tool
4th May 2005, 01:14 PM
Finally released after months of delays and hundreds of improvments later. I think the demo ruined Forza quite a bit though, but Microsoft redeemed itself by delaying the game and god forbid doing something with all those delays.
For one the car list was raised from 150 upto 233 cars. No where close to as many as Gran Turismo 4's 700, but to be fair GT4 has dozens of worthless cars. Who honestly wants 60 skylines or a dozen different 1 horse power cars? So the car list in Forza is great. It has a balanced selection of your every day sport cars to your La Mans race cars, and even includes some prototypes like the 850 horse power Chrysler ME 4 12.
Gaining progress in the Career mode is as simple as winning money, as you win money you gain levels. There are 50 total. When you get levels you get sponsors and relationships with car dealers and car part makers and get discounts on upgrades. This also gets you access to more events, by level 30 you'll be doing endurance races.
I don't know that much about cars but i've articles where race car drivers tested Forza and said the game was pretty much life like. So that is good enough for me.
The AI however isn't life like. They are a down right pain in the ass and very hard to beat. But only because they are very aggressive and cheat. If you start somewhere in the middle of the pack of cars at the start of a race the AI will 75% of the time purposely ram into you and run you off the track or straight into the wall and you will be restarting the race.
The AI doesn't have to worry about damage either, but you do. Taking damage effects how your car handles and performs. I once accidently blew my engine in my Porshe 911 in a race and had to restart.
The tracks are also very long and it was clear they were meant for the race cars. Your everyday sport cars while still fast, take forever to do a lap. The races can seem to go on forever.
One thing I really like about Forza is that making the game harder will win you more credits. Its nice to be able to play a game at your skill level and get rewarded for it.
The car upgrades are also great too. Putting things in like a turbo charger will change the sound of the car. And unlike other racing sims, just because you have the most horse power doesnt mean you'll blow away the AI. Infact all it really means is that you'll come in 1st place most likely but the AI will be close on your ass the entire time.
I haven't had a chance to play with the online stuff, but I know Microsoft wanted me too. Online is going to be about the only place you can go to play with your super upgraded cars, as most of the career mode doesnt let you race modified cars. Only the point to point and amature events let you do this, after that you are forced to race unmodified making the game a hundred times more difficult.
The drivatar mode also ended up being just a cheap gimmick. It is where you can train a AI drive to play the game for you. But the problem is that it is nearly impossible to get it to where it can come in first place. If the drivatar doesnt come in first place then its worthless because it takes almost all of your reward money like a crappy prostitute would. Its only good for winning races you don't care to race yourself.
I don't think Forza is for everyone. The realism and difficulty of the AI will frustrate a lot of people. It is for real hardcore race sim fans and has a steep learning curve. Learning how to properly tune a car and know the ends and outs of the race track will be your only way to win in the later races.
After playing the career mode for 14+ hours, Forza is for sure a online racer. Microsoft really loves to pimp its Xbox live and make sure all of its games take advantage of the service. The career mode is fun, but the real meat of the game is online.
Forza isn't a great game, infact it is one of the best racing sims out there. But there are about a thousand different things that need to be improved. But for every complaint I have, I have about a dozen awsome things to say.
Pros: Graphics, sound, cars, huge career and arcade mode, lots of customization. JoO CaN EvN rIzE OuT uR CaRz Do0D!!!
Cons: Drivatar, cheap ass AI, tracks are way to big
Overal: 9/10
For one the car list was raised from 150 upto 233 cars. No where close to as many as Gran Turismo 4's 700, but to be fair GT4 has dozens of worthless cars. Who honestly wants 60 skylines or a dozen different 1 horse power cars? So the car list in Forza is great. It has a balanced selection of your every day sport cars to your La Mans race cars, and even includes some prototypes like the 850 horse power Chrysler ME 4 12.
Gaining progress in the Career mode is as simple as winning money, as you win money you gain levels. There are 50 total. When you get levels you get sponsors and relationships with car dealers and car part makers and get discounts on upgrades. This also gets you access to more events, by level 30 you'll be doing endurance races.
I don't know that much about cars but i've articles where race car drivers tested Forza and said the game was pretty much life like. So that is good enough for me.
The AI however isn't life like. They are a down right pain in the ass and very hard to beat. But only because they are very aggressive and cheat. If you start somewhere in the middle of the pack of cars at the start of a race the AI will 75% of the time purposely ram into you and run you off the track or straight into the wall and you will be restarting the race.
The AI doesn't have to worry about damage either, but you do. Taking damage effects how your car handles and performs. I once accidently blew my engine in my Porshe 911 in a race and had to restart.
The tracks are also very long and it was clear they were meant for the race cars. Your everyday sport cars while still fast, take forever to do a lap. The races can seem to go on forever.
One thing I really like about Forza is that making the game harder will win you more credits. Its nice to be able to play a game at your skill level and get rewarded for it.
The car upgrades are also great too. Putting things in like a turbo charger will change the sound of the car. And unlike other racing sims, just because you have the most horse power doesnt mean you'll blow away the AI. Infact all it really means is that you'll come in 1st place most likely but the AI will be close on your ass the entire time.
I haven't had a chance to play with the online stuff, but I know Microsoft wanted me too. Online is going to be about the only place you can go to play with your super upgraded cars, as most of the career mode doesnt let you race modified cars. Only the point to point and amature events let you do this, after that you are forced to race unmodified making the game a hundred times more difficult.
The drivatar mode also ended up being just a cheap gimmick. It is where you can train a AI drive to play the game for you. But the problem is that it is nearly impossible to get it to where it can come in first place. If the drivatar doesnt come in first place then its worthless because it takes almost all of your reward money like a crappy prostitute would. Its only good for winning races you don't care to race yourself.
I don't think Forza is for everyone. The realism and difficulty of the AI will frustrate a lot of people. It is for real hardcore race sim fans and has a steep learning curve. Learning how to properly tune a car and know the ends and outs of the race track will be your only way to win in the later races.
After playing the career mode for 14+ hours, Forza is for sure a online racer. Microsoft really loves to pimp its Xbox live and make sure all of its games take advantage of the service. The career mode is fun, but the real meat of the game is online.
Forza isn't a great game, infact it is one of the best racing sims out there. But there are about a thousand different things that need to be improved. But for every complaint I have, I have about a dozen awsome things to say.
Pros: Graphics, sound, cars, huge career and arcade mode, lots of customization. JoO CaN EvN rIzE OuT uR CaRz Do0D!!!
Cons: Drivatar, cheap ass AI, tracks are way to big
Overal: 9/10