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Great, instantly playable game that doesn't take the simluation too far

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Please note that in this review I will be comparing Forza 2 with Gran Turismo 4. I am in no way trying to discredit the GT series, so please don't assault me for that.

In fact, I have been a PS2 "fanboy" as many people say, for a long time. It was the first game system that I truly loved, and the only console I have ever owned. I have played all 4 Gran Turismos (not the new developments of Prologue and 5, however), and own 3 and 4. I swear by my PS2's bullet-proof reliability and wide assortment of games, as well as its ergonomic controller and compact size (I have the slimline edition).

After all that, Forza 2 has caused me to purchase an XBox 360. Here's why.

Gran Turismo 4 vs Forza Motorsport 2

-Cars
-Tracks
-Customizations
-Racing
-Extra features

Gran Turismo 4 boasts an impressive 720 cars, enough to keep you scrolling through the list for hours. Many of these cars are great automobiles, but many are...not. For example, Polyphony Digital had no license to reproduce Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati automobiles, and while I generally find Ferrari and Lamborghini to be overrated cars (at least in real life, considering their price), I am a big Porsche fan. Yes, there are Rufs, which are certainly Porsches, but not very many. GT4 also has a number of almost useless cars with no racing pretense OR historical merit (Daihatsu Midget?????), an overdone collection of Nissans (100 to be exact, with around 20 Skylines, some of which differ from the others only in a special paint color), and a few fake cars (Ford GT LM race car, Polyphony Digital Formula car--the car to end all others--Nike 2022, etc.)

Forza 2 has only 310 cars, plus a few dozen more in the Platinum Hits version (online downloads for the regular game), but they're all raceable. Whether or not you like a Civic, it is a tunable, raceable car, and there are no pickups or Model T's here. Additionally, there are Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, and Maseratis, and the game includes the Volkswagen Corrado VR6, which is enough for me. Fewer cars than GT4, but more of them are useful and almost all of them are pretty cool.

Gran Turismo 4 has a very nice assortment of tracks, some real and some fictitious, and in this regard it has Forza beat. There are about 34 separate tracks in GT4 (not counting variations of each one, or reversals), as opposed to 12 in Forza, which makes for more variety. However, be aware that both games have just 8 real-life tracks, which makes for 67% of Forza tracks being real while only 24% of GT4's are. One way or the other, GT4 has more tracks, and most of them are arguably more detailed than Forza's.

Customizations is where Forza 2 really takes the cake. Gran Turismo HAS always been about realistic upgrades, but I'm afraid that GT4 misses the mark a little. It has many upgrades, but none of them are licensed, and many of them are actually groups of upgrades (like Engine Tuning Stage 1, 2, 3) rather than individual things like on Forza 2. Also, many of the mods don't appear...add a rollcage, and you won't ever see it. Annoyingly enough, you also can't switch back to factory parts in many cases (wheels and spoilers, for example), and wheel size for custom wheels is determined by the size of the factory wheels. You CANNOT repaint your car, and there are no such things as decals or graphics. The only appearance mods you can add are lowered suspension, custom wheels (in the size of stock), and tacky-looking wings which add downforce but not style.

In the case of Forza 2, customization is the heart and soul of the game, and a part that I particularly like. All tuning parts are brand name, which I find to be very cool. I enjoy installing a VF Engineering Stage 2 supercharger on my VW Corrado, then going to the manufacturer website and seeing the exact same real product, available for real-life purchase. Upgrades are also sensible...when you have little money, you can add a part or two (intake, exhaust, etc.) instead of having to save up for a big upgrade kit. There are a LOT of upgrades, right down to things like camshafts and new engine blocks, and you can even do crate engine swaps, which can not only maximize your horsepower potential for a particular car, but also create a super-fast classic ('69 Camaro plus modern Corvette engine, for example). Wheel upgrades are extremely numerous, and you can choose both the diameter and width of your wheels (within a limited range, which is generally plenty). There are also body-kits which can enhance your car's appearance without looking silly, and often a choice of a few body-colored spoilers to enhance downforce with a reasonable appearance. And when you add parts like a rollcage, you can see them through the window.

You can also paint your car, mirrors, wheels, brake calipers, and hood as separate entities in almost any color you can imagine, and there are near-limitless graphics and decals to custom-tailor to your style. This alone could occupy artistic people for hours.

Gran Turismo 4 is the "Real Driving Simulator," and it is realistic. Handling is spot-on, as are acceleration times, tire wear is a prominent factor, and it generally feels like driving a real car. But there are flaws. There is no damage, and it is very hard to spin out. These might not matter to you, and it shows that GT4 has pulled off realism very well. In other aspects, GT4 also has a great car tuning system (adjust everything from gear ratios to alignment) which has no faults to speak of.

Forza 2 handles realism just as well as GT4, with a lot of emphasis on tires (and why not...they're the only thing between the car and the road). There is also damage, which I think is a great addition. A lot of people complain about it because a 150 mph collision won't demolish your car, but think about how much graphical power that would require. It's not "Motorstorm." Sure, there are some flaws in the damage modeling engine, but crashes are a big and fun part of Forza 2, if not extremely frustrating during a hard race. Besides convincing denting and scraping, body panels detatch, glass breaks, and handling/acceleration suffer to the point of total car incapacitation. To be honest, most of the low-speed collisions/bumping are probably spot-on for realism. Spinning out is also possible and actually easy, which is realistic...tap someone's rear fender at 100 mph in real life and they will be going sideways.

