Forza Motorsports XBOX

[GoChris]

Well I loaded up Forza Motorsports on the XBOX last night before going to bed. I only had time to play for a few mins, but I liked every minute of it.

Since I haven't got GT4 for the PS2 I have been waiting for a nice racing sim since playing GT3 and Forza is definately a nice racing sim game.

I can post more about it tonight, I just quickly loaded up a single race and picked some random car, ended up being a RS6 and started driving. Its pretty realistic cause I hit the wall a few times going to fast into a corner. It even shows when ABS kicks in too.

Graphics were pretty good, it will be fun to play on the 47".

Going to start a career mode tonight and play all weekend hopefully!

[awd]

But it isn't released at earliest, end of may....

[SuPhistiKatEd]

I guess it's good for you XBox guys....GT4 and Forza are the same thing, only with subtle differences and a different package. Though, many say it will be the "GT4 Killer." I probably won't pick up a copy, since I have GT4 already and I'm deep into Career Mode. Let us know how it goes though. :)

[GoChris]

Originally posted by awd
But it isn't released at earliest, end of may....

In Canada I think May 3rd, so tuesday.


Originally posted by SuPhistiKatEd
I guess it's good for you XBox guys....GT4 and Forza are the same thing, only with subtle differences and a different package. Though, many say it will be the "GT4 Killer." I probably won't pick up a copy, since I have GT4 already and I'm deep into Career Mode. Let us know how it goes though. :)

Ya that what I have missed from my ps2 lately (it broke) is a GT game so I am very much so looking forward to playing this. I dont care if its better than GT4. As long as its like GT4 and better than GT3 I will be happy.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by rlde.us
In Canada I think May 3rd, so tuesday.

Ya that what I have missed from my ps2 lately (it broke) is a GT game so I am very much so looking forward to playing this. I dont care if its better than GT4. As long as its like GT4 and better than GT3 I will be happy.

A broken PS2? What a shocker.:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I don't know if it will be more realistic than GT4 but I hope its more fun. GT4 to me just wasn't fun. I traded it in when it started to feel like GT3 all over again.

[habsfan]

Originally posted by heavyD


A broken PS2? What a shocker.:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:



good thing your opinion that all ps2's break hasn't gotten old. :rolleyes:

[heavyD]

Originally posted by habsfan


good thing your opinion that all ps2's break hasn't gotten old. :rolleyes:

I don't believe I ever said all PS2's break. The real number is probably 40% or so. My PS2 #3 now takes about 1 - 2 minutes to load a game, my friends no longer plays movies. Let's call a spade a spade and say the PS2 is the Hyundai Pony of consoles. :D

Listen, I don't hate the PS2 I'm just upset at Sony for not making the product more reliable for the money consumers have to pay for it.

[TurboMedic]

And for the record, Forza is NOTHING like GT4....the only people who are saying that are those who are pissed they got suckered into buying a PS2 just for a recycled copy of earlier GT's....

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by SuPhistiKatEd
I guess it's good for you XBox guys....GT4 and Forza are the same thing, only with subtle differences and a different package. Though, many say it will be the "GT4 Killer." I probably won't pick up a copy, since I have GT4 already and I'm deep into Career Mode. Let us know how it goes though. :)

A little more than subtle differences.

Full "online" mode. You can play your whole career online. You can buy and swap cars online. You can mod your cars inside and out. The cars take *gasp* damage, which will affect the cars performance and handling. Not to mention is pretty sweet looking.

Sorry but GT4 got old fast for me.


AFAIK Forza is greater than GT4 in every way. :thumbsup:

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by TurboMedic
And for the record, Forza is NOTHING like GT4....the only people who are saying that are those who are pissed they got suckered into buying a PS2 just for a recycled copy of earlier GT's....

lol

I was one of em. :banghead:

Photo mode???


What a joke.

[GoChris]

Where can I buy and HDTV adapter for the XBOX? I just sorta found out that xbox supports HDTV. Screw this rca vid connection, I want some better picture and widescreen also!

future shop website doesnt seem to list it

[ZEDGE]

Heres a good vid that shows some of the features. I like the dig at the end by the developer. :D

14mb

http://xfersf02.ign.com/%5E1450770629/movies/streamingmovies.ign.com/docroot/xbox/article/608/608387/forza_devint_042805_wmvlow.wmv?position=front

[heavyD]

Originally posted by rlde.us
Where can I buy and HDTV adapter for the XBOX? I just sorta found out that xbox supports HDTV. Screw this rca vid connection, I want some better picture and widescreen also!

future shop website doesnt seem to list it

You don't need an adapter. You just need to buy the component cables (red/blue/green) and then go into your xbox setup and change the output. Microsoft makes them as does Monster Cables and some other third partys. You can pick them up at any Future Shop or Best buy.

BTW: 85% of Xbox games support HDTV.

[sputnik]

Microsoft High Definition AV Pack For XBOX

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&dept=0&sku_id=0665000FS10052666&catid=&newdeptid=2

Add this with a set of component cables and you are good to go.

[GoChris]

Originally posted by heavyD


You don't need an adapter. You just need to buy the component cables (red/blue/green) and then go into your xbox setup and change the output. Microsoft makes them as does Monster Cables and some other third partys. You can pick them up at any Future Shop or Best buy.

