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Forza Motorsport
Forza Motorsport is
the racing game that punters have been waiting for to appear on this
console. PS2 owners have had Gran Turismo to look after them since back
in the day, but the Xbox has not had a rock solid title of this nature
appear on the radar yet.
Claiming to be a racing simulator, you won’t find any off road action
(that we’ve encountered) during gameplay. A serious game with brilliant
physics, Forza gives you the chance to play the title from a number of
viewpoints, being Arcade, Career and Multiplayer.
Arcade is just what is says; get in the car, race it, no garage or
customization necessary. To get in and get a feel for this game is just
what the doctor ordered and I think that most of you will use this mode
at first to simply find out how the title performs. And Perform it does!
Boasting 230 odd cars from the world’s major manufacturers, gamers can
create their own garage where just about every facet of the vehicle can
be modified as it could in the real world. Gamers are going to hold this
title up and make comparison to Gran Turismo, but to do so is simply
illogical, the games are sufficiently different enough that both are
highly enjoyable with their own unique strengths.
Selecting a home region at the start of Forza will see you having to
choose between different vehicles and price points. Strategy does play a
role in this process when I had to choose what mods to make to the car
when I was racing on a shoestring. Naturally, win a few races and all
this changes quickly. I was highly impressed at the level of
modification that you can do in your garage, all the way through to
lowering or heightening driving levels. As you make your way through the
game you will find that more money is available as are more cars that
really enhance the overall racing experience.
As you would expect in a game of this caliber, every car handles
differently and in a very realistic feeling way as well. It’s not just
the appearance of the vehicle that changes, the whole game is treated to
a makeover. The tracks are fantastic and although there is no variation
in racing areas despite where you start around the world.
As much fun as the single player experience is, there is even more fun
to be had online with a comprehensive set of options to have a fabulous
experience. One of the items that I especially liked was the ability to
download the specs of another players car and see how they had tweaked
it and gotten that amazing time. Even moreso to download the replay and
watch how it had panned out. Amazing stuff with real potential for
expansion down the track (Geddit? Track? Hahahaha)
Graphically this title is also built to impress with some fantastic
looks and features that really take advantage of the great graphics that
the Xbox is capable of. Environments are given the same level of detail
that you’ll get with the cars and the feeling of speed is certainly
brought to life. The inclusion of a driving line that appears during the
game will also accentuate the experience of really getting the most out
of the game as well. The driving line shows gamers how to brake into
corners and what lines are best based on your speed and vehicle to get
the best performance possible.
Audio in the title is appropriate although nothing to get excited about.
Audio is one of those things where it’s almost a case of either it’s
right or it’s not. Everything I dealt with from an audio perspective
enhanced gameplay and really immersed me into the whole experience. When
you tweak the engine, it will make appropriate sounds to match the
change. All things said and done, Forza is an amazing racing simulator
for those who want more than an arcade experience. It’s highly
recommended and a must have for any petrol head worth his or her salt.
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