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Wow! Forza 2 delivers the goods!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 14
Date: June 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I am a nearly life long gamer who enjoys most every genre of games. Having said that, the racing game genre is one that has failed to hold my attention in the past. I have plenty of experience with GT, the NFS series, PGR and most of your run of the mill arcade racers (Daytona, etc.), but the sad truth is, most of those games have failed to hold my interest for more than a few days. Forza 2 is different. I am addicted at this point. The gameplay is excellent, the customization options are unreal (particularly the custom paint jobs that you can apply if you want to expend the time and attention to detail), the choice of cars is astounding......the overall package is fantastic. I have seen people criticize the graphics on other sites.....I disagree. The in-game graphics are very nice, the user interface screens are very appealing and the level of statistics and car detail available is second to none. I highly recommend this game for racing game junkies, or just general game lovers.

On your marks... get set... GO!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: May 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Forza 2 continues what the first Forza did so well, it provides an excellent simulation style race for the Xbox360. The game is gorgeous to look at and the damage to your car adds something that Gran Turismo never did for me... Realism. The game is excellent in the aspect that you can pick it up and play and for all you gearheads out there the customization aspect of the game will keep you busy for hours, nope, days, nope, MONTHS!!!!

Bridging The Gap

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: June 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Up until now, I've been sick of racing games-I've only owned one in fact, being Sega GT 2002, which I only bought because it was 99 cents, but I've played numerous, including all the PGR's and Gran Turismo's. Forza Motorsport 2 got me excited enough that I bought it for list price, which, I never do for games, ever.

Was it worth it? Of course. The best part about this game is that it doesn't muddle around in the spectrum of arcade and simulation, no, it is a simulation, it is ultra realistic, but it gives you aids that let you drive it like an arcade until you get the hang of it, including ABS, TCS and Racing Line.

I have a tiny bone to pick with the racing line. It's great, and it does adapt to your car depending on the maneuvering capabilities, but the braking is sometimes off-I find it telling me to brake in occasions where its not necessary or telling me to brake too late, but this is not often, that said, it can be the difference between a podium finish and a busted car.

Speaking of busted car, the damage is superb, but from a purely non-superficial viewpoint-all cars have different sensitivities to damage, and damage actively effects things such as aerodynamics, making your car veer, which could also be because of broken parts around the wheels. The only thing which is disappointing was the the cars get scratched and broken well on the outside, but they do not crumple as cars in real life would, they will only compact a few inches from their original shape even at 150 mph collisions. That said, so far, no racing simulator has pulled this off.

The graphics are very good, and fine detail is not overlooked, for example if you go in the dirt it appears on the front of your car and so on. The only thing is that sometimes everything seems too perfect-by that I mean the cars are always shining and also the weather never changes, which is a negative by my watch. I would have looked forward to trying out the rain in such a realistic game.

The customization is good, but at times can be tricky. I have still not found out how to mirror vinyls. That means that if I want something to look like its coming off of the wheel on one side, so far I haven't found a way to mirror that on the otherside, it stays the same and looks like its coming off the rear wheel. Also, the body kits are limited, and most of them only have body kits supplied by the game itself. Overall though, the possibilities are endless due to the huge amounts of vinyls to work with and the abilities to distort them, not just make them bigger or smaller in proportion.

There is also something else this game does which most racing games seem to be doing less and less. When playing this game, it may almost feel a little spartan in comparison to most other racers, be it Gran Turismo or Toca Race Driver, and that's because it gives you what you need-by that I mean there are no useless functions in the game that don't matter. When customizing your car, the background is white, rather than a garage for a regular feel. Also, the racing modes are only conventional modern races, with a span of production to racing cars, unlike other games which provide everything from Monster Truck Races to races taking place in the early 1900's. In short, they focused on what matters, and because of that, it's simply amazing.

Gran Turismo who? The crown is still in the hands of the Forza franchise.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 11
Date: May 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Since Forza Motorsport came out in 2004 for Xbox racing games have had a lot to look up to. Forza 2 simply takes everything that was great with Forza and makes it better. Better graphics, better cars (looks especially), better physics, better everything. It's just amazing and you have to try it yourself to know what I'm talking about.

I've already got my Chevrolet Camaro 1969 SS 396 running tracks. Hell, I think I'm going to throw the chevy 427 in it this week and see how she does!!! I love this game!!

A must for any Xbox 360 owner.

With Forza 2, I'm a convert!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've never really been a huge fan of racing games, and when I have played them, I've always preferred arcade-oriented games like the Need for Speed and Burnout series.

I recently received an Xbox 360 as a gift, and Forza 2 was included in the bundle. I'd already heard great things about Forza, but I initially set the game aside, thinking newer titles like Call of Duty 4 or Bioshock would be much more enjoyable.

A couple of weeks ago, after getting slightly bored while playing Halo 3 on Xbox Live, I decided to try Forza 2 for the first time. Since then, Forza hasn't left my Xbox 360's DVD tray.

