I’m always a little nervous when stepping into a simulation racer. Give me something like
Midnight Club or
Burnout, and I’m all over it. Simulation racers, on the other hand, have always presented a bit of an obstacle to me. I enjoy them, but always feel like I’m a few seconds behind everyone else. They’re mastering that first nasty turn at Leguna Seca while I’m still trying to play the inside in a large hoop. This is the beauty of
Forza; even mid-ranged racers like me can jump into the game, set up a few options, and race like a champ.
The most useful feature for beginners is a “suggest line” that winds the entire length of the course and gives you hints as to how to best approach certain corners. As an added bonus, the line also adapts to your speed and displays colored markers letting you know if you can take the turn at your current speed or if you should ease up (or brake) before hitting it. A green line means its okay to accelerate, yellow means slow down and red means slam on the brakes. The line also updates as you hit turns and eventually trains you to make the needed changes based on instinct rather than relying on the line. Racing veterans will obviously see this innovation as a crutch, but believe me, it makes the game much more accessible to more players, resulting in a better game and more sales which, of course, make sequels that much more likely.
That said, the system is far from perfect. The suggestions are usually pretty good, but at times the line suggests a hard brake when you can easily corner around by easing off the gas. The path tends to ignore what other cars are doing as well. In fact, most cars use the same line as a guide, giving you an indication as to what they’re going to do. This gives you an added advantage since you can usually cut the inside of a turn, bounce off a car following the outside path, and take the lead. You’ll risk damage to your car and may lose money needed for repairs, but higher payout races make it all worthwhile.
The one thing really hurting Forza Motorsport is the lack of a decent steering wheel controller. There are several out there that provide a satisfactory experience at best, but none feel as right as the amazing wheels available for Gran Turismo. In the absence of a driving wheel, the control options in Forza more than make up for it.
As far as actual handling, I found it a little rough in the beginning, but it soon grew on me. How well your car handles depends greatly on which upgrades and tuning options you use as well as items you chose to turn off and on in the Options menu. You can tweak the traction control, ABS, and other systems to fit your racing style. One of the neater elements found in Forza is that the control options are largely based on a risk-reward system that rewards veteran players. Turning off the various assists adds to your rewards for winning a race. On the other hand, toning down the settings – which makes the game more of an arcade game – reduces your payouts. How much money you earn not only influences what cars and upgrades you can purchase, but also acts as experience points. After earning a certain amount of cash, your driver rating goes up. Higher ratings mean better races, which equal better payouts.
Another interesting innovation in Forza is the Drivatar, which is basically an A.I. you train to drive for you. Training your Drivatar is easy and requires you to complete a set number of tracks. The A.I. then picks apart how you tend to approach turns and other situations and sets itself to do the same. You can then take this A.I. “memory” of your driving skills and have it compete in races for you. Sure, it kind of defeats the purpose of playing the game, but if you’re not particularly thrilled with having to race a multi-lap race at a particular track, it’s a nice option to have available. When used properly, the Drivatar can actually make for a useful training tool. Since it’s largely based on how you drive, it allows you to step back and really see how you look while driving and grade your own performance. Again, some may question why you’d want to do this; my answer is, “Why not?” Like everything else in the game, it’s all about improving your experience.
Forza Motorsport could be described as one of the first fully-integrated gaming experiences. Everything builds on itself and adds something to another part, making no part greater than its whole. As a pure racing game, Forza is not only one of the best available on the Xbox, but with its added depth of options and additions, it could lay claim to being one of the best racing titles available on any system.
