Title Forza Motorsports 2 Date 06.30.2007 Genre Driving Platform Xbox 360 Developer Microsoft Game Studios Publisher Microsoft Game Studios

To paraphrase another review, most people probably know if they're going to like this game without having to read any reviews. Driving simulations are definitely not for everyone, but for fans of the genre, Forza Motorsport 2 is a must-own game. Beginners should not be scared away, however, because Forza 2 has numerous features that help straighten out the somewhat sharp learning curve for simulation racing games. The effort required is well worth it, as you'll be rewarded with the deepest racing experience so far this generation.

Just two years ago, Microsoft Game Studios released the first Forza Motorsport, which met with critical acclaim and became the only game to seriously challenge the behemoth of the genre, Gran Turismo 4, for its well-deserved title of best racing sim. As one would expect from the next-gen sequel, Forza 2 improves upon its predecessor in just about every way. Forza 2 will be instantly familiar to those who played the first game, as it brings back most of the cars, tracks, and features of the original. And while this does open Forza 2 to possible criticism that it is too much like Forza 1, there are enough new features and so many improvements that I don't think you'll complain.

Graphics
Much has been said about this game not looking quite as stunning as some other next-gen racing games such as PGR3. And while it's true that Forza 2 can't quite match the graphical showcase that was PGR3 (that in-car view was amazing), it's still a great-looking game. All of the more than 300 cars are a pleasure to look at, and the environments all look great, if sometimes a little boring. Basically, there's nothing in Forza 2 that's going to visually blow you away as long as this isn't your first next-gen experience, but the framerate holds steady at 60 fps and there's certainly nothing about the graphics that hold this game back in any way. A word of warning to those still playing on standard-definition sets: Forza 2 was clearly designed with high-definition in mind, so you'll have small black bars at the top and bottom of your screen, and many of the numbers may be difficult to read at a glance, such as lap and split times, etc.

Sound
I'm no expert on how any of the cars in Forza 2 sound in real life, so I can't really comment on engine or exhaust sounds other than to say that they sound fine to me. Tires squeal when you're losing traction and bounce over bumpers, and cars collide with a realistic crunch. The only poorly done audio in my opinion is the choice of menu music, which I soon turned off and which thankfully doesn't play during races.

Gameplay
I can't possibly review every aspect of Forza 2's gameplay, but know that it goes far beyond the actual racing. Upgrading and tuning your cars is crucial to being competitive, and actually more fun than you might expect. When you buy an upgrade, you increase your car's numerical rating by a certain amount, but increasing it by too much will bump your car into the next highest class. So the challenge is to find the right combination of upgrades to make your car as fast as possible within the class you want it to compete in. This fairly sophisticated system adds a great amount of depth to the game, ensures competitive races both on and offline, and rewards patient players who put in the time to build the best cars.

Tuning doesn't affect your car's rating, but it can also be crucial for staying competitive. The vast number of tuning options can be somewhat overwhelming at first, but the game does offer some help, and to make things even easier, you can do practice laps on any track and tune your car as you're driving.

After all that, Forza 2 doesn't disappoint when it comes to actually racing. There are many different features you can adjust to make the game easier or more difficult, and the suggested line feature is especially helpful for new drivers. Perhaps most importantly, the opponent AI is good enough that you actually feel like you're racing them, not just trying to beat them in a glorified time trial. If you make an overly aggressive pass on an AI car, he'll most often brake and let you have your line, as opposed to just staying on his line and running into you. That is, unless you've hit him before earlier in the race, in which case he may decide to bump you back.

An AI car in second place will also sometimes pick up the pace on the last lap if he's not too far behind, which may mean he'll catch up (maybe even hit you if you're unlucky) but also may mean he'll make a mistake and slip off the track. The damage modeling in Forza 2, though not perfectly realistic, does at least force you to work for your passes, as too severe a bump will seriously affect not just your car's appearance, but also its performance. Overall, the gameplay in Forza 2 is tremendously satisfying.

My most significant gripe with the game is that there are only 12 different locations, despite the fact that many of them can be set up in multiple ways for a total of over 40 tracks. Real world tracks like Sebring and Mugello are welcome additions, but several of the fictional tracks from the original game did not return, and you can get the feeling that you're racing on the same courses over and over again. No doubt more tracks will eventually come as downloadable content, but I for one don't like paying extra for things that probably should have been included in the final game.

Xbox Live
The online component in Forza 2 is very well done, including basic races, tournaments, the auction house, and even just the ability to compare your times on career races to everyone else on Live. Yes, you will occasionally play with idiots who crash into you on the very first corner, but you can't really hold that against the game, and you can always just host so you can kick them out. I didn't mention this in the gameplay section, but the ability to create custom designs on your cars is something else that adds a lot of longevity to this game for many people, and Xbox Live is a great place to show off your designs or even make some money off of them in the auction house. You'll be amazed at the pictures that some people can create. Forza 2's career mode is a very good game by itself, but all of the features added by Xbox Live truly push Forza 2 to greatness.

The bottom line here is basically what I said at the top of this review. If you're a fan of racing games and especially of driving simulators and you own an Xbox 360, you need to get this game. As of right now, it has basically no real competition on any console. Even if you're not a fan of this kind of game, I encourage you to give Forza 2 at least rental and try it out, because like I said, a little effort to learn how to play this game will be rewarded with an amazing racing experience and enough content to keep you busy for the next few months. No game is perfect, and Forza 2 is no exception, but because it is without question the best game in its genre right now, I'm giving it an A.

Game Score

A-

Reviewed By: Contributed