"Forza Motorsport 2" for Xbox 360.
© Microsoft
Mania Grade: A-
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB: E
Genre: Racing
Players: 1-2
Online: 1-8
Developer: Turn 10 Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Suggested Retail: $59.99
Graphics: A
Sound: B+
Gameplay: A-
Replay: A-
Fun Factor: B+
Reviewer's Wild Card: A-
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB: E
Genre: Racing
Players: 1-2
Online: 1-8
Developer: Turn 10 Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Suggested Retail: $59.99
Graphics: A
Sound: B+
Gameplay: A-
Replay: A-
Fun Factor: B+
Reviewer's Wild Card: A-
Forza Motorsport 2
By: Captain Gordon EdwardReview Date: Monday, June 11, 2007
The Forza Motorsport series was created as Microsoft’s answer to the Gran Turismo series, and on May 3, 2005 it was released upon the world. What did Forza offer that the Gran Turismo series had not offered yet? A few things but the most obvious was damage modelling. Damage seemed like the obvious next step for them to take considering the game was trying to simulate real life driving. But of course now it is 2007 and things have evolved since 2005, mainly when it comes to consoles we play our games on. With the new systems we can handle so much more, but what did Forza bring?
Forza returns with its previous style of gameplay but with a few changes. One of the smaller changes involves how players drive, and with the new controller it becomes second nature. Cars are pretty typical as you would find elsewhere, but the main except is the lack of a radio in the car. Not too much has changed in the control scheme, as it is fun and easy to play even to the point where you can literally pick up and play without problems. But perhaps we should just focus on what the game features in general, rather than changes.
Forza has a suggested drive path outlined with an arrow-line around the track, which shows you where you should line up the vehicle when taking turns. The path ranges in colours as well, with red telling you to slow down, green telling you to accelerate, and yellow telling you that you are at the perfect speed. It can be very accentual to slow down at the right time or you may end up speeding off of the track, which costs you valuable time. I had a minor problem with the arrow system when it came to where the arrows were located after certain turns. Since vehicles drive through turns differently, some were able to make them without needing to go as close, so the path should have been changed for those vehicles. Also it seemed next to impossible to keep the arrows yellow, but those are both petty little nit pickings at the system. Overall it works great and helps a new player to a track become a master quickly.
The game also offers hundreds of cars, which means you will find a vehicle that you enjoy visually as well as handling. Even if there is something wrong with the appearance of the vehicle, you could always modify some of its external panels to shape it to something that pleases you. Forza 2 also allows you to modify most of the vehicles allowing you to upgrade them so that you can take the car with you on some of the career tracks if you become attached. There was a problem though where you cannot take the same car through your career, as the many different tracks require you to use many different vehicles. This means any of the money you collect in career will be quickly invested into a bunch of different vehicles. Again this is nit picking but when it comes to becoming attached to vehicles this can be quite frustrating.
Of course not only will the game allow you to upgrade the vehicles through several classes, but they also allow you to modify their exterior. You can quickly and easily change the colour so that you can essentially create the multi-coloured vehicle, as you would see on the streets. You can also add decals, which becomes much more of an art form. You can spend many hours if you love your cars, painting them so that they become pieces of art. And like all art forms you can put it up for auction to earn a few extra bucks if it sells.
So where does the game go wrong? Nowhere really. Driving is fun and easy to do online or offline. If you hate driving offline but want to advance in the career mode you can always hire a driver to drive for you. This will be an easy way to boost your rank if you simply do not feel like driving. Perhaps the main issue with the game could be that as you drive around and get damaged, the pieces of the vehicle do not stay on the track. This is also nit picking, but if a game like Flatout 2 can do it on the Xbox, Forza should allow it on the 360. Perhaps another tiny issue with the game is that while playing online some people can drive right through you if you are driving too slowly, or have experienced a crash. The online aspect is pretty good, but sometimes vehicles jump around the track making it a bit difficult to pass them. That is pretty much it though in a nutshell.
Graphically the game looks great. Little pieces of the vehicle fall off after collisions and are noticeable by changing the direction of the camera. The camera angles are situated perfectly and provide an excellent angle on the action. The multiple camera angles also do well depending on what type of driver you are. Overall the cars look great, but they may make you a little jealous of those who get to drive them in real life. My only problem with the graphics was that the reflections on the vehicle as it was driving was a little slow, and would often skip frames. For sound the game offers great music in the menus, but that is not taken into play. Of course you could always play your own music while you drive, but it may distract some of the players. The sound effects are good though, but get a little bit boring after a while. They do change as you upgrade vehicles or change them, which was a nice touch.
In the end this is a great driving game. I am not a huge fan of racing games overall, but this one wiggled its way into my heart. It is fun to play even if you are not much of a fan of the genre. The game is not perfect though, but it comes pretty close to it. I personally would love to see them increase the amount of tracks you play on since the career mode takes you to the same tracks over and over again. Still though the game offers up plenty of playability depending on what type of player you are, and there are loads of vehicles to unlock and race. You probably will not race with every vehicle though, but they are still an option. Wrapping up, Captain Gordon gives Forza Motorsport 2 an A-.
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