Forza Motorsport
Xbox owners have been going without a simulation racer for some time now and Microsoft has truly stepped up to the plate to deliver an experience that rivals Gran Turismo. Featuring equal parts customizing and upgrading your vehicle, as well as an extremely addictive and enjoyable arcade racing feel, Forza is like no other. Oh, and did I mention that you can utilize all of these features on Xbox Live?
Gameplay:
Let me start by saying that Forza is without a doubt one of the most comprehensive, addicting and enjoyable racing games I have played in recent memory. There are so many aspects to what makes this game as great as it is, and that old saying “Jack of all trades, master of none” holds no weight here.
The first thing that should be mentioned is how amazingly easy it is to pick this game up and get right into it. While there are a wealth of modes and varieties of play styles, you are given plenty of room to experiment without the slightest feeling of being lost. The difficulty is moderate as you learn your techniques, but if you find the AI too overwhelming at first you can adjust it to suit your needs.
The first mode you may notice is the A-typical arcade mode, in which you race from circuit to circuit against AI drivers. The point of this mode is to just have a good time and to unlock some cars for use in multiplayer and on Live. This is a great place to learn the techniques of driving in Forza, since there are a few that differ from other games.
One of the most prevalent things you will notice is that there is a driving line that appears on the screen. You can remove it if you don’t like it, but when you first start out it’s one of your best friends so you’re better off paying attention to it. Basically the driving line is a color coded guide to cornering and accelerating. If the line is green that means you should be flooring it, if it’s yellow you should slow down and red means you better be braking. It is an extremely helpful tool that may sound like it dumbs down the driving, but truly it still requires skill to win, even with this feature.
The next feature that makes the racing as fun as it is, is the fact that the AI doesn’t just roll over and play dead, it will really give you a run for your money. At every turn if you make a mistake chances are good that you will lose your lead and this really adds some tension to the races that isn’t available in other games.
The next mode uses all of these features while adding in the simulation aspect of modifying your ride and customizing your experience. In career mode you’ll race from series to series collecting winnings in the form of credits that can be used to buy new cars or parts for your current one. As you win series you will also be award free automobiles and as you collect a certain amount of credits you will gain a level.
When you gain a level a few things happen. One such thing is that your relationship with a vendor will increase meaning you will be given discounts on the parts that they produce. Another thing is that at every five level increases car dealers will unlock more vehicles to purchase and you will be given one for your hard work. With over two hundred cars to unlock and customize you’ll be doing this for a long, long time.
The many series that are presented to you each have a different requirement to qualify for them. Some will require you to be behind the wheel of a specific style of car, while you’ll also need to be a certain car quality class in order to race. There are also three regions that cars are broken down to and there are specific series for those as well (America, Europe and Asia). This all comes together to make it so you have to compete and win in order to get new vehicles so you can continue your racing quest.
Finding out what kind of car you like to drive takes a lot of practice since there are front, rear and all wheel vehicles that each handle differently. Every car also has a set of stats like top speed, acceleration, braking, cornering and rarity that impact how it performs and the winnings you’ll receive. To adjust these statistics you’ll have to take your hard earned credits to the garage and buy some upgrades.
Everything from new engines, turbo systems, shocks, weight management, tires and transmissions are here and there are a lot of options available. What you ultimately decide on buying will affect your car in one way or another and gear heads will enjoy tweaking with the various ratios that can be adjusted with the professional parts. Modifying your ride can prove to be very in depth, but the customization doesn’t end there; you can also adjust how it looks.
There are a series of decals present that can be applied to your side panels, roof, hood and bumpers. I’ve seen some amazingly creative images put together with these decals and while I may not be able to create masterpieces with them a little bit of practice and patience goes a long way. The cool thing is that you can even bring your custom designed and modified cars online and race them on Xbox Live.
The Live gameplay here is incredibly addicting and flaw free, so those of you with subscriptions will be very happy that something other than Halo 2 has come along to eat up your online gaming time. There is no lag what-so-ever, even with the custom loaded designs in play and you can not only race, but you can also play career mode online to gain some money. Clan fanatics will also enjoy the fact that there is a Car Club, so your Halo 2 clan buddies can play Forza together the same.
Another new innovation with Forza is the fact that you can train an AI racer to tackle the career mode circuits for you. By showing him how to drive like you, you can load up the “drivatar” for any course that you don’t want to deal with. Using him costs a large amount of your winnings, but it’s convenient if you have something you need to do around the house and still want to race. You’re better off not relying on him too much though, since it doesn’t help out your own driving skills.
Forza has so many innovations and intelligent control physics that it is easily one of the best racing games ever made. It has enough simulation aspects to go head to head with Gran Turismo, but the racing is actually really fun and addictive. The career mode proves to be very robust and the addition of Xbox Live is a big portion of this game’s success.
Graphics:
Equally on par with the terrific gameplay come some fantastic visuals that rival the Gran Turismo series. The car models are realistic looking with a great attention to detail and the race tracks are breathtaking when you really get a good look at them in replay. While the reflections aren’t the “best”, they are handled well and you’ll see lights and signs reflect from the shiny points on your vehicle.
Probably the most noticeable thing right off the bat is that even though this is a simulation racing game, your car models actually become damaged. Windows shatter, bumpers hang from a thread and rear view mirrors pop off, but all of that isn’t just cosmetic. By taking specific type of damage it will not only affect how your ride looks, but also how it drives. Try not to test this out too much though, the damage is deducted from your winnings at the end of each race.
Running at HDTV 480p Forza is not only beautiful, but the framerate is extremely smooth and I didn’t get any slow down at any time, no matter if I was racing on Live or solo. There is a slight amount of load time at the start of each race as the cars and track are loaded, but it’s minimal and given the grandiose nature of the courses it’s not that bad.
Audio:
Unfortunately the audio department is pretty much the weak point of Forza with a very poor soundtrack. Filled with remixes of classic rock tunes and nothing in the way of a unique or addictive soundtrack the music here is very bland. Thankfully, you can load up a custom soundtrack to your Xbox and listen to that instead, so at least there’s a way around it.
The sound effects are realistic with revving engines, screeching tires and metal crunching impacts. Between these great effects and a custom soundtrack your 5.1 Dolby Digital system will be quite pleased. Overall the sound effects are great, but the soundtrack leaves a lot to be desired if you don’t utilize the customizable soundtrack feature.
Conclusion:
Forza Motorsport stands out among all other racing games on the Xbox and even beyond the console. The remarkable combination of simulation and enjoyable arcade racing is pulled off marvelously here and any driving fan will be enthralled for hours on end. The career mode proves extremely addicting as you amass a wealth of cars and credits, but the best part of the gameplay is racing on Live.
Standing out as one of the best titles to play on Live that isn’t a first person shooter, Forza is easily a must have for any Xbox owner. It’s a game like this that proves there are still developers out there who make games as a labor of love instead of just for a paycheck. Watch out Gran Turismo, you’ve got some stiff competition on that race track. Videogame Talk Collector’s Series