BTW: 85% of Xbox games support HDTV.

ya the plug into the xbox is what i meant :) thanks


Originally posted by sputnik
Microsoft High Definition AV Pack For XBOX

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&dept=0&sku_id=0665000FS10052666&catid=&newdeptid=2

Add this with a set of component cables and you are good to go.

wicked, thats exactly what I need. are component cables componet cables? i dont wanna spend a ton of $ on them

[rage2]

Originally posted by heavyD
BTW: 85% of Xbox games support HDTV.
480p is NOT HDTV. Very few games support 720p, and even less support 1080i.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by rage2
480p is NOT HDTV. Very few games support 720p, and even less support 1080i.

You are right alot are just 480p but pretty well all first & second party Xbox games support 720p. It's the cross platform games that originate on PS2 from 3rd party developers that are 480p or nothing.

BWT: 480p is still a major improvement over 480i.

[rage2]

http://www.hdtvarcade.com/xboxlist.htm

720p still rare. Framerates suffer at 720p... good example Crash Nitro Cart, runs WAY smoother in 480p, but looks a lot nicer in 720p.

[NickGT]

Originally posted by ZEDGE
Heres a good vid that shows some of the features. I like the dig at the end by the developer. :D

14mb

http://xfersf02.ign.com/%5E1450770629/movies/streamingmovies.ign.com/docroot/xbox/article/608/608387/forza_devint_042805_wmvlow.wmv?position=front

Link doesn't work man, post up one that works you got me interested, thanks man :D

-edit-

n/m i found it on ign.com myself. So awesome ;)

Here's another link regarding the car customization:

Right click, save target as (http://movies.teamxbox.com/forza/forza_228_1.wmv)

[TurboMedic]

I love my HDTV Xbox cables! Plus running everything on widescreen on my 47" looks great!

[eb0i]

I bought the monster cables for xbox (gamelink 400x I believe) and they are fantastic, the difference between your normal cables and 480p is huge! Also bought the optical cord from monster to connect it to the surround sound system and its awesome! :thumbsup:

[lsc2g]

yea i've been playing it all day.. fuck this game is the best! the physics are awesome

some cars are totally outta control until you get used to them (NSX) and some cars sound like pure sex (audi rs6)

best game i've played on xbox in a long time:thumbsup:

[v8killah]

how are you guys playing, where can i get this bootlegged version

[GoChris]

sign up for this thing called the intraweb, the game is on there most likely.

[lsc2g]

:bigpimp:

[TurboMedic]

Its been an awesome addictive past few hours, hooked to the box and Forza....Graphics are amazing with the HD cables, like lscg2 said, the physics are great, the game is entertaining, even just to hear the difference in sounds the cars make! Oh, and racing the Nuremburg (sp?) track....mmmmmm

[ZEDGE]

Too bad you guys wont be racing on xbox live and trading and selling your cars. :poosie:

[heavyD]

Originally posted by rage2
http://www.hdtvarcade.com/xboxlist.htm

720p still rare. Framerates suffer at 720p... good example Crash Nitro Cart, runs WAY smoother in 480p, but looks a lot nicer in 720p.

You will have to pardon me but I'm not a big Crash Bandicoot (or what ever he is) fan. Is that like Mario Cart double Dash?

[jaysas_63]

will i be able to pick up a copy of this game the day it comes out??...or will i have to wait weeks before tehy have sufficent copies....

[heavyD]

Originally posted by jaysas_63
will i be able to pick up a copy of this game the day it comes out??...or will i have to wait weeks before tehy have sufficent copies....

There will be plenty. GTA SA will be coming to Xbox (June 7) soon and if you have 480p you will be in for a treat.

edit: I know it's not HDTV but it still looks wayy better.

[GoChris]

Originally posted by TurboMedic
Its been an awesome addictive past few hours, hooked to the box and Forza....Graphics are amazing with the HD cables, like lscg2 said, the physics are great, the game is entertaining, even just to hear the difference in sounds the cars make! Oh, and racing the Nuremburg (sp?) track....mmmmmm

oh man i just was playing for like 3 hours, so addictive! now i just need component cables for some better picture.


Originally posted by ZEDGE
Too bad you guys wont be racing on xbox live and trading and selling your cars. :poosie:

guess what! not only will we be playing online and trading/selling cars, but we wont be paying to do so!! :D

[Seanith]

Originally posted by rlde.us


guess what! not only will we be playing online and trading/selling cars, but we wont be paying to do so!! :D

LMAO. Your hilarious Chris. I don't know how you do it!

[Shoebox//Racer]

My buddy loaded the PAL version of Forza on his XBOX tonight and we played for ... 5 hours straight. OMG... i can honestly say this is BETTER than GT4.

The Painting and Customization completely blew me away.

