Forza Motorsport 2

A good simulator is a beautiful thing. I remember way back when the first Gran Turismo had come out in Japan and a friend of mine showed it to me (like 6 months before it came out in America) and I first glanced at the hidden high-resolution mode. I remember thinking that it didn't look like a playstation game and didn't play like one either. It played like something from the future, like something brought back in a time-machine. Every since Gran Turismo people have been trying to steal its thunder with their own driving simulator for the masses. The first one that made a dent was Forza for the Xbox. And naturally when the long-awaited 360 version came out people were excited (and especially since Gran Turismo 5 has been ages in development the full-priced tech demo called Prologue is a disappointment to some as it lacks full-version...depth). It ain't perfect. But it really is quite a beast.

If you're looking for the perfect driving simulator you can look somewhere else (Gran Prix Legends maybe...now why don't they make a console version of that?). While there are good tracks, there's no Monza, no Longbeach, ect.,ect. (crazy to say it, but the best track selection is still in Ferrari F355 Challenge for Dreamcast and Grand Prix Legends for the PC). The controls are great, but they can frustrate as well. The graphics are beautiful, but not definitive from my viewpoint (even in high-definition). And then there's the irritation of the letterboxing in standard aspect ratio which FORCES you to run the darn thing in widescreen ratio if you don't want a huge chunk of your screen empty (and makes me have to keep switching the aspect ratio back and forth... Urgh!). And if you don't want to fly off the road into the dirt over and over and over.... you're going to have to concentrate on your driving and tweak your setups like never before (when oh WHEN are they going to start putting in some kind of auto-tuning wizard?). But the upside...ah the upside.

I've been playing racing games since Rad Racer on the NES. I've played every kind of racer you could imagine over the years, and very near and dear to my heart are good racing simulators (provided they don't get to PC levels of complexity that drive men insane). This game may not be Gran Turismo, but it definitely is its Nemesis. The soundtrack turns itself off during an actual race, but if it bugs you during menus you can turn it off. The controls are precise and smooth. The level of car data available is almost too much to fathom. The graphics on a high-definition display are incredibly crisp and clear. And the car A.I., all so often the weak point of a racer, is pretty darn awesome. So many times I was racing, and one of the other cars tapped me just right to spin me out and send me into the wall. Call it what you like, but I swear it was on purpose.

The meat of the game, strangely enough, is not the racing. It's the car collecting and (RPG/racing fans rejoice!) Leveling Up. That's right. You Level Up your cars in this game through winning races with them, simultaneously leveling up yourself. As your car gains levels you get discounts. As you gain levels races are unlocked. You also get to add a custom paint job and decals to your car, turning it into your own work of art. And that's where all the depth hits you.

You see, you can't just buy the most expensive upgrades for any car and go to town with it. Some races have weight requirements, some races have horsepower restrictions. You'll find yourself undoing upgrades so you can enter the race. And then you'll find that certain upgrades will make your sweet ride totally unusable simply because the car-type isn't suitable for that oh-so-pretty turbo tune you saved up for. I found that out the hard way. But on the upside, when you finally figure out how to maximize your car (I took a Porsche 911 Turbo into Unlimited Class through a powertrain swap, every engine upgrade, and every handling upgrade possible), you'll really love driving. The key in my case was discovering the tire and rim upgrades combined with the downforce upgrades. Trust me, the difference in handling with wide, super-slick tires with extra-large, extra-light rims and three downforce upgrades (spoiler, front and rear flaps to decrease lift) is HUGE when you've got an S or U class monster.

While there aren't ALL that many races to compete in and you'll find yourself doing some over and over and over on the same glorified oval tracks, the tracks are fairly well designed (not Gran Turismo 1 or 4 well-designed but passable for fun driving), and can be very very pretty on a good display. Personally I find more gratification in finally getting that tuning setup on a car just right (or getting just the right upgrades), painting a car with a neat custom pain job, and seeing my skills as a driver increase as my car increases it's drivability through upgrades and tuning tweaks. That's where the real fun in this game is, that's where the gameplay is at. I've restarted races countless times because I got tapped and hit the wall, getting more frustrated each time, only to find that those two or three upgrades or tweaks made my car unstoppable.

Thankfully, you can also make a LOT of adjustments to the difficulty of the game (including the now-famous driving lines to guide you), so if you keep spinning out and cars keep racing ahead of you, you can turn the difficulty down a notch at the expense of extra credits you would earn for a difficulty bonus. The actual damage simulation is pretty neat on a cosmetic level, with mirrors and bumpers ripping off, pain jobs getting scratched to steel-wool proportions, and windshields shattering. It's still not perfect of course (only Grand Prix Legends lets you blow out your transmission on the starting line by red-lining in neutral as far as I know), but the effect of hitting walls with simulation damage on can make your car undrivable if you hit a wall head-on at 200MPH. The replays at kind of neat (worth watching but still not Gran Turismo level), and the car views are great

For the inevitable Forza 3 I have the following recommendations: More real-world, world-class tracks such as Monza, Silverspring, Monaco, and Long Beach. They would add tremendous depth. Also, race series in which you must complete every race in order, larger numbers of cars to race against, an auto-tune wizard, and maybe some dynamic weather and time-of-day changes to make the tracks less boring. I say if you're going to go for realism, go all the way. Make those changes and a few more (I loved how Gran Prix Legends had the car's handling change based on how much fuel was in the tank and how your car would break apart differently every time when you had a crash).

