s Creed game in over a decade. His story concluded in Revelations (with a neat epilogue in a short film called Assassin’s Creed: Embers).

In Codename Hexe, the iconic assassin will reportedly return to mentor the game’s protagonist named Anika. Currently, it’s unclear how he appears in the game’s setting. Some rumors hint that Isu technology might be involved.

Finally, the leak concludes with a blurry photo. Unfortunately, Ubisoft has been taking down reposts of the photo, so we won’t include it here. The original leaker himself took it down as well. It can, however, be described as a female assassin trudging through a dark forest with creepy lights in the background. It doesn’t reveal a lot of details, but it’s substantial enough to warrant takedowns.