Having recently returned from the MSP Bootcamp in Sydney, I decided that my first task would be to try out my brand new Xbox 360 (courtesy of Microsoft).
Having never played the original Forza Motorsport (FM), I was unsure of what to expect: was FM a more traditional racing game (like Gran Tourismo), or one of the newer variations (like the Need for Speed: Underground (NFS:U) series). Much to my delight it turned out to be a mix of the two, taking the track styles from Gran Tourismo but also incorporating the car purchase\credit\upgrading system from NFS:U. Another game play element that I thought unusual was having to select the “region” that you’re purchasing your cars from (US, Europe or Asia). This makes a bit more sense after I pulled up the FM website, which explains that there are over 300 cars available in the game.
Once I selected my region (Asia (I want to try to get my MX-5…)) and selecting my starting car (A Silvia K’s S14 (unfortunately there is no CA-18…)) I was presented with a feature of the game that almost knocked me off my feet. If you thought that the tuning and upgrading you could do in NSF:U was impressive, wait until you see the options that FM2 has. Although I had just started the game and most upgrades were out of my price range and most tweaks unavailable (due to stock parts); but I could see that what ever I wanted to change was there. The upgrades ranged from the typical turbo, engine block and weight reductions right down to the spark plugs\coil packs, tyre material and flywheel. The only tune-up available to my stock Silvia was its tyre pressure, but I could also see tweaks for camber, drive ratios (each gear independent and the final drive ratio) and suspension stiffness among many others.
The only thing that was more glorious than the customisability of my car is the physics engine that FM2 employs. Your tyres initially start out as being cold and perform poorly until they warm up, conversely doing doughies overheats your tyres, resulting in even more screeching and drifting before they cool down. The old trick of NFS:U of dropping a gear before hitting a corner also backfired as I oversteered heavily and also ended up damaging my engine(!). However, once you get used the realism of the physics engine (I found that playing using the first-person view really helped), steering, counter-steering and drifting through the dog-legs and zigzags comes naturally.
Overall, from what little of Forza Motorsports 2 I have played, I have been thoroughly impressed. The game is an excellent example of how good research, programming and game mechanics can come together.
Daniel
Curtin MSP