Ontop of that engine swaps ?!?! OMFG

here is a clip about the crazy customization stuff:
http://movies.teamxbox.com/forza/forza_228_1.wmv

And this video shows the realism of the game. Basically they took pro drivers and set up a rig with pedals and a wheel and 2 huge screens and let them race around a real life track in the game. Then had them race the exact same car FOR REAL on a REAL track. The track times were within 4/10s of a second or something like that. Watch the video its NUTS.

http://movies.teamxbox.com/forza/forza_pro_racers_4.mov

[TurboMedic]

Yeah, popular science did that bit about the race car drivers on Forza vs. real life.....It was neat to see! The engine swap aspect is cool.....I love the graphic realism......and about Live, I can't play it anyhow, my box got, ummm, struck by lightning :)

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by rlde.us



guess what! not only will we be playing online and trading/selling cars, but we wont be paying to do so!! :D

go you... :rolleyes:

[v8killah]

so is this the absolute full version or like 90% or what

[GoChris]

full version yup.

[Shoebox//Racer]

Hey this is Kevin's friend posting using Kevin's acount (hehehe)

Well I managed to get a hold of Forza Motorsport about a week before release, Kevin and I have been playing and we're just amazed by this game. Kev even says the ONLY thing GT4 has up on this game is the number of cars (GT4 has what, 600? Forza has 231 cars).
I thought NFSU2 is a sweet game, but this just blows it out of the water (of course, that being said, this is a simulation not an arcade racer).
Yah've got to see this to believe it!

I remember playing the demo of this a few months back and being fairly disappointed, expecting a little more (the driving just didn't 'feel' right in that demo I played) but my worries have been cast aside.

Hope you all enjoy it when its released Tuesday May 3rd! :D

[GoChris]

theres already a thread on this about us already been playing it for a week.
:closed:

[GoChris]

I think I need to get a steering wheel if they have one for the xbox, this game is so much fun!

[TurboMedic]

ditto.....

[ZEDGE]

The demo is like a year old, so I would imagine the final version is much better. Forza may have less cars but at least they are cars you would want to drive, not 300 economy cars. :D

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by rlde.us
I think I need to get a steering wheel if they have one for the xbox, this game is so much fun!

http://www.fanatec.de/html/index.php?id=210&lang=en

Its apparently not as good as Logitechs wheel for ps2 but its the best for Xbox right now.

[rage2]

Played Forza for a few hrs this morning. Since I play a lot of GT4, it's fair to say I can do a good comparison.

Physics
Braking - GT4 is slightly more accurate
Turn in - GT4 way more accurate
Mid corner - GT4 way more accurate
Exit - Forza way more accurate
Off track excursions - Forza way more accurate

GT4 has a huge physics flaw... corner exits doesn't feel right, especially throttle happy/agressive drivers like me. If you keep it under 9/10ths, GT4 is perfect... it's when you go over when it feels off.

Also very easy to get into tank slapper situations if you try and drive in GT4 like a real car. Forza feels very close to real life in terms of corner exits, but braking and entering corners, as well as mid corners feels very arcady in Forza. In Forza, especially if you get slightly off track, it feels VERY real. You can feel the LSD kick in... way cool. Drifting should be fun in Forza. But for a simulation, GT4 gets the :thumbsup:, closer to real life than Forza by a good margin.

Graphics
GT4 wins in resolution (1080i), details are much more crisp, even with annoying aliasing in 1080 mode. But, Forza's got more texture detail. If only Forza supported 720p, it'd be a hands down winner. So, it's a tie between the 2.

Audio
Forza kills GT4. Much more realistic, especially the gearbox whine and the wind noise. :thumbsup: for Forza.

Track Accuracy
I haven't driven any of the tracks in real life, but based on viewing videos and races at the tracks, GT4 seems much more accurate. Watch the GT4 nurburgring vs Hans Stuck M3 Nurburing video and you'll see what I mean. :thumbsup: for GT4.

Modifications
Forza seems better, but I need to play more. :thumbsup: for Forza.

Overall, I think GT4 is still better, but at least xbox has a decent racing game now. Gotta figure out drifting now hehe, should be way more fun and accurate in Forza.

Combine the positives from the 2 games, and you'll have the pretty much the perfect racing sim... much like GTR for PC.

[Skyline_Addict]

^^ regarding drifting in GT4, how do you go about doing that?

[rage2]

Modify your suspension EXTENSIVELY, and use a steering wheel. Lots of tweaking to make it managable.

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by rage2
Played Forza for a few hrs this morning. Since I play a lot of GT4, it's fair to say I can do a good comparison.

Physics
Braking - GT4 is slightly more accurate
Turn in - GT4 way more accurate
Mid corner - GT4 way more accurate
Exit - Forza way more accurate
Off track excursions - Forza way more accurate

GT4 has a huge physics flaw... corner exits doesn't feel right, especially throttle happy/agressive drivers like me. If you keep it under 9/10ths, GT4 is perfect... it's when you go over when it feels off.

Also very easy to get into tank slapper situations if you try and drive in GT4 like a real car. Forza feels very close to real life in terms of corner exits, but braking and entering corners, as well as mid corners feels very arcady in Forza. In Forza, especially if you get slightly off track, it feels VERY real. You can feel the LSD kick in... way cool. Drifting should be fun in Forza. But for a simulation, GT4 gets the :thumbsup:, closer to real life than Forza by a good margin.

Graphics
GT4 wins in resolution (1080i), details are much more crisp, even with annoying aliasing in 1080 mode. But, Forza's got more texture detail. If only Forza supported 720p, it'd be a hands down winner. So, it's a tie between the 2.

