DigitalBattle.com

Forza 2 has been the go-to racing game for the Xbox 360, and a serious contender to Gran Turismo for the title as best racing sim. With Forza 3, developer Turn 10 does everything Forza 2 did, and makes it even better. It’s not only the best racing game on the Xbox 360, it’s the best racing game currently available, and possibly the best ever made.

Forza 3 offers 400 cars and 100 tracks, all built from scratch with a brand new game engine. Remember Forza 2, how the cars all had “jagged edges” because of no anti aliasing? Well that’s gone, as the cars are beautifully rendered (Turn 10 claims 10 times more polygons than Forza 2 per car, with full damage modeling as well) and the game runs at a constant 60 frames per second. technically, things are certainly looking good. The gameplay however, is where Forza 3 really shines.

The gameplay was already top notch in the previous game, and Turn 10 did a good job at recognizing what was good and what needed more help. Forza 3 can be approached by racing newcomers to veterans of the genre, and each will find the game satisfying, thanks to its detailed customization features. It’s very easy to drive, and the sense of speed is really good. The AI isn’t as challenging on the first two settings, especially in the beginning of your career, but it’ll give you a good fight most of the time. The career mode is lengthy and takes place over several seasons. As with Forza 2, after each tournament (and there are plenty of those) you get awarded a car — in addition to credits — that you can use for the next tournament and so on. And just like in recent racing games, there’s a rewind feature that lets you rewind a few moments in case you crash at the last turn, which, with this being a racing game, will inevitably happen. However, Forza 3 offers and unlimited amount of rewinds, which means some of the tension that always accompanies high-speed, high-stake races is gone. All things considered, if you played and are familiar with Forza 2’s gameplay, you’ll feel right at home in Forza 3.

In Forza 2, you could paint your car not just whatever color you wanted, but you could create custom designs and even trade and sell your car in the online marketplace. Forza 3 features all of that and some more, including now, for the first time, you can sell and buy custom designs instead of the whole car. So if you want that cool custom logo, you can just spend a few in-game credits (not real money, mind you, this isn’t EA) and get it on your favorite car. The multiplayer portion is as solid as it always was in Forza, and coupled with the new cars, tracks and new customization features, it’s even better to race against real-life opponents online.

Overall, Forza Motorsport 3 is a must have for any racing fan, whether you’re into arcade or simulation, you’ll find plenty to do in Forza 3. And until Gran Turismo 5 comes out, Forza 3 will solidly sit on the throne of racing games.

The Good:
Great selection of cars and tracks
Solid gameplay
Great customization features

The Bad:
Rewind feature prone to abuse
Career mode can get repetitive

Overall score: 9/10