While the game was initially frustrating, I soon realized that it was because I had developed a lot of bad habits playing arcade racing games. After I learned to (a) ease onto the breaks as opposed to slamming them, since the latter can result in either the breaks locking up or your car losing traction, (b) go slowly into turns, because a clean, slow turn is always better than a fast, sloppy one, (c) go into a turn slowly because it allows you to come out fast, (d) stop acting like the accelerator is an all-or-nothing affair; it's like a real throttle, so treat it with some finesse, and (e) win races in the corners, not the straightaways, I started having a lot of fun.

In fact, winning races, improving lap times, obtaining cars and upgrading them, and moving up to higher-level events is incredibly addicting. Forza 2 is as much a racing RPG as a racing simulation. The depth of the game is amazing. I've often found myself complaining lately that most of today's titles simply don't have a lot of replay value. Forza 2 is proof that games don't have to be this way. After I beat Forza 2's Career Mode, I plan to play through the whole game again on a higher difficulty level.

Forza 2's graphics are pretty good on my standard-definition television. They'd probably be great on a 720p or better television. The sound is simply fantastic. I'm a big fan of European cars, but the great sound design is part of what makes the American muscle cars (like the 1969 Camaro Z28) so fun to drive. The physics seem very realistic. More often than not, I can feel the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) advantages and disadvantages that come with certain upgrades. You'll quickly learn that balance is key. If you spend all your credits making that Z28 into a 800 hp monster without paying some attention to the suspension, tires, or breaking system, you'll probably be sorry when you go to that invitational at Laguna Seca.

I knocked a star off the rating mainly because there are a couple of areas where the interface could be a little better. Sometimes it's a little confusing, and other times it forces you to go through too many screens to change a setting.

Ultimately, Forza 2 has succeeded in making someone who didn't really care about racing games (me) into a racing simulation freak. I'm thinking about picking up the Xbox 360 steering wheel, though I've gotten pretty decent with the controller. The key is learning to be very gradual with those left and right trigger fingers (breaks and throttle, respectively). You really don't need the steering wheel to get good at this game. I just think it might help with the immersion factor.

Fast and Fantastic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: June 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is fantastic. Loads of fun racing. There is a learning curve that is steeper than other games but once you get the hang of driving this game it becomes very realistic to real driving. I started with the standard X-box 360 wireless controller but moved up to a logitech wheel. I strongly recommend getting a wheel for this game. I find it so much easier to drive and control with a wheel.

Forza is like an RPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: October 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have stayed up late a few times trying to get a little more money for my next car. OH it is so great and as you progress the money just starts rolling in. it has been a week and I like all the settings on hard.

The ultimate car simulator?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 17, 2008
Author: Amazon User

A good simulator is a beautiful thing. I remember way back when the first Gran Turismo had come out in Japan and a friend of mine showed it to me (like 6 months before it came out in America) and I first glanced at the hidden high-resolution mode. I remember thinking that it didn't look like a playstation game and didn't play like one either. It played like something from the future, like something brought back in a time-machine. Every since Gran Turismo people have been trying to steal its thunder with their own driving simulator for the masses. The first one that made a dent was Forza for the Xbox. And naturally when the long-awaited 360 version came out people were excited (and especially since Gran Turismo 5 has been ages in development the full-priced tech demo called Prologue is a disappointment to some as it lacks full-version...depth). It ain't perfect. But it really is quite a beast.

If you're looking for the perfect driving simulator you can look somewhere else (Gran Prix Legends maybe...now why don't they make a console version of that?). While there are good tracks, there's no Monza, no Longbeach, ect.,ect. (crazy to say it, but the best track selection is still in Ferrari F355 Challenge for Dreamcast and Grand Prix Legends for the PC). The controls are great, but they can frustrate as well. The graphics are beautiful, but not definitive from my viewpoint (even in high-definition). And then there's the irritation of the letterboxing in standard aspect ratio which FORCES you to run the darn thing in widescreen ratio if you don't want a huge chunk of your screen empty (and makes me have to keep switching the aspect ratio back and forth... Urgh!). And if you don't want to fly off the road into the dirt over and over and over.... you're going to have to concentrate on your driving and tweak your setups like never before (when oh WHEN are they going to start putting in some kind of auto-tuning wizard?). But the upside...ah the upside.

I've been playing racing games since Rad Racer on the NES. I've played every kind of racer you could imagine over the years, and very near and dear to my heart are good racing simulators (provided they don't get to PC levels of complexity that drive men insane). This game may not be Gran Turismo, but it definitely is its Nemesis. The soundtrack turns itself off during an actual race, but if it bugs you during menus you can turn it off. The controls are precise and smooth. The level of car data available is almost too much to fathom. The graphics on a high-definition display are incredibly crisp and clear. And the car A.I., all so often the weak point of a racer, is pretty darn awesome. So many times I was racing, and one of the other cars tapped me just right to spin me out and send me into the wall. Call it what you like, but I swear it was on purpose.

The meat of the game, strangely enough, is not the racing. It's the car collecting and (RPG/racing fans rejoice!) Leveling Up. That's right. You Level Up your cars in this game through winning races with them, simultaneously leveling up yourself. As your car gains levels you get discounts. As you gain levels races are unlocked. You also get to add a custom paint job and decals to your car, turning it into your own work of art. And that's where all the depth hits you.