Audio
Forza kills GT4. Much more realistic, especially the gearbox whine and the wind noise. :thumbsup: for Forza.

Track Accuracy
I haven't driven any of the tracks in real life, but based on viewing videos and races at the tracks, GT4 seems much more accurate. Watch the GT4 nurburgring vs Hans Stuck M3 Nurburing video and you'll see what I mean. :thumbsup: for GT4.

Modifications
Forza seems better, but I need to play more. :thumbsup: for Forza.

Overall, I think GT4 is still better, but at least xbox has a decent racing game now. Gotta figure out drifting now hehe, should be way more fun and accurate in Forza.

Combine the positives from the 2 games, and you'll have the pretty much the perfect racing sim... much like GTR for PC.

I assume you turned off the assists in Forza? Hows the damage on sim mode?

And I think one of the big things Forza has over GT4 is longevity. Online mode! Being able to play your career completely online, swapping cars, car clubs. Not to mention there will more than likely be downloadable content eventually. I can only race with the pathetic AI of GT4 for so long.

[iceburns288]

I stopped playing GT4 a month ago, sadly.:(

[ZEDGE]

Here are some impressions posted by someone on IGN.


**********************FORZA**********************
**********************FORZA**********************
**********************FORZA**********************

If you don't know how these work by now, here's a quick run down: I can sometimes get to play games a little early. I play them for a bit. Long enough to get a feel for most aspects of the game. Then I give you my initial impressions. This is NOT a review. I'm mostly just writing all the details that I can think of so that you can decide for yourself your own level of interest in the game. So without further ado...

Holy jeebus. There is more to write on Forza than could possibly be contained in one post. Instead I’ve decided to focus on the real 800 lbs. gorilla and compare and contrast Forza as much as possible to GT4. If I miss anything you specifically want to know about, don’t be afraid to ask. Let’s just get going…

***Steering Wheel***

GT4 as the incumbent starts off with pole position.

The one thing I have to completely disagree with IGN on is the quality of the steering wheel. The Logitech for GT4 completely blows away the Fanatec for Forza. It has a 900 degree turning radius, much better feedback, and higher quality desk clamps. The Forza wheel does have a pretty good lap setup and has a spot for a Live communicator to be plugged in, but other than that I did not find it to be very fun or useful. Thankfully an Xbox controller works about a thousand times better than a DualShock for racing games, and that there are other wheels out there.

GT4 maintains the lead through the first turn…

***Presentation***

GT4 also has a much cooler intro video than Forza.

But besides that Forza has much more to play with. Being able to restart a race without having to endure an arduous load time is given heartfelt welcome. Load times are quite tolerable in general, but seem to extend rather dramatically if your drive is on the fritz. A decision to make it easy to find and select autos that are eligible for each race constitutes smart UI.

Being able to (freely) customize the paint and add decals, at any time and however often you like, is a sweet bonus that GT4 simply doesn’t have. And having all the extra options for customizing the body itself could be nothing but well received. Check out this custom detailing I was able to come up with after only playing with the editor for about 20 minutes.

Forza gains on the leader.

***Graphics***

Still neck and neck.

This is sure to be a point of contention for many fanboys over the coming weeks.

Depending on what kind of television you’re set up on and what resolution you’re running at, your mileage may vary. GT4 running at the faux up-sampled 1080i mode at least added some blurring to remove the jaggies and create some anti-aliasing. Forza for whatever reason opted not to go that route and instead does straight up 480p. The result, if you have a very sharp HDTV, is going to be that Forza is going to appear slightly more aliased than GT4. On a standard TV though, Forza looks better in this department (at least from my experience).

Forza has a better lighting model, but GT4 has better use of color. GT4 has better static backgrounds (most notable in the gradient banding in Forza’s sky textures), and surprisingly, better overall texture work (mainly due to the custom decals you can apply), but Forza has better geometry. Forza has much more realistic reflections, and real cast shadows, but sometimes they’re rendered at a slightly lower framerate than the rest of the scene. GT4 has cool effects when driving full throttle and blurring when slamming in to walls, but these are not always very realistic. Both games have spectacular replay modes.

Overall, depending on your setup and your preferences, it would be totally fair to choose either game as your favorite in the graphics department.

Too close to call.

***Sound***

When it comes to sound though, Forza barely overtakes GT4.

I am not familiar enough with a ton of cars to say that Forza is the definitive game when it comes to perfect audio reproduction of real life cars, but I do know this: the cars that I am familiar with, particularly my own, sound dead-on balls-accurate. Yes, that is a technical term. Everything from when and how the tires squeal (each with their proper placement in 5.1) to the rev of the engine through the power band to the sound of the gears switching is about as perfect as it could be. In GT4 I noticed some cheating using the same engine sounds between different cars, and the tire squealing seemed to be more of a gameplay function of telling you when you had lost traction rather than representing the true squeal.

Another nice touch is that if you’re driving in first person view, and you’re in a rear engine car, the engine sounds come from behind you in 5.1.

