Forza Motorsport 3 Review [360] page 2

16 Oct 2009 at 11:23:32 by John Robertson
Systems used to review this title: (360)

Your opponents give you plenty of opportunities to appreciate the new collision model, thanks to a rewiring of their AI In general, the CPU controlled drivers are more aggressive than in previous Forza games. That's not to say that they go out of their way to drive you off the road, but they are now much more likely to forcefully defend their position and are much less shy about attempting the occasional, risky, overtaking manoeuvre.

Each driver in the game has their own profile that details their race career and driving style - ranging from the super-aggressive nut jobs that'll happily put their life (and yours) on the line, to those who'd prefer overtaking was banned altogether. Their personalities dictate how they react to you as well as each other; with an aggressive driver equally likely to take out a fellow competitor, as he is you. The key to success though is in the balancing. Drivers in Forza 3 rarely feel overly aggressive, as though they've only been placed there to ruin the race for you. Yes, you will get hit around a lot more than in the last game, but certainly no more so than you'd see in a real-life race concerning comparable vehicles. The emphasis on setting perfect lap times and getting the most out of your garage of cars remains intact, only now it feels as though you're actually racing against others who share the same motivation.

If you do happen to come off after an accident, you can undo any damage at the tap of a button, rewinding to a point prior to the incident. A rewind system is hardly something we haven't seen in Forza before, and some purists may abhor its inclusion, but it does soften the learning curve for new players and prevent you having to rerun a 30-minute race due to a split second lapse in concentration.

All of this takes place across a diverse range of tracks. There are over 100 tracks set across 22 different environments (there are multiple course layouts for tracks like the Nurburgring, for example). Tracks consist of some we've seen before (Nurburgring, Silverstone, Laguna Seca, etc.) alongside a host of newcomers. Set along the ridge of a stunning, rural mountain, the Japanese inspired Fujimi Kaido with its frequent elevation changes and long, sweeping corners, makes a very welcome return from the original Forza, providing a playground for those with a taste for drifting. And then there's the Sedona Raceway, set in the heart of the Arizona desert, providing an interesting fusion of Nascar-style, long straights and slightly banked corners and the twists and turns of a standard racetrack.

The new tracks look fantastic, crafted in brilliant detail, complete with crowd noise, stunning backdrops and fantastic draw distances. However, the tracks that return from the previous game don't seem to have undergone the same treatment, looking as if they've merely been ported straight across. It's a bit of a shame because the difference in graphical quality is immediately apparent, providing the only blemish on otherwise incredible visuals.

On track improvements are matched by those made off of it. Each of the 400-plus cars can be upgraded by fitting new parts, or taking old ones out to reduce the weight. New to the upgrade system is the ability to completely swap a car's engine and drive train. This allows you to turn a four wheel drive Mitsubishi Lancer into a rear-wheel drive, drifting machine or you can swap out its engine for something altogether more powerful. Of the cars we've tried to alter, it seems (presumably in the hope of avoiding licensing issues) that you're limited to replacing your cars engine with one from the same manufacturer - i.e. you can replace a Ford Fiesta's engine with one from a Focus but not one that was originally situated in a Honda Civic. It's a great idea that should cause a few surprises when taking your cars online.

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