Forza Motorsport 3 Review

Has the 360 finally got a racer worthy of the racing-sim crown?

The wait for the next great racing-sim has been long but it looks like that wait could finally be over. Whilst the racing genre has explored the nitro-fuelled antics of Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and got its kicks from arcade affairs such as Midnight Club, the rest of the world has patiently waited for a true racing-sim. For many, the next title worthy of that crown is Gran Turismo 5, the upcoming fifth instalment to a series that has redefined the genre. But Polyphony Digital’s racing titan could not continue to haemorrhage time, money and excitement without another racing-sim stealing some of the thunder: That game is Forza Motorsport 3.

The striking first impression of Forza Motorsport 3 is the design and layout of its menus. The sterile white menus are a reminder that starting a Forza campaign doesn’t come with any pressures and expectations. It’s a clean slate and how Forza Motorsport 3 is going to play is up to you. In fact, Forza 3 is so flexible that the game bends over backwards to make your time in the driving seat as comfortable as possible. Setting the gameplay difficulty, adding and removing handicaps and upgrading your vehicle can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. Simply put, it’s a diverse and huge gaming experience.

Forza 3 comes on two discs (a subtle reminder that if this were a Blu-ray title we’d need just one disc) and boasts a heaving amount of cars and tracks. Thankfully, installing the 1.9 GB of content doesn’t take too long or even populate too much space on a typical hard drive.
 
From here on out, you’ll weave your own gameplay and campaign. Thanks to some clever AI and on-the-fly assist alterations, Forza 3 grows with you which is something other racing-sims rarely do. Forza fans will also notice that the title has received a major overhaul to its predecessor. The engine has been significantly tweaked, teased and perfected to offer one of the most realistic racing experiences to date and the controls are perfectly partnered to it.

Without being overly complex, Forza 3 has the pick up and play feel of an arcade racer when most of the assists are turned on, but turn them off and with just a few laps you’ll quickly adjust. Even without a steering wheel, the Xbox 360 controller does a great job of providing a precise and instinctive control layout that feels natural. The turning doesn’t feel loose, the acceleration is spot on and the bail outs don’t feel unjustified. Any mistakes you do make are your own, but Forza does lend a helping hand in times of need.