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FORZA MOTORSPORT 3 (X360)
Publisher: Microsoft.
Developer: Turn 10 Studios. Released: October 2009. Genre: Racing. Posted 14th October 2012. By Shane Battams © 2012 |
Gas guzzlers, both causal and hardcore, can rejoice: Forza 3 is the pinnacle of the racing
genre. The third instalment in the Microsoft-exclusive franchise, developer
Turn 10 have honed their craft and refined the racing, as well as adding more
vehicles, more customisation options and more content to whiz through. The aspects that make the series so
successful, such as completely customisable difficulty, have thankfully remained
intact too, and combine with Turn 10’s various refinements to create the
ultimate racer.
Like its predecessors, Forza 3 is a simulation-racer which aims to compete with Sony’s Gran Turismo, albeit with a heavier customisation system. But the racing here is so sublime, it’s more than a match for GT. Handling is pitch perfect, as always, and the new additions help the game compete with the current racing crop, such as Grid. F3 recycles the same damage system from the previous games, but now vehicles can now do a full 360-degree rollover, adding an extra layer of realism to the game’s visceral crashes. You can also now switch to an in-car view, which is a nice addition for those who race outside of the standard car view. A Drift system has also been added, although no races focus on this feature, where a press of the left button tracks drift points you earn. F3 also borrows the rewind function present in Grid and Dirt 2, where mistakes can be erased with a press of a button. It’s a good addition, but some will see it as Turn 10 keeping with the crowd.
Forza has always impressed with its customizable difficulty level, and Forza 3 is no exception to this. The game features three main difficulties, but the game can be tailored far beyond that. The Driving Line returns from previous games, which advises on the speed you should be driving. There’s also the ability to enable or disable auto-breaking, stability control, manual transmission and more. The game is smart as, rather than punishing you for using these, the game rewards you for turning these assists off. It gives you an extra percentage of Credits if you bump up the challenge, meaning risk will bring reward to those who seek more of a challenge. But, it doesn’t take away earnings if you decide to play it safe. The A.I is solid, and provides a good challenge if you crank up the difficulty, though there are moments when the drivers can just drift off the track as if they’ve passed out.
Like its predecessors, Forza 3 is a simulation-racer which aims to compete with Sony’s Gran Turismo, albeit with a heavier customisation system. But the racing here is so sublime, it’s more than a match for GT. Handling is pitch perfect, as always, and the new additions help the game compete with the current racing crop, such as Grid. F3 recycles the same damage system from the previous games, but now vehicles can now do a full 360-degree rollover, adding an extra layer of realism to the game’s visceral crashes. You can also now switch to an in-car view, which is a nice addition for those who race outside of the standard car view. A Drift system has also been added, although no races focus on this feature, where a press of the left button tracks drift points you earn. F3 also borrows the rewind function present in Grid and Dirt 2, where mistakes can be erased with a press of a button. It’s a good addition, but some will see it as Turn 10 keeping with the crowd.
Forza has always impressed with its customizable difficulty level, and Forza 3 is no exception to this. The game features three main difficulties, but the game can be tailored far beyond that. The Driving Line returns from previous games, which advises on the speed you should be driving. There’s also the ability to enable or disable auto-breaking, stability control, manual transmission and more. The game is smart as, rather than punishing you for using these, the game rewards you for turning these assists off. It gives you an extra percentage of Credits if you bump up the challenge, meaning risk will bring reward to those who seek more of a challenge. But, it doesn’t take away earnings if you decide to play it safe. The A.I is solid, and provides a good challenge if you crank up the difficulty, though there are moments when the drivers can just drift off the track as if they’ve passed out.
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Driving without hands is much more fun until you come to a ravine
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The game contains well over 400 cars, a number which rises to 500
if you buy either DLC or the Ultimate edition, meaning there’s a huge amount of
choice. Each car is split into Ranks, from F to R1 (which borders on prototype
racing) and a new system lets you quick-upgrade into each rank without having
to buy each individual upgrade, which definitely helps eager racers get into
the action quicker. The game adds two new vehicle types in the form of SUVs and
Stock Car. Vehicles can be upgraded to any level required, meaning players can
mostly stick to the brands they prefer rather than buy higher-level cars only. You
can also tune vehicles to maximise the vehicles performance, and changing some
of these settings can give you a major advantage. And one great new feature is the
ability to visually customise all the game’s vehicles, and players who are used
to only upgrading their Tuner cars in the previous games will certainly love
this new feature.
Most of your time will be spent in the new Season mode. Split into Six Seasons, the player must complete World Championship events to complete a season. In between each Championship race, players can choose a Series with a specific requirement, i.e. rear-wheel drive or car nationality, to complete to basically pass the time between each Championship Event. As you progress through the game’s six seasons, each Championship contains more races, meaning you must complete more races between. Most races are standard lap events, but there’s also the addition of Drag events, where drivers must speed to the end in quick-burst races, which adds some variety to the standard events. The game also contains a Ranking system, and completing each of the fifty levels will reward you a new car, which is a good enough reward to entice players to keep grinding towards Level 50. The game’s career contains well over 200 events, and each contains multiple races. This means there’s a huge amount of content contained alone in the game’s single-player component, and the game’s slick racing means that it never gets stale. Once you finish the game’s Seasons, you can use Event Select to finish off the events you haven’t complete. Players will need to invest at least forty hours to finish the game’s Seasons, let alone the hundreds required to finish all the events.