You see, you can't just buy the most expensive upgrades for any car and go to town with it. Some races have weight requirements, some races have horsepower restrictions. You'll find yourself undoing upgrades so you can enter the race. And then you'll find that certain upgrades will make your sweet ride totally unusable simply because the car-type isn't suitable for that oh-so-pretty turbo tune you saved up for. I found that out the hard way. But on the upside, when you finally figure out how to maximize your car (I took a Porsche 911 Turbo into Unlimited Class through a powertrain swap, every engine upgrade, and every handling upgrade possible), you'll really love driving. The key in my case was discovering the tire and rim upgrades combined with the downforce upgrades. Trust me, the difference in handling with wide, super-slick tires with extra-large, extra-light rims and three downforce upgrades (spoiler, front and rear flaps to decrease lift) is HUGE when you've got an S or U class monster.

While there aren't ALL that many races to compete in and you'll find yourself doing some over and over and over on the same glorified oval tracks, the tracks are fairly well designed (not Gran Turismo 1 or 4 well-designed but passable for fun driving), and can be very very pretty on a good display. Personally I find more gratification in finally getting that tuning setup on a car just right (or getting just the right upgrades), painting a car with a neat custom pain job, and seeing my skills as a driver increase as my car increases it's drivability through upgrades and tuning tweaks. That's where the real fun in this game is, that's where the gameplay is at. I've restarted races countless times because I got tapped and hit the wall, getting more frustrated each time, only to find that those two or three upgrades or tweaks made my car unstoppable.

Thankfully, you can also make a LOT of adjustments to the difficulty of the game (including the now-famous driving lines to guide you), so if you keep spinning out and cars keep racing ahead of you, you can turn the difficulty down a notch at the expense of extra credits you would earn for a difficulty bonus. The actual damage simulation is pretty neat on a cosmetic level, with mirrors and bumpers ripping off, pain jobs getting scratched to steel-wool proportions, and windshields shattering. It's still not perfect of course (only Grand Prix Legends lets you blow out your transmission on the starting line by red-lining in neutral as far as I know), but the effect of hitting walls with simulation damage on can make your car undrivable if you hit a wall head-on at 200MPH. The replays at kind of neat (worth watching but still not Gran Turismo level), and the car views are great

For the inevitable Forza 3 I have the following recommendations: More real-world, world-class tracks such as Monza, Silverspring, Monaco, and Long Beach. They would add tremendous depth. Also, race series in which you must complete every race in order, larger numbers of cars to race against, an auto-tune wizard, and maybe some dynamic weather and time-of-day changes to make the tracks less boring. I say if you're going to go for realism, go all the way. Make those changes and a few more (I loved how Gran Prix Legends had the car's handling change based on how much fuel was in the tank and how your car would break apart differently every time when you had a crash).

If you dig the whole car collecting aspect of racing games and really dig simulators this game will be right up your alley. If you just want to race and feel the racing atmosphere you might want to look elsewhere (I thinking GRID). I don't enjoy this game more than any other simulator (the most fun one I've played yet is Gran Turismo 4), but it IS a very different kind of game and an enjoyable experience all-around. I just have a LOOOOONG way to go before I unlock everything (just like every other simulator I own). See you on the track race fans!

Amazing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: June 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is the best racing simulator released so far.
Its an amazing game. Physics, graphics, cars, and circuits are great.

Forza not Funza

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: August 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Me = very experienced, objective gamer. played many a racer. this just isn't the one folks. It has the standard fare. Flashy cars, customize and upgrade them. Paint them.

Criticisms:
- it's not fun period.
- if you dare run off the track into a little spot of dirt, you might as well be driving a turtle in a tar pit. you drop from 100mph to 0 in .1 seconds. no i'm not exaggerating.
- if you happen to hit a side wall with the side of your car, instead of just bouncing back into the track with some kind of realistic action-reaction physics, you almost always have your back end spin out into the track infuriatingly. Totally unrealistic.
- textures are really mediocre (backgrounds, tracks, etc).
- tracks are boring. There are only a few that are inner city, downtown, with flashy lights and interesting things to enjoy. The rest are just pedestrian.
- graphics in general, are just okay. This is a next-gen title, it needs immersive ultra-realism.
- it gives you the illusion of track variety, but there are barely more than 10 or so...they're simply reused in different races.

The closest release time-wise for comparison is DiRT, which is a more graphically pleasing, more fun game to play with a better presentation in general. Much more variety in DiRT. PGR3 is showing it's age but seems to have more variety as well and PGR4 is on the way with more promising dynamic weather effects...

None of these "sim" type games are as fun as the non-sim racers, like Burnout. Flatout is returning with a new offering and Burnout Paradise is coming soon with a more open-world game play (like Test Drive Unlimited). These games are just simply more fun to play. Test Drive Unlimited incorporates some Sims-esk (I mean the game "The Sims") functions where you buy property, buy cars, put `em in the garages, test drive `em, race `em around, etc...Games like this simply have tons more to do giving you more longevity to the title. You can drive around the Test Drive island for hours and hours...And you don't sacrifice graphical quality in these titles, quite the opposite.

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