Forza Motorsport 2 (Xbox 360, 2007)

There aren't many racing simulations out for the shooter focused XBox 360, so many racing sim fans are getting anxious for a new one to come out. Well, if you are one of those people and don’t already have Forza 2, buy it immediately, because racing simulations don’t get much better than this.

Graphics- 6/10. Cars in Forza 2 can look great, beautiful even. With real time damage, and a seemingly unlimited amount of customization to be done on the cars, it's a wonder how all of them look so dang polished. Forza 2 really captures all of the different cars superbly, and every single car is totally recognizable to its real life counterpart, right down to the shine of the paint.

So why give it a 6? Because everything besides the cars are a disappointment The race tracks themselves look O.K., but the grass and what not around them look awful, spectators are one step up from the old cardboard models used on the original XBox, plus the bumpers around the tracks use some really bad textures. Texture work in general is simply not very good on Forza 2. Particle effects aren't up to par, and in general, it is hard to call the graphics anything more than a major disappointment.

Sound- 4/10. Forza 2 features one of the worst soundtracks I've ever heard in a video game. The headliner of the songs is “Gone Daddy Gone” by Gnarls Barkley, which appeals to a certain audience, but most of the songs are electronic rock- wait, electronic rock? Huh? Besides the god awful soundtrack, quite a few of the cars sound suspiciously alike, though not so much that you won't be able to tell the difference from a Ferrari and a Honda. All crashes sound a lot alike, and, you guessed it, most of the skidding sounds you will make sound alike.

Forza 2 came out nearly 2 years ago, so the sub-par graphics are to be expected as the ever-changing visuals of the XBox 360 continue to improve. Don’t get to discouraged by the bad soundtrack and visuals, because Forza 2 has just so much more to offer in the rest of the game.

Customization- 10/10. This is where Forza 2 really shines, or doesn’t shine; it depends on how you play the game. You can upgrade your cars in career mode in a vast array of different ways, though none of it is necessary to win a race, on any level of difficulty. It will make it easier to win, sure, but you can get by on just the standard cars that you can buy, if you aren’t the type of player that like to tweak out your ride. If you do want to upgrade you cars, it breaks down to four ways in which you can do this. The first is Engine and Power- Intake and exhaust upgrades reduce restrictions on airflow into and exhaust flow out of the engine. Fuel and ignition upgrades increase fuel flow and provide a hotter spark for more efficient combustion. Turbo and supercharger upgrades force more air in the engine. You can also perform a complete engine swap. Next, there is the Platform and Handling upgrades- by upgrading your car’s suspension to lighten and stiffen the chassis, you can improve its handling. Upgrading the suspension, brakes, and transmission, and driveline improve the car’s response to driver input. Also, you can upgrade the Tires and Rims- The stock tires on your car limit your track performance, no matter how you tweak you engine or suspension. Upgrading rims and tire compound, size, and profile improves acceleration, cornering, and brake performance. Finally, you can upgrade the Weight and Aerodynamics- Upgrading body components (bumpers, wings, skirts, spoilers, hoods, and so on) can lighten the care, reduce aerodynamic drag, and improve grip by increasing down force. You can also customize a car’s appearance to make it your car. There are also three levels of upgrades to choose from- Street, sport, and race upgrades. Street upgrades provide a mild performance increase at a low cost, Sport upgrades provide a medium performance increase at a moderate price, and Race upgrades provide a major performance increase, but come at a major cost. To upgrade cars, you need “credits” that you earn by winning races, but some upgrades will change the class of your car, which can be bad, as the other cars in your new class might be better than your car, making you uncompetitive. The most fun of these upgrades in my opinion, is changing your car’s appearance, as there is just so many ways to do this. You might put a decal on the car, change the paint, give it a new spoiler, add vinyl, and so on. You can also use layers to create a custom design, which is complicated to perform, but makes your car awesome. You can gift your custom cars to your friends at any time, so you can have a team design while you race online, or just to show off your new car. I really have found no faults at all in the customization part of Forza 2. The slogan “Fuel your Fantasy” fits this game perfectly, as if you can think it up, you can drive.