The menu music is composed of Junkie XL doing remixes of rock anthems from the likes of Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, and Ride the Lightning era Metallica. It may not sound like your cup of tea but it definitely grew on me – at least the first hundred times I heard it. The music while actually racing though is almost entirely forgettable. Thankfully you can replace it with custom soundtracks, or if you’re like me turn it off completely and listen to the sounds of the cars make their own brand of music.

***Gameplay***

This is where Forza really begins to pull in to the lead.

Graphics may be a toss up, and sound may be only distinguishable to true audiophiles and car lovers, but anyone that gives the two games a fair shake will inevitably notice the difference in the gameplay over the long term. This is also, in my humble opinion, where Forza opens up and kicks the snot out of GT4, plain and simple.

First off the AI. The AI in GT4 basically follows the perfect line, but only drives it as fast as the “skill setting” of the AI racer. The only exception is when you or another car is in its way. Also, no two AI controlled cars will create problems for one another in GT4. The AI in Forza is much more human. They’ll make human mistakes. And if you bump them, they’ll bump you right back. Some AI drivers will be better at certain kinds of turns and worse at others. Some may actually spin out or bump in to other AIs by miscalculating when to brake. And some may even take the initiative to exploit a weakness in your driving. It’s a lot less predictable, which is actually more realistic,, as well as more fun.

Of course all the bumping and what not leads to realistic damage done to the cars, with mirrors and bumpers flying everywhere, something GT4 can’t touch with a ten foot pole. Crucially, the amount of damage can be dialed to either be simply cosmetic (damage will show up graphically but otherwise affect nothing), limited (bad accidents will cause the car to pull one way or another), or realistic (slamming a wall at high speed will severely cripple the car’s performance). Also of note is the fact that Forza has accurate collision detection for the cars, as opposed to the simple bounding box in GT4. This means the physical reactions are simulated that much more realistically.

No doubt about it, Forza is a pure simulator. It says so on one of he first screens, and it’s carried through in all design aspects of the game, but most especially so in the physics. The understeer is going to kill you when you get in your first car and it is either front- or all- wheel drive and you foolishly drive too fast in to a hairpin. You’ll feel the loss of friction when you crest on a hill and suddenly need to brake for turn like on Laguna Seca. And you’ll most certainly spin out when the opposing drivers nudge you from behind. You’ll learn to love it too, because even though it’s intensely challenging, it’s also intensely rewarding to know that you’re doing it for real.

Which brings me to the real coupe de gras of Forza’s gameplay – it will make you a better driver. GT4 is pretty damn good at simulating driving, but it never really gives you much in the way of feedback to improve your driving. When you win a race in GT4 you’re never really sure if it was your skill or if you just had a car that was that much better. Not so in Forza. Before every race there is a seemingly innocuous qualifying simulation that happens during the load. It may not be much, but it does result in a fairly accurate placement at the starting line, and you know that if you go from 4th to 1st, that you did something right, whereas if you maintain 1st the whole time, you’ll know that you just didn’t royally screw the pooch. But more important than the placement is all the data that Forza offers you. And when I say “data” that would roughly equate to the understatement of the year. Watch a replay of your race, and you can bring up the telemetry stats which will give you all kinds of ridiculous data from individual tire traction, to body acceleration and direction, to camber, to lift, to anything else you could possibly want to know. And you can get it for every car in the race. You could literally spend a lifetime simply digesting all the data from one lap of one race.

But there’s only so much you can do to improve by retroactively viewing stats. Which is where the Drivatar comes in. It has been my experience that a trained Drivatar is nowhere near as valuable as actually training the Drivatar. In training, you will be given specific tasks to accomplish, such as negotiating a hairpin in a low powered front wheel drive car or avoiding for oversteer in rear wheel through a constant grade. And each turn you make will be scored out of 100%. This is an excellent way to get feedback immediately on your driving and improve adaptively, and you can track your progress by checking out the drivatar’s ratings for each of these types of turns at any time afterwards. You can also continue to improve your drivatar (and hence, your own skills) through free training once the basics are complete.

If it were simply all the data and the drivatar that Forza gave you, it would be a big step forward over GT4 in terms of teaching you to drive better. And driving better definitely equates to more white knuckle fun. But the one tool I haven’t mentioned yet is the most simple, most obvious, but most powerful and biggest “duh” of a tool I’ve ever seen in a racing game – the line. Beyond a simple optimal line, the adaptive racing line is customized in real time based on the performance of your car and your current speed. It’s such a simple and intuitive thing, but I’ve never seen it done like this before, and will make you improve by leaps and bounds as a driver.

You may choose to race with it off most of the time, but whenever you need to improve or get a feel for the course, know that the line is waiting there for you to exploit it – whether you’re doing a free run, an arcade race, a career race, or even playing online. Wait, wait, wait you’re saying – you can use it in multiplayer too?!? WTF??? And as a knee jerk reaction, I would agree with you. But check this – having players follow the line is singularly going to elevate the level of competition online greatly. How many online racing games have you played where the winner of the race is determined by who survives the pile up on the first turn? If you turn on the line it should be much more conservative, and conservative equals realism. Even better, while the line will make you improve dramatically, it is not perfection – it can be beat. So, if you are truly skilled, you’d be fine with someone following the line because you would be even better. I don’t want to overstate the importance of such a seemingly simple feature, but it truly does make the game that much more endearing.

