Car nerds (ahem, aficionados) looking for a little NO2 gaming will rev their engines for Forza Motorsport 2, Microsoft's latest Xbox 360 racing game. Whereas most racers sport intense crashes and fast-paced action, this one's best features reside underneath the hood, where advanced physics work to make this the most realistic driving game on the planet. This reward comes at a price, however, since developer Turn 10 spent more time tweaking the rides at the expense of the presentation, which feels about as boring as a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Forza's features list resembles most simulation-based racers. Players select from over 300 cars spread out across six production classes, ranging from sporty vehicles to muscle machines. Fifty real world manufacturers, including Porsche, Ferrari, GM and Lamborghini offer their best rides, each of which features real time damage modeling. It looks impressive as hoods pop up and paint scrapes off, but it's not as pronounced as the deadly crashes in the Burnout series, and appear programmed instead of dynamic, where players will always see the same paint damaged texture no matter how they crash the car.
In addition, the game sports 12 real world environments; such locations as Suzuka, Mugello and Sebring, all seen during the day and with perfect weather conditions -- no night or rain driving here.
Because of all this, the game lacks the flashy intros and imaginative courses seen in the Ridge Racer, Burnout and Project Gotham Racing franchises. The game just lacks the visual pop of Sony's Gran Turismo series. Sure, the cars look good, but they turn around the same crusty tracks that pop up in games of this type, none of which looks especially impressive.
This all appears intentional, Turn 10's way of separating the car nuts from the casual racing junkies in Need for Speed, for beneath the bland graphics lies a beast of a game with physics so amazing most of the population won't understand nor care. Not only does damage affect performance, but tires react to pressure changes, heat and aerodynamic load. This proves especially important when customizing one's ride, where selected suspension kits, brakes, engines and other parts affect the car's performance and handling.
To that end, Forza 2 features an incredible customization mode. Not only can gamers design their dream cars, but they can also create their own logos. From there, they take their rides online in eight person exhibition matches and tournaments, showing off their tricked out cars to the world or putting them up for auction for in game credits. They can even lock their designs so buyers cannot change them, thus letting the competition know who created them. In addition, after selecting a location at the start of the game (North America, Europe or Asia), gamers will gain easier access to that region's cars. They'll still drive automobiles from around the world, but they'll be more expensive and harder to find in the game's offline Career Mode, thus making the online component especially interesting. The more people go online and forge relationships with gamers in other countries, the faster they'll score that exotic ride.
Forza 2, despite its ho-hum presentation provides enthusiasts with enough content to last them the entire year.
Final Score: 8 (out of 10)
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