Game Preview 18:Forza Motorsport 2

Publisher: Microsoft
Platform Available: Xbox 360
Release date: Q1 2007

It is time to surge forza (forward in Italian) again with Forza Motorsport returning on Xbox 360. With the added power of the Xbox 360, you can expect Forza Motorsport 2 to look much more gorgeous than its predecessor. Car models will be highly detailed and there will be no obtruding polygons when the cars are speeding. In fact, the vehicles look almost like the real ones! With 300 licensed cars, including anything from Lamborghinis to Nissans to Corvettes, you will be spoilt for choice. Forza Motorsport 2 is also set on expanding the number of tracks from Forza Motorsport to a total of 70, some fictitious, some real ones. As in Forza Motorsport, the racing lines will still be making an appearance to guide players along the most suitable side of the track to drive on. If there is any complaint that can be leveled at the first Forza, it must be the damage presentation and Forza Motorsport 2 attempts to correct that. A new level of realism has been injected into the game. For example, constant rubbing against the wall will inevitably cause deformation of some parts of the cars and little cracks on the windshield will form. There will be more variation in car damage as well. Heavy car damage will cause the car to be totaled and unable to continue the race, unlike in the first Forza, where players are still able to race despite sustaining serious damage. Want to show your car to the world? Take a snapshot – Forza 2 allows the option for you to do just that. If you are planning to purchase Microsoft’s soon-to-be-released Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel, then you will be getting more bang for your buck with Forza Motorsport 2. That is because the game is being developed in a way such that it will work with the add-on, featuring both force feedback and rumble. Needless to say, Forza Motorsport 2 will not be complete without extra customizable options. The game allows you to use 4000 layers to customize the exterior of your car as opposed to just 600 layers in Forza Motorsport. Change your engines, hoods, add decals and many more options for you to ponder over. As far as multiplayer is concerned, the finished game will support up to 12 players in a single race. And to a certain extent, Forza Motorsport 2 will be modeled after Project Gotham Racing 3. PGR3’s spectator mode will be exported over to Forza Motorsport 2 and improved upon. Leaderboard qualified tournaments may be installed and PGR3 TV may also be recreated in some way. Originally slated for a November release, Forza Motorsport 2 has been delayed, and that certainly provides the developers with significantly more time to make some changes to the game.