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| Game: |
Forza Motorsport |
| Genre: |
Racing |
| Developer: |
Microsoft Games |
| Publisher: |
Microsoft Games |
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| Related Links: |
Coming Soon. |
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Forza Motorsport Preview: |
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When it comes to racing games on Xbox there is only one real contender that most people will agree is good and that they are very happy with, Project Gotham. Starting the series on Dreamcast and then becoming an Xbox launch title Project Gotham Racing is the benchmark title for the console. Not a direct rival to Grand Tourismo on the PS2 as both games are set up differently but still going head to head regardless. Well it’s hard to define a distinct winner as its probably down to personal preference at the end of the day. Forget those titles for now as PS2’s Grand Tourismo and Xbox’s PGR has a new direct rival in that Microsoft Studios are ready to unleash Forza Motor Sport. Forza promises to up the ante when it comes to racing on Xbox, offering players an experience and adrenaline rush unmatched by any current racer. So let’s have look at what Forza has to offer.
As with all racing titles there are 4 things that can make or break a game. These are; number of available cars, handling, number of tracks and a realistic portrayal of speed. Forza aims to address all of these issues and a whole lot more. For starters Forza includes over 60 real World manufacturers, which include Mazda, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, and Dodge to name a few. What stands out as one of the games main features is the ability to fully customize any car. This means that players will be able to add sport compacts with real-world body kits, rims, spoilers, decals, side skirts, fender flares and hood scoops, or even add motor sport decals and team paint jobs/designs to their chosen vehicles. Not content with just tinkering with the overall look of a vehicle? Never fear as you will get to mess around under the bonnet too. Players will be able to install alternative engines (although obviously size restraints are obviously a restriction but if it fits in the real world it fits in Forza), suspension kits, bolt-on superchargers, brakes, rims, racing slicks and a whole lot more.
The finer details can be tweaked as well such as fine-tune gear ratios, fuel-mapping, forced induction pressure, tire temperature & pressure and ignition timing for the ultimate racing setup. It sounds like an armchair racers wet dream as players employ individualism to the max into their wheels. Well you might think everyone will simply go for the best engine and there will be no individual style, wrong! Forza promises over 50 engine manufacturers to choose from. Wow! Also I’m sure the developers will include an auto option for those who simply wish to race without getting too technical.
As far as the actual racing is concerned the developers teamed up with top automotive engineers to create an advanced physics engine. This means that players get to drive vehicles which suffer real time damage and wear; this will affect car performance and handling. Advanced tire and suspension models will respond to heat/ pressure changes as well as weight transfer and aerodynamic load. Basically this means a level of detail unmatched by any current racer on Xbox.
Forza will offer players a wide variety of tracks to race on including, Nurburgring, Nordschleife, Laguna Seca and the crowd littered streets of Rio de Janero plus many more. We are promised realistic speed and stunning track details which early screens and movies suggest will be the case. Using cutting edge graphics, utilizing reflections, lighting and real time shadows Forza definitely looks like a true Xbox title that pushes the hardware.
Forza will also feature unique Drivertar Technology. In English this means players will be able to Train their own AI “Drivatars” which then will use the same racing techniques you have programmed them to follow. This means “Drivertars” can race for you in competitions or train new drivers on your team. “Drivatar” technology is the foundation of the human-like AI in Forza Motorsport. This sounds quite neat but how practical or essential to the game it will be we don’t know as yet until we get to play the game.
Forza will also feature Xbox Live 3.0 support which means players will be able to pit their customized wheels against other Live users as well as all the other Live 3.0 features. The potential is huge for this on Live if Forza manages to deliver what has been promised. I have no doubt considering the pedigree behind the production that this game will deliver all that is promised to a high standard. In a genre that is already full of racing games Forza could be that killer racing title that will please both newbie racing enthusiasts and more knowledgeable racing fans. Keep a lookout for this title when it is released later this year, especially as it will offer a welcome change for those tired of First person shooting.
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