Forza Motorsport 3 Review
Forza Motorsport 3 sees the Forza franchise return to the Xbox 360 for the second time, and the third time in four years on Microsoft platforms. The previous two titles helped it to quickly establish itself as the premiere racing simulator to be found on Microsoft's platforms and with their latest installment, Turn 10 are hoping to further impress gamers. It's no easy task, but with improved physics, even more detailed cars and more community options, the outlook is definitely promising.
To get players instantly in the mood there is a newly remodelled career mode which focuses on seasons. Upon selecting a car, suggested events will appear and players must choose from one of three events. Once selected, they will then race the tournament, and earnings will be given depending on performance. After each of these events, there is then a classification tournament, in which players are limited to using cars underneath a certain Performance Index. As the seasons progress, they become longer, and the classification tournaments get more difficult. It makes the game get gradually more challenging, and makes for a nice feeling of progression.
The season mode can be completely ignored though, as events can actually be selected independently from this mode. It's possible to jump in to the majority of the events the game offers, although the player must of course have a suitable car. It makes the game feel a lot more accessible, and having the two options gives players the choice to play through all the different events how they wish. As well as the standard lap-based racers, Forza Motorsport 3 now actually offers some other types of racers, such as section based (for larger tracks), drift and drag. The latter two options are quite superficial though, and drag especially, is actually quite boring.
As previously mentioned, Performance Index returns, and it serves as a benchmark for ranking cars. It takes into consideration numerous factors, so the higher-end cars aren't all the fastest; handling is just as important as speed. To make things simpler though, there are classifications ranging from F to R3 and they help players get a quick overview of how good a car is. Although if for example, speed is required, it's probably best to look at specifics. Unfortunately, actually browsing through cars can be quite a chore sometimes. It's possible to look through manufacturers, or to show affordable cars. However, it's actually quite tedious to look through from start to finish and while it's possible to sort even further, it just feels like something could have been done to make it much more user friendly.
Picking out a suitable car is where the fun only starts though, as the majority of them are fully customisable. Almost every facet of the car can be changed to some degree, and the in-game system lets players know exactly what the repercussions of the changes will be. Sometimes doing upgrades might actually hinder performance, so there are trade-offs to be had. These usually revolve around aesthetics versus performance though. Speaking of aesthetics, Forza Motorsport 3 again allows cars to have their exteriors completely redesigned. The standard paint jobs are possible, but the vinyl system makes a successful return. This allows players to make their own designs for their cars and the possibilities are literally limitless.