Options- 8/10. There is a seemingly unlimited amount of different cars to drive in Forza 2. Over 300 different cars, with 10 different classes from 9 different countries become available to you in the game over time, and it never gets old to rip around the track in a brand new Lamborghini. However, the tracks you are ripping around in do get old, as there are only 12 different environments that are separated into only different tracks. Some of the tracks you will know, like Silverstone, and there are a few good fantasy tracks to race on. There is quite a few different modes to play in, including Arcade, Career, and Multiplayer.

Gameplay- 7/10. Beware; this game has one of the biggest learning curves you will ever have to deal with. No matter what car you are racing with, you WILL crash on your first big turn. You have to crawl around each corner at like 40 miles per hour in your super car, which can be very frustrating. However, it is a racing simulation, so the game is going for reality over fun, and it most definitely is the most realistic racing game you will play this year. Every car takes real-time damage, and you really get into the race when you get side-swiped in your 200,000 dollar car. The A.I. certainly could be better, but they usually won’t do anything that will cost them the race.

After you spend an hour or two destroying your cars, you should get the general idea of how to play Forza 2. It comes down to just going slower that you thought you would have to, and the game actually becomes quite un-challenging to play after you get the hang of it. You probably won’t do races more than once or twice, and eventually, the monotony of the game could get to you if you aren’t really into the options and customization part of the game. The reason you’d want to buy this game is to drive really, really expensive cars that you won’t see in real life, if you want to just have a blast driving around, this game is not for you.

Career- 8/10. The career mode serves it’s purpose- to expose you to the vast amount of cars and customization to be done with those cars. There is no real story involved in the game, other than the goal of winning all of you races to be the best driver you can be. The cars you get, and ultimately the amount of fun you will have comes down to which country you pick to be from, as all the cars that you can buy at a discount in the early stages of the career mode revolve around this choice. A nice touch is that the career mode can be played online with other human drivers, to gain credits to buy new cars and customize them. You’ll spend most of your time in Career while playing Forza 2, and with the amount different options you have while in it (as previously stated), it’s no wonder why this is one of the elite racing games for the XBox 360. This gets an 8 from me, because as with everything in Forza 2, things can get boring if you aren’t a real car enthusiast, and this mode will certainly not be fun for everyone.

Multiplayer/XBox Live- 9/10. Multiplayer has a little something to offer everyone in Forza Motorsport 2. You can race players on a split screen, use a system link to connect up to eight XBox 360s on a LAN, or play one of the varies modes over XBox Live. While in XBox Live, you can participate in the standard Exhibition race, play in a Tournament, Gift a Car to a friend, buy or sell a car over the online auction house, or even watch Forza Motorsport TV. The Exhibition race is self explanatory- race against 8 other players, whether they be random, or your friends. The tournament mode is great fun, and the basic synopsis is as follows- Players race in groups of eight based on qualifying times. The top four in each group advance to the next round until a driver wins. For each completed round, you win credits, which you can apply later in the career. The auction house is my favorite part of Forza 2, as you can essentially trade a car in that you no longer want for a car you are just dying to have. Things work just like you might expect, you search the data base for the car you want, place a bid, and if you have the highest bid when things are said and done, the car is yours. You can also start an auction as so people will bid on your car. Forza TV is an interesting concept, which probably looked better on paper than it does in the game. Forza Motorsport TV has multiple channels that allow you to watch the “hottest action”, and give you updates to what’s going on in the world of Forza. They pick which races are broadcasted by the racers ranks, so unless you are one of the top players in the world, you probably won’t be on the network. I guess it turns out that it is more fun to play video games than to watch them. Go figure. In summary, the multiplayer is great fun, and will always give you something to do.

Forza 2 is the epitome of realism in a game. If you want to feel what it is like to drive the world’s finest cars, you will have a blast with this game. If you want to just have a good time racing around, this game is not for you. If that is the case, I’d recommend Burnout: Paradise, it is much easier to just pick up and play. If you’re up for the challenge, and love cars, go ahead and stop reading my review, drive to the store, and buy this game. If you aren’t so sure, it is at least worth playing at a friends or renting, to see if you can get into it. I’m going to give it a 8.9/10, making Forza 2 the best racing game for the XBox 360 in my opinion.

Recommend this product? Yes