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Xbox | Driving | Forza Motorsport

Boxart for Forza Motorsport
Forza Motorsport 54 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 5.0
  • SOUND: 4.5
  • CONTROL: 5.0
  • FUN FACTOR 5.0
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.2
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.8
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Hands-On: Forza Motorsport

Hands-On by FOUREYEDDRAGON | 08/12/2004 | 17:32:53 PM PST

Never mind what Forza means (it?s Italian lingo). Never mind that Forza is being labeled the ?Gran Turismo? for the Xbox. All you need to know is that Forza Motorsport will be the driving game upon its release. Just never mind when that will be.

When it comes to outstanding racing games, the Gran Turismo series never fails to be at the top of the list. But the legendary series will always remain PS2-only, so what is a Xbox owner to do?

Welcome to the Forza Motorsport garage, where each car is hand created with only the Xbox in mind. Forza will be the first Xbox driving simulator where the underlying feature is true realism.

Ask any of the over 100 people creating Forza, and they?ll all say that the Gran Turismo series definitely paved the way to true virtual car racing. But they?ll also be quick to mention that Forza will travel toward areas of gameplay that the Gran Turismo series or any other racer hasn?t steered to yet.

First and foremost, Forza Motorsport is a simulator. All 200-plus cars from top manufacturers including Ferrari, Toyota, Audi, Porche, Dodge, and TVR will mirror their real life counterpart in every way, from its steering physics all the way down to tire ware and camber motions. Cars can take on damage, too. In fact, damage incurred won?t be just an aesthetic feature?not only will your ride look ugly, but so will its handling on the track. Such attention to detail will also be emphasized in more than 15 road courses?some real and some fantasy made. Track marks, worn pavement, and even the different gravel and concrete surfaces will be thoroughly simulated to look and feel as real as possible.

Another Forza goal is to make you feel like you have complete ownership of each car that you collect. With ownership, of course, comes personal preferences and customizations, and Forza has that covered. Sure, you can pimp your ride by selecting from a whole list of licensed body kits. The real personalized touch, however, comes in the form of your own paint job. Okay, it?s not original, but with the amount of decals (about 200!) and layers you can apply (100 layers per side!), plus the ability to paste your own text will make for some very imaginative designs.

Microsoft is tight-lipped about Forza?s online gameplay. What is known, though, is that up to eight players can race at one time.

Microsoft is also tight-lipped about Forza?s release date. The game is expected to be released this winter, but whether it is winter this year or next year is still up in question. Still, after over two years in development, a specific release date isn?t as a priority as it is to making Forza a realistic and fun driver. So far, Forza Motorsport is racing on the right track.