If you are a Forza 2 fan then you probably do not need to read this review because you know what to expect with Forza 3 already and probably are already waiting to play the game. This is one game which will not disappoint any racing fan because it is simply pure excellence.

Whether it’s an exotic sports car like the new Audi R8 V10, a classic American muscle car such as the Ford GT, or a hot Asian import such as the Nissan 370Z, everyone has a dream car. Now you can drive that dream with Turn 10’s latest racing epic, launching this October exclusively for Xbox 360®, Forza Motorsport 3. The game makes it possible for everyone to experience the thrill of owning the world’s most exotic and exquisite cars. Live the most realistic racing experience ever as you take the wheel of more than 400 of the most-beloved cars on over 100 renowned real-world tracks and exotic road courses from around the globe. With breathtaking HD graphics and the most advanced vehicle performance modeling in a video game, Forza Motorsport 3 includes a host of driving assists and adjustable skill levels to make the game a gripping pick-up-and-play experience for audiences of all ages and skill levels. A love of cars lives in all of us. Forza Motorsport 3 is the automotive playground we’ve all been waiting for.

Gameplay

It seems most racing games are categorized into two distinct types. Type 1 is the arcade racing title which is like the Burnouts and Need for Speed Undercover Series or Type 2 the simulation racers with the one big name on most racers lips being the Playstation Exclusive Gran Turismo. I usually find no one can work well for both types of gamers and even Forza 2 which was accessible to most gamers was a bit more sim than arcade for average gamers. This is not the case with Forza 3 because you can drop a casual arcade racer in front of the TV and they can drive and win in Forza 3 but you also can go full on simulation and please the hardcore racers who know everything about every car in their virtual garage. The ability to appeal to both gaming types are why this is possibly the only racer that could be recommended to everyone.

If you use the Xbox 360 controller or the Microsoft Wheel, which I completely recommend for you power racers, the gameplay is extremely tight and effective. There was no learning curve to jump between the two controllers and I could easily drive with both the gamepad and the wheel. Pulling off complex maneuvers is easy with both controllers and it is possible to race around the track and not have any failures such as bumping other cars, driving off the track or even crashing and burning.

Of course being an Xbox 360 game it has to have multiplayer and there is nothing better than racing with some friends and bragging about it over your microphone. With up to eight players supported for racing this is a great racing game for clans to jump into. If you were in a Forza 2 racing clan and there were a lot of them, then you know what you are getting into. Solid racing that is fun well into the wee morning hours.

Forza 2 has a great community of creative people who created some of the best looking vehicles out there with the very powerful and easy to use car painting program. Using colors, paint, shapes and many other tools to create a unique car which can then be put online for people to see or even buy. The potential for what you can create is literally endless it just takes some time and some patience for the truly creative to build their masterpiece. But if you are not a painter but a gear head you can take a low end Honda Civic and make it a killer car with the proper parts that you can tweak to your heart’s content. Forza 3 is certainly a bigger and better game than the excellent Forza 2.

Graphics and Audio

Forza 2 had fantastic graphics and was a serious leap above most of the racing competition but most gamers might not be able to see a big noticeable difference this time between Forza 2 and 3. If you look at the screen shots I would have to agree, the games look very similar but when the game is in motion the beauty flows at a steady frame rate in every single race.
Being a racing title there is two key graphic points that must be met to please most gamers and those of course are the actual cars, which must look authentic and the racetracks which if they are real world tracks, they better look real because we have raced them before in other games and seen them on TV or in person. There is nothing to actually worry about here because the cars are gorgeous from even the most common Ford to the elite Ferrari F430GT and the tracks are lifelike and some of the best looking we have seen this side of actually sitting in the stands and watching a race. With over 400 cars and over 100 tracks there is much to see and the attention to detail is beyond impressive.

Audio wise the game does everything right once again. Well done music, environmental sound effects are excellent, the cars all sound realistically and when you hit the wall, another car or even ground out the sound effects are excellent. Even the voice work for the game is well done and this is one area most developers would have just gone cheap and then gone home, but it is professional and I am happy for that fact. In Dolby 5.1 using my Turtle Beach Headset this game is beyond extraordinary.

Value

For racing fans the overall games value is excellent and you could not see a higher value. There are still highly active Forza 2 clans who race several times a week and compete so gamers such as those will jump into this game quickly. For the casual race fan the value might not be as high but this game will certainly keep all gamers entertained for a very long time until the next big AAA racing simulation title hits on the Xbox 360.

Bottom Line

If you are a racing game fan then you will have to have this game in your library for the sheer amount of content and community aspects to the game. Even just the average single player gamer who enjoys racing will find hundreds of hours of enjoyment here with this game and its huge potential for future growth. Run and buy this game on day 1 and enjoy it.