Most of your time will be spent in the new Season mode. Split into Six Seasons, the player must complete World Championship events to complete a season. In between each Championship race, players can choose a Series with a specific requirement, i.e. rear-wheel drive or car nationality, to complete to basically pass the time between each Championship Event. As you progress through the game’s six seasons, each Championship contains more races, meaning you must complete more races between. Most races are standard lap events, but there’s also the addition of Drag events, where drivers must speed to the end in quick-burst races, which adds some variety to the standard events. The game also contains a Ranking system, and completing each of the fifty levels will reward you a new car, which is a good enough reward to entice players to keep grinding towards Level 50. The game’s career contains well over 200 events, and each contains multiple races. This means there’s a huge amount of content contained alone in the game’s single-player component, and the game’s slick racing means that it never gets stale. Once you finish the game’s Seasons, you can use Event Select to finish off the events you haven’t complete. Players will need to invest at least forty hours to finish the game’s Seasons, let alone the hundreds required to finish all the events.
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The Beverley Hills school run gets under way. The Prius's are late, as usual
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The main trick of the Forza series, its in-depth
customization options, returns here, albeit mostly unchanged. One new feature
is the ability to create artwork on a flat surface before placing it on the car,
which definitely makes creating the perfect image that much easier. Outside of
that, most of the shapes and colours are re-used from the previous game,
meaning most will be familiar with the game’s customization at this point. The
great thing about F3 is how easily you can share the fruits of your labour.
Vinyl images, tuning schematics, full-car deigns and cars themselves can be
sold on the game’s Storefront, and anything purchased can be rated out of five
stars. Forza 3 definitely thrives from this, with some incredible designs
available in the store from the more creative members of the community, which
means even if you have zero artistic skill your car can still look sexy.
The game also has a competitive online mode, which is mostly simplistic but still fun. You can race on any of the game’s single-player tracks with up to 7 other racers. The mode at least runs smoothly, with zero lag while playing online. It’s definitely for the more hardcore players, as no assists are allowed online. You can challenge others in standard races and drags, as well as special modes such as Virus and Cat-and-Mouse, which add twists to the standard racing. But the customization options really add spice to this mode, including options which reverse the rules of the game (for example, the cars which travel the least distance win, as weird as that sounds). Conditions can be set for each team such as Car rank, which really can throw fun curveballs in the way of drivers. You can even play these games with bots if you don’t feel like challenging online players. It’s fun as heck, and the fact you earn money and XP while playing these modes makes the deal even sweeter.
Forza 3 is also a treat to the senses. It looks fantastic, with greatly detailed car models showcasing fantastic reflections which really immerse the player. The damage system looks great too, with realistic amounts of shrapnel flying depending on how heavy the crash is. The tracks look stunning, with crisp blue skies and detailed textures which keep up with the rapid speeds you reach. The only sore-spot involves the ugly character models when you drive into the Pit. The audio is great though, as gearheads will take satisfaction in the meaty engine tones. The soundtrack is pretty forgettable, but thankfully the game prioritises car above music, really sticking to the ethos of a driving simulator.
Everything comes together in Forza Motorsport 3. It is a racer that anyone of any skill will be able to pick up and enjoy, whether in short bursts or marathon sessions, and the game is literally bursting with hundreds of hours worth of content. Top that off with a fantastic presentation and customization greatly aided by an engaging community, and Turn 10 have delivered not only the best game in the series, but one of the best racers on the Xbox 360. Polyphony should be afraid, because Forza 3 can stand toe-to-toe with the best of GT, and then some.
The game also has a competitive online mode, which is mostly simplistic but still fun. You can race on any of the game’s single-player tracks with up to 7 other racers. The mode at least runs smoothly, with zero lag while playing online. It’s definitely for the more hardcore players, as no assists are allowed online. You can challenge others in standard races and drags, as well as special modes such as Virus and Cat-and-Mouse, which add twists to the standard racing. But the customization options really add spice to this mode, including options which reverse the rules of the game (for example, the cars which travel the least distance win, as weird as that sounds). Conditions can be set for each team such as Car rank, which really can throw fun curveballs in the way of drivers. You can even play these games with bots if you don’t feel like challenging online players. It’s fun as heck, and the fact you earn money and XP while playing these modes makes the deal even sweeter.
Forza 3 is also a treat to the senses. It looks fantastic, with greatly detailed car models showcasing fantastic reflections which really immerse the player. The damage system looks great too, with realistic amounts of shrapnel flying depending on how heavy the crash is. The tracks look stunning, with crisp blue skies and detailed textures which keep up with the rapid speeds you reach. The only sore-spot involves the ugly character models when you drive into the Pit. The audio is great though, as gearheads will take satisfaction in the meaty engine tones. The soundtrack is pretty forgettable, but thankfully the game prioritises car above music, really sticking to the ethos of a driving simulator.
Everything comes together in Forza Motorsport 3. It is a racer that anyone of any skill will be able to pick up and enjoy, whether in short bursts or marathon sessions, and the game is literally bursting with hundreds of hours worth of content. Top that off with a fantastic presentation and customization greatly aided by an engaging community, and Turn 10 have delivered not only the best game in the series, but one of the best racers on the Xbox 360. Polyphony should be afraid, because Forza 3 can stand toe-to-toe with the best of GT, and then some.
