Forza Motorsport 3 Review

Gran Turismo, look out! Forza Motorsport 3 is one slick ride. Of course it comes as no surprise that Turn 10’s latest creation is a beauty considering the studio’s track record. I’m going to go ahead and get it out of the way: buy this game. I don’t care if you’re a hardcore racing fan or a casual one, Forza 3 is one of the best racing games ever made. It boasts over 400 cars, a fantastic career mode, stunning visuals, a buttery-smooth framerate, and an accessibility that allows anyone to enjoy the game. There’s no excuse to not pick this one up. Really.

Let’s start with the cars. After all, Forza 3 does have over 400 of them, and guess what? They’re all available from the onset of the game. That’s right, every single one of them (excluding the ones available to those who pre-ordered the game) is unlocked as soon as you start your career. It’s just a matter of earning the credits to buy them. This is contrary to pretty much all racing games, which generally require you to progress through the game in order to unlock more vehicles. And let me tell you, the cars are gorgeous in every regard, right down to the unique interiors of each one. Also, each car sounds different.

This brings me to my next reason why Forza 3 is awesome. This game has beautiful visuals. Cars look great, tracks look great, and the menu system is really slick. Turn 10 did a fantastic job as always in this department. One thing that could use a little improvement is the vehicle damage, which can be a little off at times. Lighting is good but could also use some tweaking.

The physics system in the game is really impressive. Real-time tire deformation is a great feature and the controls are very responsive. Turn 10 made it a point to make the game accessible to everyone, so it really doesn’t matter if it’s your first racing game or your 100th.  There are assists, such as auto-breaking and traction control, which can be turned on or off depending on your skill level. There’s even a rewind function that lets you jump back in time if you mess up.

Forza 3’s storefront is another gem. It allows designers to create decals usable on any car and sell them at whatever price they wish. Sellers can also control the availability of their designs, so if you want to make an exclusive design and sell it for an outrageously high price, go for it. Designers aren’t the only ones who thrive in the storefront. Gearheads can sell tuning sets as well. Don’t fret if you don’t know much about cars. Turn 10 also implemented an auto-tune feature which will optimize your cars performance.

The game has stellar AI. As with Forza 2, it has a dynamic AI system where AI drivers will learn to counter your specific driving style. Turn 10 also implemented a pressure system, which can cause AI racers to make mistakes when you’re gaining on them. It can really make it feel like you’re racing against real people and not AI. One thing that can be an issue, however, is the difficulty modes. There are only three of them, and at times, easy can be too easy and hard can be too hard.

The career mode is where you really get your money’s worth in this game. With over 200 events, Forza 3 takes about 50 hours of play in order to finish a career, but you can of course continue once you finish the career and race even more events. A career consists of six seasons, which increase exponentially in length. Events early on in the first season will last only about 20 minutes of your time, and events towards the end of your career will take you hours to complete.

If racing offline isn’t your thing, not to worry. Forza 3 really sets the bar for racing sims in terms of multiplayer. There is an insane amount of customization to be had in the game’s multiplayer mode. Nearly every aspect of the game can be tweaked in order to create your own racing game types.

Read our everyview report of Forza Motorsport 3.

The Lowdown