Forza Motorspot 3 (Xbox 360) Review - PAGE 1

Cars have become an icon of the modern era, embodying personalities and status in daily life. That style and charisma appeals to a global audience, and with that, Forza Motorsport 3 arrives on the Xbox 360 as a celebration of the cars that many people have grown to love over the years. It strikes on key pieces of history and embraces moments such as the American muscle car era, classic European sports cars, the sport compact from Japan and the new age of Super Cars. We had an opportunity to take Forza for a long stint.

The game packs over 400 cars, more than 100 courses and tracks, and focuses on delivering a fun experience for gamers and car enthusiasts alike.  During E3 we sat down with the folks at Turn 10 and learned the devs would be taking a new approach: a focus on redesigning the game using all the information at their hands, from details such as tire roll and sidewall information from racing teams, to new physics behaviors and hands on with the cars. The team was there with a renewed focus to make a new Forza and not just a sequel, stripping down the game engine to the bare bones and building every core piece of the game to deliver a better experience. With that as their mission we set off into our copy of Forza 3, armed with a regular remote and the Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo S Wheel.

Forza 3 brings new and old gamers to the table, bridging the gap using new aids such as braking assist which allows players to hold the gas down and just steer the car around the tracks. The goal of the new Forza was to make a simulation game feel accurate to the enthusiasts but be approachable by the average car fan. The game offers a list of driving aid choices that can change the experience drastically; traction and stability control with a dash of antilock braking all add up in Forza 3 and allow anyone to enjoy it. In testing, the aids are scary to behold; the control taken away from the gamer is huge but the experience is still strong.

The most prominent component of the game is the control system -- how the reactions from the controller to the car perform. The Fanatec is what we started with, testing the execution for those planning to get the wheel or to use the official Microsoft wheel. After configuration it was easy to get into; the 6+1 transmission worked and the paddle shifting took over without a problem. The biggest adjustment that came up was in the transmission settings: manual + clutch must change to manual for paddle shifting as there is a shift delay otherwise. Forza delivered impressive response speed, for example when taking the Bugatti Veyron to Nürburgring for the full course and manual shifting. The experience was intense; the throttle and brake control was impressive with tension set spot on and dead zone levels in an acceptable range to start off. During that 12 mile race the game reacted on target with the wheel and hit each gear up or down with no delay.