So Forza takes the lead, but can it maintain?

***Longevity***

Perfect 10. You’ll play this thing until the inevitable sequel and never get close to doing everything. If all you did was play offline single player, you could play forever simply collecting cars, digesting data, improving lap times, customizing cars, etc. But then you’d be missing out on multiplayer and racing the world’s best ghosts and trading cars online.

***Conclusion***

If you were to plunk down Forza and GT4 next to each other on HDTVs with their respective steering wheels set up, and you were to casually mention that GT4 features more cars than Forza, out of the gate a new player might be inclined to choose GT4 as the better game. If that same player had even a passing interest in real cars and were to play the same two games for a week, giving each a full, fair shake, they could only come away with one conclusion – Forza is by far the superior. The AI, the physics, the damage, the better balanced selection of cars, the body customization, the personalization, the online play, the propensity to drive you to drive better all factor in to making Forza he more rewarding experience. After a few laps, Forza is the clear victor.

Questions? Comments?
Pull up to the starting line.

[Shoebox//Racer]

god... what a nub.. using my account to post and gettin me owned... damn you and your firefox cookies jason. :repost: :closed:

[TurboMedic]

Wow, good review!

[rage2]

Good review... except for :

but most especially so in the physics. The understeer is going to kill you when you get in your first car and it is either front- or all- wheel drive and you foolishly drive too fast in to a hairpin.
Just because it understeers going too fast doesn't mean the physics are "real". Well I guess for video game guys that don't try it in real life, it does hehe. The biggest beef with Forza physics is under hard braking at traction limit. In a real car, all the front tire's traction is doing is slowing the car down. If you turn the wheel in, it'll understeer. GT4 does this, Forza doesn't. In Forza, the more the braking, the better it turns in. Try that in real life, and you'll be off the track into a wall. This makes the game relatively easy and arcady. Brake hard into each corner, turn in, slide a little, recover with throttle. You can do that for every turn.

[TurboMedic]

I found the opposite....maybe you should turn stability control and ABS off.....

[rage2]

Originally posted by TurboMedic
I found the opposite....maybe you should turn stability control and ABS off.....
It is off. I never drive with help.

[TurboMedic]

hmmm wierd......at any rate, its fun......think of our driving games for Xbox: Ridge racer, Sega 2002GT, NFSU2, all crap in comparison!

[heavyD]

I'm not terribly interested in how accurate cars display understeer. IMO the arcadey Burnout 3 is one of the best racing games ever because its plain fun and so addictive. I'm more interested in which game is more fun. I haven't pre-ordered Forza and I already traded in GT4 so I want to know if Forza will keep my attention better than GT4 which got pretty old fast for me.

[rage2]

Originally posted by TurboMedic
hmmm wierd......at any rate, its fun......think of our driving games for Xbox: Ridge racer, Sega 2002GT, NFSU2, all crap in comparison!
Agreed. The first racing sim for xbox. All the other games do not compare.

Originally posted by heavyD
I'm not terribly interested in how accurate cars display understeer. IMO the arcadey Burnout 3 is one of the best racing games ever because its plain fun and so addictive. I'm more interested in which game is more fun. I haven't pre-ordered Forza and I already traded in GT4 so I want to know if Forza will keep my attention better than GT4 which got pretty old fast for me.
hehe then why play a simulation? ;)

Crash Nitro Cart, trust me, addictive game on xbox. Best arcade racer ever. I think I've gone 14 hour stints on that game. Crazy.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by rage2
hehe then why play a simulation? ;)

Crash Nitro Cart, trust me, addictive game on xbox. Best arcade racer ever. I think I've gone 14 hour stints on that game. Crazy.

Well the one thing about Burnout 3 is that the cars aren't licensed and you can't do detailed upgrades that you can on simulations. I think GT2 was awesome but GT3 & GT4 feels like the same formula with a fresh coat of paint and I thik that's why I just can't get into them.

I've never played Crash Nitro but I find games like Mario cart to be multiplayer games rather than the type of game that I can play for hours by myself.

[rage2]

Originally posted by heavyD
Well the one thing about Burnout 3 is that the cars aren't licensed and you can't do detailed upgrades that you can on simulations. I think GT2 was awesome but GT3 & GT4 feels like the same formula with a fresh coat of paint and I thik that's why I just can't get into them.

I've never played Crash Nitro but I find games like Mario cart to be multiplayer games rather than the type of game that I can play for hours by myself.
Yep, for people that aren't into sims, it does get tiring. GT2,3,4 seems like it's the same thing. Physics model has been improving though!

[ZEDGE]

From 1up.


In Che Chou's preview of FORZA on 1up.com he wrote:

"But one thing is for sure: After playing Forza for the better part of a week and neglecting all sorts of editorial duties, it's definitely hard to go back to the offline, bumper car physics world of Gran Turismo 4."

"Gran Turismo 4 is, without a doubt, a complex driving simulator. But comparatively, based on what we've been told by Greenawalt, from what we've seen in the game, and from hands-on experience with cars that we're familiar with in real-life, Forza is crunching more physics data than anything out there. Forza is doing a ton of physics calculations under the hood, and during replays, you have access to a visual telemetry of the systems during interplay. For instance, at a glance, you can see vector forces acting on each tire, and the grip that's available to them when cornering. This allows you to adjust tire pressure as well as the stiffness of your springs to ensure to tweak maximum grip for any particular track."

