Forza Motorsport has come to the Xbox. It gives PS2's GT4 a good run for its money. Keith O'Brien reports
THEY say patience is a virtue and, with Xbox heading in to the autumn of its life, the only real gap in its CV was a truly excellent racing game. Yeah, Project Gotham wasn't bad, but it fell some way short of the mark when compared to the Gran Turismo series on PS2.
Now, Xbox owners can look forward to an Indian summer - patience is about to be paid off as Forza Motorsports finally arrives.
Forza is first and foremost a racing simulator but don't let that turn you off. There is no steep learning curve here - you can pick up and play this game really easily in the arcade mode where there are plenty of cars and tracks to choose . . . and the suggested race line and braking points which appear on screen will help you race to your hearts content.
The real strength in Forza, however, lies in the Career mode. Here you must first pick a region. Then your car . . . there are over 200 cars to pick from, standard production cars, "mid-life crisis" sports cars or purpose built race cars.
Parts are cheaper in your region, but if you decide to import a car or part from another region they are much more expensive.
"Credits" make the Forza world go round. You gain them by racing and you use them to upgrade your car, customise it or buy a new one and work your way up the classes. But be careful because certain upgrades could push you up a class too soon, making you a small fish in a very big pond.
All this aside the main reason we spend our hard-earned cash and time on games such as Forza is the driving. The cars have a weighty feel, depending on what class you choose, and they handle extremely well .
Feed-back through the joy pad is super. You really feel your tyres losing and regaining grip.
The AI of the other cars is spot on - they seem to act independently rather than following a set line. From time to time they will tussle with each other.
You can actually damage your car in Forza. If you do an "Eddie Irvine" and brake late on approach to a corner to jump a few places, somebody is going to rear-end you. This will effect the car's performance and cost you some credits to repair.
Through Xbox Live you can go online and race against other drivers. Your lap times are recorded and up-loaded every time you go on line. Car clubs have also sprung up in which drivers race as a team in similarly modified cars, which enhances the online experience.
Forza is a superb game which has been developed to the highest standard. Xbox owners really do get excellent value for money with this game.
Inevitably, there will be comparison with the brilliant GT4, which has more cars, tracks and an excellent pedigree - but Forza just pips it by a hundredth of a second.