For far too long, Sony’s Gran Turismo
series had held the throne at the top of the driving sim heap. Granted, the
series has offered a meticulously realistic driving experience coupled with tons
of drivable vehicles and tracks as well as phenomenal graphics. However, the
series does have some glaring flaws, like no car damage or online gameplay.
Enter Forza Motorsport. Forza solves both of these issues by having the vehicles
take on realistic damage and offers full Xbox Live support. Plus, the driving
physics are very sharp and the graphics take full advantage of the Xbox’s
hardware. Xbox gamers take note: your quintessential racing game is here.

Forza gives players access to over 230 different cars
from more than 40 different car companies ranging from Honda and Nissan to
Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari. As you complete races and earn credits, you gain
access to more cars and well as the ability to upgrade the cars you own,
allowing you to put additions under your hood like turbo kits or even put a
whole new engine in your car.

Forza also allows you to race across famous courses like
Tsukuba, Rio de Janeiro and the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
Completing races in the career mode unlocks new cars and courses in the arcade
mode.

Forza features some very realistic racing physics.
Things like road conditions and heat and pressure changes factor into how your
car handles turns and performs overall. Also, your car can get damaged, which
also can affect your car’s performance, as wear will cause your car to not
control as well or lose speed.

For those of us who have a hard time getting into
painstakingly realistic racing sims, Forza has a great assist system. If you
turn on the assist, then a line of arrows will appear on the track as you race.
The arrows will outline the path that you should take through the upcoming turn.
If you are going too fast, then the arrows will turn red. If you readjust your
speed to be able to take the turn most efficiently, the arrow will turn from red
to yellow to green. The assist system is an asset if you are just getting
started and trying to get used to the game’s physics. Once you feel comfortable
enough, you can turn it off and earn more credits for winning races than you
would with them on.

Another great feature in Forza is the Drivatar system.
Basically, the “Drivatar” is an AI that you can create by racing. The Drivatar
will observe your racing tactics and habits and apply them against other racers.
You can have your Drivatar race for you or you can have them train other
drivers.

Forza also has some extremely deep multiplayer options
available. Aside from taking on other racers online, you can post your time
trial rankings on over 1,400 leaderboards on Live, download other racers ghosts
to take them on offline, and create or join car clubs with 100 other racers to
compete in teams. Also, the career mode is fully online as well, meaning that
you can earn money and complete the career mode while facing off against gamers
from all around the world.

The graphics in Forza are amazing. The car models look
nearly photo realistic and represent their real life counterparts well. The
environments are also great looking, with bloom lighting effects, great textures
and lens flaring giving the game a very real look. Vehicles also take on
realistic damage, with great effects like broken glass and hanging bumpers.

The sound in Forza is pretty common stuff for a racing
game. The engine noises are clean and clear, and the music is a mix of remakes
of classic rock songs and original work by Junkie XL.

Forza is a remarkably deep racing game that simulation
enthusiasts should definitely check out. Plus, with deep online support and a
ton of features and cars, this could be the game to give the Gran Turismo series
a run for its money.

Gameplay: 9.5
Forza gives you
hundreds of different cars to race and many real world tracks to race on. The
vehicle physics are very realistic, depending on aspects like car damage and
road conditions as well as unique car handling. If you find driving sims to be
an exercise in frustration, the assist system is a godsend, giving you a good
gauge on the game’s physics engine and eases you in to the racing.

Graphics: 9.7
The graphics in
Forza are phenomenal, featuring photo realistic cars and tracks complete with a
host of special effects like bloom lighting, lens flaring and a true sense of
speed. The vehicles also take on realistic damage, with great touches like
hanging bumpers adding to the realism.

Sound: 9.0
The sound in
Forza is pretty good, fairly par for the course for a racing game. The hard rock
soundtrack adds to the atmosphere of the game and doesn’t feel out of place
(unlike most of the music in the Gran Turismo series), and the engine effects
are crisp and realistic.

Difficulty:  Medium 

Concept: 9.5 
From the deep
Xbox Live features to the innovative new “Drivatar” system, Forza adds a lot to
the driving sim genre.

Multiplayer: 9.5
The multiplayer elements in Forza are
superb. You can race online, post scores and time trial rankings, create car
clubs and race other clubs, and even trade cars with other gamers.

Overall: 9.5

Forza is
a strikingly deep racing sim that delivers on most of the areas where Gran
Turismo 4 faltered and then some. For driving enthusiasts with an Xbox, this is
definitely the game to check out.