"Throw yourself into a bend at 75mph and, even without a force feedback wheel, you "feel" the tug of momentum around a corner as you fight to maintain grip. Racing in Forza sans the driving aids takes some getting used to, but once you master it, there is no going back."


"Every fan of GT4 agrees: brain-dead A.I. is its Achilles heel. As well, this is one area where Team Forza completely trounces Polyphony Digital with their driving simulator. To put it simply, A.I. opponents in Forza are aware of their surroundings. If you like to play bumper cars and grind up on their fenders in an attempt to spin them out, they'll respond with counter-force, often making you lose control in the process. We've witnessed everything from A.I. pile-ups on a wicked corner, to flying off the track because we've cut them off in the most unsportsmanlike manner possible. In any case, they're rarely glued to the optimal race line."

"Along with A.I., online implementation is where Forza really differentiates itself from GT4. Although the features list reads like a fairly mundane, no-brainer way to implement its Xbox Live integration, playing online with Forza has really to be played to be believed."

"Finally, Forza destroys GT4 in the area of customization, where players have the ability to completely alter the look of their cars. Everything from paint jobs, to parts, to customized decals can be applied to any car in the game. What's more, adding and modding new parts to your ride will often change not only how the car looks, but how the engine actually sounds."

Not to nit pick rage2 but a few hours spent playing Forza and your already writing off the physics compared to GT4.. I dunno....:dunno:

And I think the big difference in the ring is the season thats represented in each game.

Not to mention all the buildings that are present around the track are in Forza, unlike GT4.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by rage2

Yep, for people that aren't into sims, it does get tiring. GT2,3,4 seems like it's the same thing. Physics model has been improving though!

Don't you ever wish you could drive a Porsche in GT4? Did Forza get a license to use Porches?

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by heavyD


Don't you ever wish you could drive a Porsche in GT4? Did Forza get a license to use Porches?

Porches and Ferraris baby! :thumbsup:

[camaro]

can someone suggest a good xbox wheel? I bought a shitty universal one and you had to jerk the wheel in order to turn :rofl: it had power steering but it was a stupid spring, the wheel would just fling back :whipped:

[rage2 Pocket PC]

Originally posted by ZEDGE
Not to nit pick rage2 but a few hours spent playing Forza and your already writing off the physics compared to GT4.. I dunno....:dunno:

And I think the big difference in the ring is the season thats represented in each game.

Not to mention all the buildings that are present around the track are in Forza, unlike GT4.
I don't care how much calculations its doing, inaccuracy is inaccuracy... wont change with more hours.

Also, I'm talking driving physics, not collision. I usually play time trials, and try not to hit others.

As for graphics, already said Forza is better but lacks resolution. Accuracy of the ring meant the incar in gt4 looks a lot like a real incar lap, not so for forza.

[heavyD]

Why are you a pocket PC now? I assumed you were rich as you drive a Porsche, have all this HDTV shit and all, and Arbor Lake can be pricey, oh and you have a web site too. Why do you have a separate email address for your handheld?

[rage2 Pocket PC]

Im at the airport waiting for a flight... bored lol.

[ZEDGE]

Reviews coming in.

9.8
http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox/940/Forza-Motorsport/p1/

9.2
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/driving/forzamotorsport/review.html?q=1&tag=gs_hp_flashtop_story

4.5

http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/forza-motorsport/609599p1.html

Looking good.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by ZEDGE
Reviews coming in.

9.8
http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox/940/Forza-Motorsport/p1/

9.2
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/driving/forzamotorsport/review.html?q=1&tag=gs_hp_flashtop_story

4.5

http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/forza-motorsport/609599p1.html

Looking good.

If it got a 9.2 from gamespot it must be excellent. They are notorious for being the toughest game reviewers. They gave God of War a 9.3 (lowest score I've seen for it) and IMO its the best PS2 game ever.

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by heavyD


If it got a 9.2 from gamespot it must be excellent. They are notorious for being the toughest game reviewers. They gave God of War a 9.3 (lowest score I've seen for it) and IMO its the best PS2 game ever.

yea gamespot are the nazis of the review world

[ZEDGE]

Kicking ass so far.

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/920720.asp

:thumbsup:

[ZEDGE]

Custom decals are gonna be fun.. :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v390/igotgame2/utlogo.jpg

http://img201.echo.cx/img201/2527/forza16ao.jpg

http://img201.echo.cx/img201/5458/forza22bw.jpg

;)

http://img123.echo.cx/img123/7905/foto44ns10uy.jpg

[ZEDGE]

heh more custom work.

http://www.gamehit.net/uploads/post-17-1115199645.jpg
http://www.gamehit.net/uploads/post-17-1115199553.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y141/genie_li/myforzacars/delta_3.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y141/genie_li/myforzacars/TV2005050400185500.jpg
http://forum.hkgolden.com/upload/050504112628-50075.jpg
http://forum.hkgolden.com/upload/050504112738-50075.jpg

[NickGT]

Just waiting for the call to pick this game up (got it on pre-order)... Man the customization is INSANE! :eek:

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by NickGT
Just waiting for the call to pick this game up (got it on pre-order)... Man the customization is INSANE! :eek:

me too

:D

[eblend]

anyone know who carries this game today? i want to go out and buy the damn thing

[AllGoNoShow]

OMG it came out??? WHEN


MAN I missed the action :(

We should have a Forza Beyond night lol.

