Not forza Italia, but Forza Motorsport 2! (Forza Motorsport 2 (Xbox 360))

Member Name: FrankensteinsCat

Product:	Forza Motorsport 2 (Xbox 360)
Date:	04/09/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Has a wide range of cars and downloadable content.

Disadvantages: Has now been updated so go for the later version.

OVERVIEW:
As far as racing simulation games went in the latter part of 2007, Forza Motorsport 2 was the best game on the market. There are over 300 cars in the game and over 15 different tracks, with numerous versions. The developers, Turn 10 had also released car and track packs as downloadable content on Xbox Live, which further increased the games playability.

GRAPHICS:
The cars in the game look excellent, both online and offline, and accurately resemble their real-life counterparts. Car textures are good as well as lighting and shadows on the cars. Car collisions look very real and dynamic, ranging from scratched paintwork and a cracked windshield to a totally destroyed front bumper. The environments are a mixed bag; the tarmac, vegetation and sunny weather look very next-gen, but the track-side objects are far from perfect, with some dodgy looking supporters in the stands. Furthermore, jagged pixels are present and visible on the cars, although not enough to put you off.

The game runs at 60Hz, 60fps, which allows for a very smooth and uninterrupted experience. Online for the most part runs very well but this obviously depends on the connections of the other drivers.

GAMEPLAY:
Forza 2 has the standard Career mode which has you competing in a large number of races. There is also an Exhibition mode which is normal races, but with any cars and also Time Trials, which challenges you to beat the preset time. In multiplayer, you have 2 player split screen and 8 players over Xbox Live.

The cars handle realistically as they would in real life, and the extensive damage system for the cars allows for unique car characteristics, when components are damaged (something which the Gran Turismo series lacks). Forza also allows you to upgrade your car from a new engine block to a rear wing, with many different upgrades for all parts of the car. The livery editor is also worthy of a mention allowing those with a creative edge to design their cars just the way they like, with hundreds of options at your disposal; from the basics such as changing the colour of your car, to tinted windows, to pictures of Yoda on your bodywork.

The tuning options in Forza 2 are phenomenal. Practically anything on your car can be tweaked from tire pressures, to camber, to suspension settings, to front/rear downforce to brake bias. The tuning system will keep you occupied for many hours as you look to perfect your setup for your favourite car. And for those who are not too fussed about it (including me), you can leave the car like it is and it will still drive great. The Forza 2 forums are also very good, providing excellent technical knowledge for newcomers, as well as offering very handy suspension and transmission calculators, for those who don't want to spend too much time tuning their car. The game also boasts an excellent telemetry system which can be viewed during a race or in a replay. The telemetry provides real-time information on your car, from the temperature of your tires to the amount of horsepower you are using. The telemetry is particularly useful when viewed in replays as it allows you to review your car and race and therefore makes it easier for you to improve.

For those new to the Forza Motorsport series or racing simulations in general, the game gives you a number of options to ease you into the game. There are your standard driving assists (anti-lock braking system, traction control and stability management) as well as racing lines. The racing lines will guide novices around the track telling them which line to take, when to brake and when to accelerate. You can crank up the difficulty by putting braking lines on only or taking the racing line off all together. There are also three difficulty settings (novice/intermediate/professional) which determines the skill of the AI drivers, and damage and tyre simulation can also be turned off for an easier experience.

The AI is impressive especially on the professional difficulty and they will take an aggressive line on you, if you decide to play bumper cars. The races are challenging and many will require you to retry it numerous times.

Forza is definitely not a game which you can just jump into and get the hang of after a few races. Becoming a pro takes many hours of practice, but the rewards are great.

MULTIPLAYER:
Forza Motorsport 2 features a good online system, with up to eight racers able to race online. Drivers can choose to race in unranked Exhibition races for fun or ranked Career races for money and rank. Drivers are able to choose cars from their garage with full assist support (Gran Turismo 4 lacked this option) as well as from the stock garages (although these cars need to be unlocked in the Arcade and Career modes). Within these races, the host can choose from a large variety of settings to create the lobby that they want to race in, from a basic limitation to a specific car class to a limitation on the maximum curb weight of your car. As well as these standard races, Forza 2 also hosts a number of tournaments, allowing drivers all over the world to become the best driver in the world. There is also the Auction House which allows drivers to buy and sell cars for auction; as well Forza TV which lets drivers watch replays from some of the best races online. However, online lacks any party system and offline multiplayer is limited to 2 players, and you cannot race against bots.

Forza also offers an excellent photo mode and video replay. You can pause any single player race to take a photo, which offer many different photographic options. Any race you participate in - be it single or multiplayer - can be saved and viewed later at your pleasure.

SOUND:
When it comes to a racing simulation, there's not much to say about sound, when there is no soundtrack or licensed music to consider. However, the cars all sound realistic and you can definitely tell the difference between a straight V6 Porsche 911 and a V10 Lamborghini Gallardo. Car collisions also sound realistic from two cars swapping paint to a full on crash at 180mph into the tyre barrier. The game supports full Dolby Digital 5.1 which allows for a greater realistic and immersive experience.

REPLAYABILITY:
The Career mode will take around fifty hours to complete alone and that's only the bare bones of it. If you want to purchase every car in the game (because you're a perfectionist or want the achievements), the Career mode will take well over a hundred hours to complete. There is also Exhibition and the Time Trials which will take five to ten to complete. Finally, the online racing on Xbox Live will have you playing for hours, with so many different racers to play against, many different tracks and cars and some excellent paint jobs to look at.

CONCLUSION:
Forza Motorsport 2 is a brilliant game, but not an easy game and certainly not for everyone. If you have only a slight interest in cars and motor racing, or have no interest whatsoever with cars, then this is not the game for you. Forza 2 is not an easy game to jump into and requires many hours of practice. However driving aids and assists means the learning curve is hard but not too steep. But for those really into their racing, the game is nearly as realistic as you would want it to be - realistic car handling and damage, car upgrades, livery editor, tuning system, lots of cars and tracks, eight player online races, it's pretty much everything any racing fan can want. Becoming a good driver will take many hours, but will certainly be worth it once you've taken the time.

Summary: An excellent racing simulation, but will only appeal to racing fans.