| Game Reviews From a Parental Perspective! | |
|
|
|
| Home | Forums | Review Archive | Columns | Feature Articles |
|
Home >
Review Archive >
Video Games
> Results: Forza Motorsport
Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Scroll down for our Kid Factor. 
Gran Turismo is one of those legendary videogame franchises that will probably last as long as there are videogames and Sony continues to make them. It changed the face of driving games on videogame consoles because it introduced elements of simulation that simply hadn't appeared in console games before that. Others have tried to emulate its successful formula but none have come so close to bettering Sony's franchise until now. Forza Motorsport is the first driving game to replicate the Gran Turismo-like thrill of driving nearly any road car you can think of at speed on both realistic and fictional speedways and roads. It one-ups its competitor by adding online functions that make it more desirable than even the latest iteration of Sony's biggest homegrown franchise.
Forza Motorsport is not perfect and there is generous room for improvement. The driving AI is good but fallible. It brakes too early for some corners and scrubs speed when it doesn't need to. It's sometimes overly aggressive causing you to spin out on high speed straights when it should keep its nose clean. You can also exploit it in the same way you can that of Sony's game by simply bouncing off the side of a competitor car and driving on by. That's mainly due to the way damage modelling is handled. It takes a very hard hit to break something important on your car and using your opponent as a bumper to pinball off of doesn't cost you like it should. Damage is visible though, and that's a major plus.  Forza is a gorgeous game to look at. Cars are rendered with attention to detail and there are plenty of them to see and drive. Manufacturers from all over the world are represented and you can drive anything from historic cars to current racing cars like the tremendously successful Audi R8 prototype. Races take the form of eight car duels through a varying number of laps. More cars would add to the fun, but for the most part you always have someone to race against unless you're way out in front. The AI doesn't play catch up unfairly and will in fact make mistakes and collide with other AI cars from time to time. You can also adjust the difficulty if you find yourself always winning and want more challenge. The game uses a simple menu system to get you into and out of races, cars and the parts shop. It's very functional but needs some shortcuts. When you're in a race and find out your car is just no match for those you've taken on, it would be great to go straight to your garage for another. Sometimes you just don't have the right setup and you've got to spend an inordinate amount of time messing with the menus to get to the adjustment screens and back to the race you're contesting. The thing is, when you get on the track, a lot of that minor frustration disappears because the driving is very good. Cars perform realistically in Forza. You can't expect to hold the right trigger down the whole way around the circuit and survive every corner. Braking points need to be found and adhered to. It takes awhile to get into the groove with this game if you're used to arcade racers. The game is considered a "simulation" but don't expect something on par with Papyrus' racing games on the PC. Simulation is still used loosely here. The cars are definitely a combination of numbers behind the scenes which becomes very evident as you buy upgrades for them. The on track performance is a total blast to play though so as long as you're not expecting perfection. Forza satisfies.  The biggest addition to this genre that the game provides is online play. You can join car clubs, trade cars, race against friends and even use your career-built cars to continue that career online. There is also a robust paint shop in Forza that lets you personalize all your vehicles. You'll spend an inordinate amount of time in the paint shop turning each of your cars into something that represents you. Best of all is you can then take that car online and show it off. It's really cool stuff that no car game has really done before. The only downside is that races with specifications tend to feature the "one car" that is best suited to win. People don't drive cars that might not win the race. If all that's not enough, there's also an entertaining hot lap mode where you can try to beat your friends and the world's best. Online play is a serious consideration if you want to get the most out of this game. So Forza Motorsport isn't perfect but it is tremendously entertaining. The driving model is a good one for console-style "simulation" gameplay. You can really feel and hear the limits of adhesion from the tires and there are plenty of driving aids to get anyone into the racing with ease. Early races are easy to win allowing you to build a garage of cars to tinker with. Customization of your cars and online functions really set the game apart from its competition though. While the other guys basically stood still, Microsoft's game has pushed the boundaries of what's expected from the driving game genre and future games will need more than just a few cars running fast to be competitive. 
As a more realistic driving game, Forza Motorsport isn't suited to smaller children unless they're very adept at driving games already. The cars require more precise braking and turning than most racing games and the circuits are built to test both man and machine. Kids will love to watch this game though and will want to give it a go even if they fail at it time and again. The content is certainly safe for anyone unless you plug the headset in on Live. The usual warnings apply when allowing your kids to play on Microsoft's service with voice enabled, as four-letter words make up the entire vocabulary of a large group of its players.
Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Forza Motorsport |
Read the GamerDad 2007 Holiday Guide!
|
Please Note: GamerDad is not intended to be read by anyone under 18. We stay clean, but be warned! Content Management System developed by Redbird Solutions. |