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by AllGoNoShow
OMG it came out??? WHEN


MAN I missed the action :(

We should have a Forza Beyond night lol.

May 4th... thats today. :)

[NickGT]

Time to go play! I Got mine! Right after I posted I got the call :eek:

http://members.shaw.ca/cyrus08/00000033.JPG

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by NickGT
Time to go play! I Got mine! Right after I posted I got the call :eek:

http://members.shaw.ca/cyrus08/00000033.JPG

EB?

[NickGT]

Originally posted by ZEDGE


EB?

Yep! South Center Location

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by NickGT


Yep! South Center Location

Sunridge... gonna call em.

[AllGoNoShow]

Country Hills probably has a shitload as no one knows about them yet ;). Market Mall is always sold out of shit mighty quick. Nick let me know if its better then that Demo so I can go pick it up on Friday when I get paid.

[ZEDGE]

Got mine.

The demo was aover a year old. I am sure the final is better.

Looks pretty good here.

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/920720.asp

:)

[AllGoNoShow]

Played yet?????

[NickGT]

Originally posted by AllGoNoShow
Country Hills probably has a shitload as no one knows about them yet ;). Market Mall is always sold out of shit mighty quick. Nick let me know if its better then that Demo so I can go pick it up on Friday when I get paid.

Oh it's awesome man. I've done a couple races, and its worth every penny. Can't wait to start unlocking more cars and making more money. Currently sporting a 1998 Eagle Talon TSI AWD in white :D Unlocked a Toyota APR Celica that im trying out as we speak. Awesome so far!

[AllGoNoShow]

:drool: Ok time to go buy it when I get my paycheque.

[heavyD]

Who ever picked it up at EB. Did they have lots of copies? I want ....

[AllGoNoShow]

What part of the city you live in? If your in the NW or NE, goto the one behind Silver CIty on COuntry HIlls boulevard, they aren't listed in the phone book or website yet so not alot of people know about them, mostly just word of mouth, so they tend to have alot of copies, liek GT4 when it first came out, check them out if u tried other places and can't find copies.

[NickGT]

Originally posted by heavyD
Who ever picked it up at EB. Did they have lots of copies? I want ....

I seen at least half a dozen at south center behind the glass, could be more. Not sure if those are for pre-order's though :dunno:

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by heavyD
Who ever picked it up at EB. Did they have lots of copies? I want ....

They seemed to have a few at Sunridge.

Game rocks so far! :thumbsup:

[eblend]

just picked mine up from southcenter, no preorder, just called em up, they said they had 10 left, went and picked it up! here we go!

[NickGT]

another 14K credits and I can pickup a 2000 Mustang Cobra R. Tight. We should do something online tonight.

Gamertag: NickGT

[ZEDGE]

This is serious ownage. I am floored by what you can do to your car. Thats a whole game in itself. :thumbsup: I totally riced out my FTO already.. :poosie:

[heavyD]

Originally posted by ZEDGE
This is serious ownage. I am floored by what you can do to your car. Thats a whole game in itself. :thumbsup: I totally riced out my FTO already.. :poosie:

Do you like it better than GT4? Which game looks better on a plain 480i television?

[NickGT]

Originally posted by ZEDGE
This is serious ownage. I am floored by what you can do to your car. Thats a whole game in itself. :thumbsup: I totally riced out my FTO already.. :poosie:

:rofl:

I got my 2000 Cobra R, painted it blue like my real life car (see sig) and did some simple black race stripes. it looks cool heh :D

[rage2]

Originally posted by heavyD
Do you like it better than GT4? Which game looks better on a plain 480i television?
Forza looks way better on 480i and 480p.

[AllGoNoShow]

God damn I wanna just go buy it :(

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by NickGT


:rofl:

I got my 2000 Cobra R, painted it blue like my real life car (see sig) and did some simple black race stripes. it looks cool heh :D

I unlocked the 04 GTO, holy crap that thing sounds like hot sex.. I am used to the sewing machine engine sounds of GT.. damn!

This game is going to own me for a long time. :thumbsup:

[NickGT]

Originally posted by ZEDGE


I unlocked the 04 GTO, holy crap that thing sounds like hot sex.. I am used to the sewing machine engine sounds of GT.. damn!

This game is going to own me for a long time. :thumbsup:

Man its the little things that i really like. I just noticed when you do the history on one of your vehicles, it even goes so far as to tell you the # of owners it has had. So if its been traded alot on the net, you'd know haha. Crazy!

And the REAL aftermarket parts save for the Forza brand stuff. I'm just looking through body parts for the Mustang I'm building, Razzi, Cervinis, Saleen. Cool.

[elimit]

i got mine ... anyone up for an online race against my ITR? mauahah ... fuck this game is the GT4 Killer, in my opinion.