Forza Motorsport 3

Forza Motorsport 3

2007’s Forza Motorsport 2 was a supremely accomplished driving game. Brimming with cars of all shapes, sizes and price-tags it boasted a sprawling career mode, an online multiplayer component that seemingly never ran out of options or appeal, a livery editor that provided players with the tools to daub their cars with anything from a simple cartoon character up to the Mona Lisa and an auction house in which to sell these creations. As such, when approaching Turn 10’s latest offering it’s a little difficult to shake the question: do we really require a Forza 3?

Ten minutes in the answer is an emphatic: yes. Every one of the aforementioned features is present and correct, and yet has somehow been polished and improved, resulting in what is undeniably one of the most engaging, slick and enjoyable driving simulators on the market. And with a slew of car models and tracks from the previous game in the series, as well as a huge array of new courses (bringing the total number of track variants to over 100) and vehicles (400 fully customisable vehicles from 100 different manufacturers) it’s impossible to consider Forza 3 as anything but a significant upgrade.

The main area that has undergone an overhaul in Turn 10’s development garage is the career mode. Here the year’s racing calendar is based around the vehicles you want to drive. Purchased and tuned a Fiat 500 with your first clutch of winnings? Then the game provides you with a 3-part series of races specifically designed for that car. As such, there’s no more hunting through your garage for a vehicle that meets the current race requirements: everything is designed to allow you to race what you want, when you want.

Indeed, everything from the clean new menu designs, all beautifully explained in game by Peter Egan, to the huge variety of driving aids that allow you to race with as much or as little help as you need, is designed to make Forza 3 a comfortable experience. The introduction of a GRID-style rewind button, allowing you to undo any part of any race and try it again an unlimited number of times makes the game the most accessible driving simulator yet. Far from dumbing down the experience, though, these options allow players to find their own level, and there are huge in-game cash incentives for turning aids off to encourage you to improve your technique as play rolls on.

In terms of community features too, the game leads the pack, with the most flexible paint editor on the market, and all new storefronts allowing players to sell their liveries, tuning set-ups and vinyl groups through their own unique shops. The weaknesses to the package are rare and shallow. The damage model may not be perfect, but in comparison to the dodgem-style invincibility of Gran Turismo’s vehicles, it’s several miles ahead. Cynics may argue that the headline stats of cars and tracks only go so high because so much content from the previous game is recycled and, to an extent that’s fair.

But with photo modes, a (slightly limited) video editor and as many scoreboards as you can imagine, Forza 3 emerges as the most complete and assured racing game on the market. It combines the encyclopedic car obsession of Gran Turismo with the raw excitement of Project Gotham to provide a package that’s designed to suit almost any player, no matter what their ability or what they’re looking for in a racing game.

5 out of 5