Forza Motorsport Review

Xbox Live

What makes Forza so great is that you can then take your custom creation online and race it or even sell it on Xbox Live. Everything about the game was designed with Xbox Live in mind and it even automatically uploads your lap times to see how you stack up against other racers around the world. In addition to being able to find and race against anyone and everyone you want, you can also participate in an online career mode that will pit you against people that are at your same skill level. You can also form car clubs so you will always have a likeable group of people to race with. When you have more than four members, your club will be given an overall rating so you can see how you measure up against other clubs. Another great feature is that you can initiate a “buy and sell” session with up to eight other players. This is a great way to buy cars that are rare in your region or to pick up cars with specialized paint jobs that people have made. Overall, the online features run very smoothly and work really well. Forza is still a really great game if you can’t play online, but Xbox Live makes the whole experience even better.

Graphics and Sound

Graphically, Forza Motorsport is a fantastic looking game. The cars are almost exactly like their real world counterparts and feature a lot of nice little touches like the tread on the tires and the details in the grille of each car. The tracks are also very detailed and look great overall. They feature a lot of special effects such as real-time lighting and shadows which makes everything else really stand out. Couple all of that with the real-time damage of the cars themselves and you have a very realistic looking and appealing visual package.

The sound is also very good in Forza. I can say without any hesitation that this game features the absolute best engine sounds of any racing game I have ever played. Every car sounds different and engine sounds change with each performance upgrade you get. The cars all sound exactly like you expect them to and it really is a thrill to take a 800 horsepower Corvette or Viper out onto the track and listen to them roar. The music in the game isn’t very good, however, but thankfully Microsoft included a custom soundtrack option. It is surprising how much more enjoyable racing is when you can cruise around to your own tunes.

Overall, Forza is a great looking and sounding game.

Gran Turismo Killer?

For nearly a decade, Sony has dominated the simulation racing genre with the Gran Turismo series. Forza Motorsport is Microsoft’s attempt to end that dominance and I would have to say that it comes very close. Whether or not it is a “Gran Turismo killer” is a hard question to answer, however. Aside from some subtle differences, Forza and Gran Turismo are pretty much the same game. I mean, there are the exact same cars with most of the same exact tracks and the games play basically the same so saying one is better than the other is pretty foolish. Gran Turismo 4 offers you three times as many cars, more tracks, better performance tuning, and tighter gameplay overall, but Forza allows you to customize the appearance of your car however you want and you can also play online. It really is too close to call. Personally, I would rather have two great games than just one, so now PS2 and Xbox fans can all be happy which is cool with me.

Bottom Line

If you are an Xbox racing fan, Forza Motorsport is a must own title. Simulation-style racing is a little more difficult than the arcade racers that make up the majority of the Xbox racing game library, but the endless tweaking and tuning and precise driving required by a sim-racer provides a level of satisfaction that no other game can match. Forza also allows you to customize the look of your car as well as the appearance which gives you a great sense of ownership that immerses you in the game even more. Not only is Forza a great single-player experience, but you can take your customized cars online and join a community of car nuts and racing fans just like yourself which makes everything about this game even better. This is the best racing game on the Xbox and is highly recommended for a purchase. Rent it first if you are unsure if you’ll like a sim-style game, but this is a game that most racing fans will want to have in their collection for a long time to come.