Drive, Buy

Game: Forza Motorsport
System: Microsoft Xbox
Release date: May 3, 2005
Developed by: Turn 10 Studios
Published by: Microsoft Game Studios

From the beginning of its adventure in console gaming, Microsoft has not been shy about taking on the heavyweight franchises of the video game world. With Forza Motorsport, a racing simulation which arrived late in the lifespan of the Xbox, Microsoft took aim at the racing sim franchise par excellence Gran Turismo; and while Forza Motorsport doesn't quite match the best Gran Turismo has to offer, it remains a solidly-designed simulation with hundreds of cars, incredible levels of customization and a physics engine which stands up to even the most skeptical car enthusiast.

Forza Motorsport features all of the standard racing modes, including "Arcade Race, "Time Trials," and "Free Run," but the core of the game is "Career Mode," an extensive and intensive series of point-to-point, lap and endurance races. Throughout Career Mode, players earn credits by earning trophies, which are used to purchase new cars and parts. As more and more credits are awarded, players rise in level and unlock manufacturer relationships. Car manufacturers, like Honda or Bentley, will begin to offer discounts on car parts, even gift an entire car.

Apart from its ultra-realistic physics engine, in which weight, engine model and transmission type affect how exactly each car will perform on each track, Forza Motorsport boasts realistic damage physics. If a player's car strikes (or is struck) by a rival car or an obstacle, damage will appear on the vehicle, but the damage is not merely cosmetic; collisions can alter handling, top speed and acceleration. Even small fender-benders can wreck a car's front-end alignment, causing it to drift either to the left or right for the remainder of the race.


Even though Forza Motorsport is a racing simulation, and thus requires patience and practice, the game supplies several elements to help racing novices. These include a "suggested line," basically a driving tutor in the form of a dynamic line which informs the player of the best possible course along the racetrack. The line shifts from green (drive as fast as desired) to yellow (slow down) to red (brake immediately). This is especially useful for players unfamiliar with racing simulations, but also helpful to experienced players looking to find the best way to dominate a track.

Forza Motorsport is not perfect; its graphics and soundtrack could certainly be better and its limited number of tracks is inexplicable, but its strengths definitely outweigh its weaknesses. Serious simulation fans could play the game, offline and online, for literally hundreds of hours, but novice players will find several features, including a forgiving difficulty curve and user-friendly technologies, which make Forza Motorsport much less intimidating and tedious than many other simulations.

Score: 92/100