If you dig the whole car collecting aspect of racing games and really dig simulators this game will be right up your alley. If you just want to race and feel the racing atmosphere you might want to look elsewhere (I thinking GRID). I don't enjoy this game more than any other simulator (the most fun one I've played yet is Gran Turismo 4), but it IS a very different kind of game and an enjoyable experience all-around. I just have a LOOOOONG way to go before I unlock everything (just like every other simulator I own). See you on the track race fans!

This is a very good racing game. The physics are realistic and the graphics are impressive. There is a huge selection of cars with numerous aftermarket upgrade options. I enjoyed every minute of playing this game.

Bought this game hoping to enjoy it occassionally. Can't stop playing it. Making adjustments to cars then testing them is a blast. Looking forward to the challenge at the higher levels.

This game is the best racing game i have played. I really liked GT3 and even 4. But this game along with its predecessor are better in a lot of ways. Even if you are not an experienced player when it comes to racing games, you will catch on quit the game allows you to learn at your own pace witch in the end makes it more fun for everyone. The customizing and upgrading have improved from the first game. It really is a challenge for experienced players and a breeze for newbies both at the same time. But if you like racing games any at all then buy this you wont be disappointed.

There aren't many racing simulations out for the shooter focused XBox 360, so many racing sim fans are getting anxious for a new one to come out. Well, if you are one of those people and don't already have Forza 2, buy it immediately, because racing simulations don't get much better than this.

Graphics- 6/10. Cars in Forza 2 can look great, beautiful even. With real time damage, and a seemingly unlimited amount of customization to be done on the cars, it's a wonder how all of them look so dang polished. Forza 2 really captures all of the different cars superbly, and every single car is totally recognizable to its real life counterpart, right down to the shine of the paint.

So why give it a 6? Because everything besides the cars are a disappointment The race tracks themselves look O.K., but the grass and what not around them look awful, spectators are one step up from the old cardboard models used on the original XBox, plus the bumpers around the tracks use some really bad textures. Texture work in general is simply not very good on Forza 2. Particle effects aren't up to par, and in general, it is hard to call the graphics anything more than a major disappointment.

Sound- 4/10. Forza 2 features one of the worst soundtracks I've ever heard in a video game. The headliner of the songs is "Gone Daddy Gone" by Gnarls Barkley, which appeals to a certain audience, but most of the songs are electronic rock- wait, electronic rock? Huh? Besides the god awful soundtrack, quite a few of the cars sound suspiciously alike, though not so much that you won't be able to tell the difference from a Ferrari and a Honda. All crashes sound a lot alike, and, you guessed it, most of the skidding sounds you will make sound alike.

Forza 2 came out nearly 2 years ago, so the sub-par graphics are to be expected as the ever-changing visuals of the XBox 360 continue to improve. Don't get to discouraged by the bad soundtrack and visuals, because Forza 2 has just so much more to offer in the rest of the game.

Customization- 10/10. This is where Forza 2 really shines, or doesn't shine; it depends on how you play the game. You can upgrade your cars in career mode in a vast array of different ways, though none of it is necessary to win a race, on any level of difficulty. It will make it easier to win, sure, but you can get by on just the standard cars that you can buy, if you aren't the type of player that like to tweak out your ride. If you do want to upgrade you cars, it breaks down to four ways in which you can do this. The first is Engine and Power- Intake and exhaust upgrades reduce restrictions on airflow into and exhaust flow out of the engine. Fuel and ignition upgrades increase fuel flow and provide a hotter spark for more efficient combustion. Turbo and supercharger upgrades force more air in the engine. You can also perform a complete engine swap. Next, there is the Platform and Handling upgrades- by upgrading your car's suspension to lighten and stiffen the chassis, you can improve its handling. Upgrading the suspension, brakes, and transmission, and driveline improve the car's response to driver input. Also, you can upgrade the Tires and Rims- The stock tires on your car limit your track performance, no matter how you tweak you engine or suspension. Upgrading rims and tire compound, size, and profile improves acceleration, cornering, and brake performance. Finally, you can upgrade the Weight and Aerodynamics- Upgrading body components (bumpers, wings, skirts, spoilers, hoods, and so on) can lighten the care, reduce aerodynamic drag, and improve grip by increasing down force. You can also customize a car's appearance to make it your car. There are also three levels of upgrades to choose from- Street, sport, and race upgrades. Street upgrades provide a mild performance increase at a low cost, Sport upgrades provide a medium performance increase at a moderate price, and Race upgrades provide a major performance increase, but come at a major cost. To upgrade cars, you need "credits" that you earn by winning races, but some upgrades will change the class of your car, which can be bad, as the other cars in your new class might be better than your car, making you uncompetitive. The most fun of these upgrades in my opinion, is changing your car's appearance, as there is just so many ways to do this. You might put a decal on the car, change the paint, give it a new spoiler, add vinyl, and so on. You can also use layers to create a custom design, which is complicated to perform, but makes your car awesome. You can gift your custom cars to your friends at any time, so you can have a team design while you race online, or just to show off your new car. I really have found no faults at all in the customization part of Forza 2. The slogan "Fuel your Fantasy" fits this game perfectly, as if you can think it up, you can drive.

