Every once in a while(and believe this is happening less and less often lately) a game comes a long that I really can't say anything bad about. Forza Motorsport 3 is one such game. Sometimes games this good I tend to not review because I'm usually afraid of overdosing on hyperbole. But hey, we all need to try new things right?
Forza 3 is an excellent racing game. You get the usual career mode, online mode, and time trial mode. Of course, you also get the usual access to online auctions for your car buying needs. The old game play of Forza 2 are still rock solid. There are also expanded features for folks that have never played a simulator style racing game before. The number and variety of assists that you can turn on and off are pretty comprehensive. Allowing the people new to this type of game a set of virtual training wheels so that no one is at loss due to lack of experience. These systems are in place throughout the game and the only real detriment to the player who uses them is a few less virtual dollars per race. Also, time is added to competitor's times in things like Time Trials so that everyone is on the same playing field. Forza still presents a large number of cars and tracks giving a lot of variety for anyone needing to find a descent ride to take out on a descent track.
The graphically fidelity of the game has been slightly amped up over it's predecessor with the addition of a in-car point of view. This give the player a full two sides of the car and a full dashboard as well as rear view and side mirrors. All modeled realistically off the original car. The tracks and the exteriors of the cars themselves are much like they were in the original title. If the barely populated and super realistic tracks were not your thing the in Forza 2 there will be no comfort for you here either. Personally, I usually found myself going so fast around these tracks that I was only barely aware of the fan populace or lack there of. Of course every car sounds pitch perfect and each vehicle definitely has it's own personality and driving style necessary to master it(at least with the assists off anyway). The background music is still the lackluster poppy mess that was replete throughout Forza 2 but then I usually play with the music off anyway. Even if you have no music at all the sounds of your car and the others will soon be all the soundtrack you need; if you are racing in a competitive shootout. As you move up the difficulty ladder drivers get more and more aggressive until they will, in some cases, wreck you to get a head. But when you reach such a high difficulty level it's probably time to go online. After all, we all know how people drive in ranked matches, don't we? So look at the hardest difficulty level good practice for the online experience.
The career mode in Forza is called Season Play and here you go through Championship races based on class of car until you reach the highest class. All the while earning money, experience, experience for your car to earn discounts, and of course gifts from car manufactures to spur on in your career.
One of the main features of the Forza series is the ability to customize both the exterior and interior of your car. There is certainly some room for expansion here. For instance, changing the interior color of your car, now that you can see it. Or adding more after market parts to your vehicle so that it performs and looks drastically different than it did when it rolled off the show room floor. But you are allowed to do everything but the above. Which while not an extreme improvement over the first the baby step of allowing the player to design on a grid rather than directly on the car is makes a big difference to anyone who's ever tried to do it. Another new part of Forza 3 is that you get a personal storefront where you can sell everything from your car designs to tuning setups. You can also show off your photos of cars and replays there as well. This feature is great and really makes the community of Forza 3 a little easier for people to jump in and out of the market for designs and cars. There was a feeling of being overwhelmed in the virtually non-searchable auctions in Forza 2 that was really intimidating to anyone unwilling to spend a half hour looking through the same 10 car designs over and over. With this you can also lock down your own designs to a particular car. Colors can be changed. But the days of people adding one little thing to a design and then selling the design as a new one are over.
The overall package of Forza 3 will keep the average player busy for hours, even weeks. I've been playing pretty steadily since the game was launched on October 27th and haven't found myself bored with the game even upon reaching near level 40 in Driver rank. The higher the car class the more expensive the car typically is and that will mean that you must take more time racing or more time designing new cars. Whatever you choose to do, you will have fun doing it in Forza 3. If I had to level ANY criticism at Forza Motorsport 3 it would be to say again that reversing a track is not the same as making a new track. There could be more tracks in the game; as typically you visit the same one quite a few times. But this is a minor thing, Between the online and offline there will be plenty of fun to be had with Forza 3 long after the glow of your Christmas lights have faded both from your memory and your tree. If you like racing games, then pick up Forza Motorsport 3. The game is exceptional and something for the competition to shoot for both this year and next.
No comments:
Post a Comment