As far as car tuning goes, GT4 and Forza 2 are both mint, with the latter including tire pressure (which I never change) and the former likely having some extra that Forza doesn't (I haven't catalogued them all).

One things that GT4 severely lacks is accurate sound effects. Some cars do sound right, but almost all race exhausts sound the same, and in general a LOT of stuff sounds the same. The Shelby Mustang GT350R sounds like an electric motor. Not very convincing for a big-block muscle car.

Forza 2 may have some sound errors, but in general each car sounds pretty darned accurate. In particular, the 350Z, Porsche air-cooled, and VW VR6 engines sound right on the money. In addition, exhausts dramatically improve you car's sound (if not quite capturing how LOUD race exhaust is); I actually usually install sport exhaust just because I like how it sounds. You can even hear sound changes when you add intakes. Of course, turbos and other parts sound different as well.

GT4 offers the B-spec option, which allows a trained driver to race for you (great in endurance events). This earns you no A-spec points, but has no other penalties. In Forza 2, you can HIRE a driver, who will then dip substantially out of your winnings (even taking them all, if he is a good driver). It makes driving on your own more enticing. I have only driven the "Super Speedway" endurance on GT4 myself, whereas many of the endurance races on Forza found me with a glass of Coke and a determined expression, racing until my thumbs were numb.

A final race detail is that GT4 does pitstops WAY better. There is an actual pit crew who runs out and changes your tires in a realistic, if not repetitive, animation. Forza 2 echoes GT3's pitstops: Car raises magically in air, tires improve, car drops to ground and drives away.

As far as bonus features go, both games have plenty. There are photo modes in both games. The static photo mode in GT4 is way better, with numerous environments in which to take pictures as opposed to Forza's white room which does not permit long shots. I would like a GT4 white room, but oh well. As far as in-race photos go, Forza 2 is somewhat better, allowing you to take pictures directly in-race as opposed to only in the replay. There is plenty of music in GT4 which can be played in race, but much of it is pretty odd in my opinion (and a lot is found only in GT4...custom music??) Forza 2's menu music suits me fine, but when playing the game I generally use my external hard drive to play whatever music I like, which is one thing I like about the 360 that my PS2 won't do.

A few more details that don't really have a category:

Graphics are great for both games, both with HD support. I would say that Forza 2's graphics in non HD are slightly better than GT4's, but of course...it's a next-gen console.

I particularly like Forza 2's level-up system (the winnings you earn in each race bring your bar up toward higher and higher levels, which unlock new race series, cars, and awards...think Call of Duty 4 online, if that helps). I also like the car ranking system; instead of ranking cars based on their original class, or their horsepower alone, the D, C, B, A, S, U, and Race classes represent all the mods done to a car, allowing for tough races if you so choose. And, making a D-class car into an S-class with some serious mods is always pretty cool. And earning prestige by racing a particular car enough, and earning discounts on cars/parts, is always fun. It adds another level of cool detail to see that some parts are offered 10% off, as it makes it feel like a sale in which you are being a smart consumer (that may sound silly, but I like it). And the in-game telemetry is cool.

Now, Forza 2 is realistic, but not completely (hence the title of my review). Racing a U-class car against D-class may be amusing, but hardly challenging or realistic. It wouldn't happen in a real race. Damage is limited; your car won't explode, crush drastically, lose wheels, or flip/roll. Manufacturers giving you cars just for earning prestige seems a little far-fetched. Tracks aren't replete with tons of detail. There is no nitrous oxide (although using that in circuit racing seems a little lame)...and no, I didn't mean "BOOST" or "NOS", I meant a legitimate system. Some aspects of the game have an arcade feel to them which somewhat limits realism, but also makes the game more playable, less frustrating, and, I would argue, more fun.

A quick cons list (pros for each game are generally the opposite of the cons for the other).

GT4 cons:
Many useless or fake cars
Many fictitious tracks
Generic, often bundled mods
No paint or graphics options
Non-removable mods
Non-visible mods
No damage
Hard to spin out/spin others out
Very inaccurate sound effects
Free B-spec driver (a con for realism)
No in-race photo option
Funky music

Forza 2 cons:
Small number of tracks
Less than superb damage
Cheesy pitstops
No environmental photo-shoots
No in-game music (remedy is your own music through 360)
Somewhat arcade-like feel

Overall, I would have to say that Forza 2 wins the comparison FOR ME. I like the cars it has, the damage, the rank-up system, and the modification and tuning options, and that's my personal opinion. I am in no way trying to discredit GT4, which, if you may recall, was for a 6th generation console rather than a 7th, making it quite impressive indeed, and it trumps Forza in some areas.

I would absolutely recommend Forza 2 to any 360-owning auto enthusiast, but don't expect the perfect game to end all racing sims. It's great fun, but not exemplary...but don't let that hinder you having a good time playing it. I have and will continue to with my new XBox, while still enjoying my rock-solid PS2.

I hope this review helps you evaluate the game.

Alex

Best racing game on 360

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 16, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game, while not quite on the level as GT, does pretty much top all the racing games out right now(save for GT.) This is the only racing game I've enjoyed on my 360 so far, and it awesome. The sound effects could use some work, but the visuals are great. Car damage is where it gets one up on GT, but it's really not that big of a deal. This is most definitely the best racing game on the 360 and I highly recommend the purchase of it, especially at its amazinly low price!

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