Game - Forza Motorsport
 DJHufford  rates it:    Community rates it:
   150 of 324 readers found this review helpful.

You are immediately going to want to compare this game to Sony’s Gran Turismo 4. You would be wrong. On the surface, it seems as if it is another racing clone, but below the surface lies a racer that can entirely stand on its own for several reasons.

There are many aspects to this game. In this tale, you can get as immersed as you want to. There are some 200+ cars in this game so you are sure to find at least one vehicle you like. But you can never have just one. The cash and trade system is rather liberal, and you accumulate hoards of cars rather quickly. There are many tracks with which to choose. Some real, a lot of fake. But you really won’t care. The majority of them are visually stunning.

The graphics are about what you would expect for a game this late in the generation cycle. It is pushing every ounce of juice out of the Xbox. My box heated up rather quickly. As stunning as they are though, I would not quite put it up against a certain Mars based first person demon shooter.

What this game wants to be known for, is the realism. I cannot begin to describe the options you have here. Every intricate detail from the paint to the drivetrain can be meticulously tweaked. But this is where the game begins to show its first flaw. As wonderful as it is to have so many options, the amount of screens you have to go through is unprecedented. It feels like your digging through the pages of a long-winded website. Only the most patient of gamers will tweak their rides to their full potential.

Surprisingly enough, this game has a MMORPG aspect to it. That was completely unexpected. It has a sort of level up system. The higher level you are, the more tracks, cars, and parts you unlock. Of course, you’re leveling up against nobody but yourself, but this definately looks to become a possible trend in racers.

I do have one major bone to pick with this title. And this bone is a racer-killer to me. This title does have a damage engine. But it is extremely poor. You can beat the snot out of your ride before you notice any performance change. I am sure there are many people who will enjoy this. However, I have been spoiled by the damage realism in the Rallisport Challenge and Toca series.

Now I know you still cannot get that one question out of your head. Is it a Gran Turismo 4 killer? No. I would strike this as a draw. A brilliant racer, with many fine qualities, but nothing sets it apart. It had more options then I could ever hope for, but it came off as average. I am positive it will have plenty of fans, I just don’t think I’m one of them.

Added:  Friday, July 01, 2005

Related Link:  Official Site
Language: eng[ Did you find this review helpful?  Yes  No ]
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