Options- 8/10. There is a seemingly unlimited amount of different cars to drive in Forza 2. Over 300 different cars, with 10 different classes from 9 different countries become available to you in the game over time, and it never gets old to rip around the track in a brand new Lamborghini. However, the tracks you are ripping around in do get old, as there are only 12 different environments that are separated into only different tracks. Some of the tracks you will know, like Silverstone, and there are a few good fantasy tracks to race on. There is quite a few different modes to play in, including Arcade, Career, and Multiplayer.

Gameplay- 7/10. Beware; this game has one of the biggest learning curves you will ever have to deal with. No matter what car you are racing with, you WILL crash on your first big turn. You have to crawl around each corner at like 40 miles per hour in your super car, which can be very frustrating. However, it is a racing simulation, so the game is going for reality over fun, and it most definitely is the most realistic racing game you will play this year. Every car takes real-time damage, and you really get into the race when you get side-swiped in your 200,000 dollar car. The A.I. certainly could be better, but they usually won't do anything that will cost them the race.

After you spend an hour or two destroying your cars, you should get the general idea of how to play Forza 2. It comes down to just going slower that you thought you would have to, and the game actually becomes quite un-challenging to play after you get the hang of it. You probably won't do races more than once or twice, and eventually, the monotony of the game could get to you if you aren't really into the options and customization part of the game. The reason you'd want to buy this game is to drive really, really expensive cars that you won't see in real life, if you want to just have a blast driving around, this game is not for you.

Career- 8/10. The career mode serves it's purpose- to expose you to the vast amount of cars and customization to be done with those cars. There is no real story involved in the game, other than the goal of winning all of you races to be the best driver you can be. The cars you get, and ultimately the amount of fun you will have comes down to which country you pick to be from, as all the cars that you can buy at a discount in the early stages of the career mode revolve around this choice. A nice touch is that the career mode can be played online with other human drivers, to gain credits to buy new cars and customize them. You'll spend most of your time in Career while playing Forza 2, and with the amount different options you have while in it (as previously stated), it's no wonder why this is one of the elite racing games for the XBox 360. This gets an 8 from me, because as with everything in Forza 2, things can get boring if you aren't a real car enthusiast, and this mode will certainly not be fun for everyone.

Multiplayer/XBox Live- 9/10. Multiplayer has a little something to offer everyone in Forza Motorsport 2. You can race players on a split screen, use a system link to connect up to eight XBox 360s on a LAN, or play one of the varies modes over XBox Live. While in XBox Live, you can participate in the standard Exhibition race, play in a Tournament, Gift a Car to a friend, buy or sell a car over the online auction house, or even watch Forza Motorsport TV. The Exhibition race is self explanatory- race against 8 other players, whether they be random, or your friends. The tournament mode is great fun, and the basic synopsis is as follows- Players race in groups of eight based on qualifying times. The top four in each group advance to the next round until a driver wins. For each completed round, you win credits, which you can apply later in the career. The auction house is my favorite part of Forza 2, as you can essentially trade a car in that you no longer want for a car you are just dying to have. Things work just like you might expect, you search the data base for the car you want, place a bid, and if you have the highest bid when things are said and done, the car is yours. You can also start an auction as so people will bid on your car. Forza TV is an interesting concept, which probably looked better on paper than it does in the game. Forza Motorsport TV has multiple channels that allow you to watch the "hottest action", and give you updates to what's going on in the world of Forza. They pick which races are broadcasted by the racers ranks, so unless you are one of the top players in the world, you probably won't be on the network. I guess it turns out that it is more fun to play video games than to watch them. Go figure. In summary, the multiplayer is great fun, and will always give you something to do.

Forza 2 is the epitome of realism in a game. If you want to feel what it is like to drive the world's finest cars, you will have a blast with this game. If you want to just have a good time racing around, this game is not for you. If that is the case, I'd recommend Burnout: Paradise, it is much easier to just pick up and play. If you're up for the challenge, and love cars, go ahead and stop reading my review, drive to the store, and buy this game. If you aren't so sure, it is at least worth playing at a friends or renting, to see if you can get into it. I'm going to give it a 8.9/10, making Forza 2 the best racing game for the XBox 360 in my opinion.