Forza Motorsport 2 (Xbox 360, 2007)

Forza Motorsports 2 (FM2) is the title that really helped sell the Xbox 360 to people. Now Turn 10 (Company that make the Forza titles) have released the third title in the series. Still, without Forza 2 the wouldn't have the foundations for Forza 3. FM2 was so far ahead of the competition when it was released that real life racers used it to test out tracks and cars, that is how close to real life driving it is. The biggest aspect of FM2 had to defiantly be the online community. With the opportunity to buy and sell cars on their own auction house, players could generate millions of in game credits.

The tuning aspect of FM2 gets so in depth it can be confusing, but don't fret, it can be simplified down. You can do whole engine swaps, drive train swaps and tune just about any aspect of a car. On top of all this tuning is the decal tuning, with the chance to use over 1000 layers of just about any shape you can find, you can really create anything your imagination can think of. These paints jobs can also be sold on the online auction house. You have the option to "Lock" the paint job so other players can't edit your work then re-sell it on. Without a doubt, the tuning and auction house really shined on this game.

On top of all this are the variety of different tracks you can race on, from Laguna Seca to the Nurburgring ring, you really can find your perfect track. Each track looks and feels exactly like its real life counterpart so you can feel each bump in the road. But what use are tracks without cars? Don't worry, that's what FM2 does best. With over 300 cars now, that's including downloadable content, you are sure to find your favourite car to race on your favourite track.

All in all, if you want an in depth racing game to keep you hooked for months then Forza Motorsports 2 is the game to get. Running at 60 frames per second along with a highly active online community, this game has so much to keep you busy you may find yourself having to tuck your other games away for a month or so. Trying to think of a reason not to buy Fora Motorsports 2, or 3, is like trying to find a needle in a very big haystack. Go buy both games! Enjoy!

Forza Motorsport 2 is the best racing sim I've played to date. It builds on top of the original formula which Gran Turismo truly pioneered.

The thing that really set Forza apart from Gran Turismo has to be the car customization. It has got to be one of the most in depth customization feature in a game (besides Midnight Club 3 Dub Edition). You can truly make your car your own from painting the car, adding an incredible amount of graphic layers (do you know how many General Lee's I've seen online!?), even changing rim style, size and width!!! Think of Forza like the World of Warcraft of the car racing genre. Also Forza has actual damage (it's pretty good but not perfect, cars could fall apart more or crumple more) and you leave tread marks on the ground. That alone makes it more realistic than the GT series.

Another thing I have to give the Turn 10 team props for is the A.I. It's a very nice change to have a computer opponent that actually brakes early because you brake early and one that actually tries to go around you. And because the A.I. uses the same driving physics as the user it can make mistakes occasionally.

Once you've played enough of the single career and you got some sweet rides to compete with it's time to jump online. This portion of the game is sooo much fun. You really test your skill and vehicles abilities when you race against thousands that are out to do the same thing. Tuning becomes a big factor here. You want your car set up so it's easy for you to control and isn't sliding all over the place (even though yes it does look very cool). Also one setup might work great for let's say Leguna Seca (tight turns), but you might have to make a whole new setup for a track like Mazda Speed Way or New York (mainly top speed). Real world knowledge of cars and driving physics is an asset but it can be learned along the way.

This time around you can tell the physics have been tweaked and I think the cars are a little easier to control in this game compared to the first one. If you set a car up properly you can drift a whole course pretty easily (if you're good at counter steering) and make some pretty cool replay videos. The feel of the game feels like a mix between Forza and Gran Turismo 3, hard to put my finger on why but you'll get it when you play it.

My only problem with the game is I wish there were a few more tracks for variety (maybe some point to point racing?) and more deep dish rims to pick from. Both of which can be solved with down loadable content and neither are that big of a deal.

Overall pretty much any racing fan with a 360 should own this game. It can appeal to the casual racer or a hardcore driver (thanks to the ability to turn off or on assists, damage and difficulty levels). So basically what I'm saying is, if you like driving games BUY THIS ONE!!!

I absolutely LOVE this game.

It is quite realistic; it took me a while to learn how to even keep the car on the road because the turning, acceleration, and breaking is so realistic.

You can paint your cars, stripe them, tint them, doll them all up with new engines/breaks/rims/mirrors/ti​res...you name it, you can do it to you car. The stuff people manage to pull off STILL amazes me!

You can play to your hearts content against different difficulties on the computer, or you can play online against other real people.

Single player is fun. They have a career mode that you progress though to earn money - just like in real life race careers. If you lose, you don't get money. If you win, you get lots of money, plus the car makers and dealers start to like you and give you perks (like discounts on cars/engines, etc.) You can hit level 50 in SP.

Online is great. It is easy to find a match, loads quickly, and it is loads of fun to hear the peeps screaming in agony as you speed by them in your sweet ride or they miss a turn and careen off the road and lose their lead. You will get your butt handed to you for a while in online, though, because people who have played longer have more money and better cars. Online definately gives you the motivation to keep playing the single player - whew some of the cars I still have yet to unlock just look like they rock the kabash.

Definately a must buy. Definately tons of replay value. I wasn't even a racing fan and I love the game. I'm hooked.

KICK this review off with a WOW! Im very impressed with this game.With 300 cars to be used,customized,and collected you cannot go wrong with a racing game with such good selection! The Arcade mode thing where you get to run through time trials and races is a very quick way for some easy achievments and some cool cars for career mode.Now the career mode is loaded! with so many different races to be...well raced is just great.The ability to tune your car to make it better than your opponents gives the race an edge.So you not going against cars exactly like yours.As for the handling I must say its the best.For the first time in a car game i can really say the cars all have their own feel to them.And cars you thought you like mine being the Eclipse may become your enemy just because you dont like the handling.I like the Eclipse looks,but the handling just isnt for me.In this game you can also customize your cars paint job by adding over 900 layers.This makes for some awesome designs you can either make yourself and sell in the auction house or buy other creations people have made.The online for this game is spectacular for a racing game.For the most part people online are very nice and actually dont try and run you off the road!!! you'll hear alot of sorrys from people accidently nudging you.Its deffenetly something you wont get in other online racers.Plus getting to ride along side other peoples custom cars is great! getting to see all the cool paint jobs.The ability to take photos and upload them from the Forza 2 website is also a nifty little feature!I myself have made some pretty cool designs after getting the hang of the editor.in all im giving this game a 9.7 - 10
The things this game could use,More body kit options for your vehicles,some better paint shapes & decals for those not so good at the paint editor,and some more maps.altho there are alot of map choices most of them are just like different ways around a givin track.But what the game gives you isnt bad.I love Leguna Seca (spelling?) any how.This game is very very good.If you like racing games then make the good decision to add this one to your collection.

I remember the way back when days,I got Gran Turismo1 & Gran Turismo2.I loved those games & I still do.You could change everything on your car,the tires,the suspension,the engine w/or w/out turbos.The paint jobs weren't the best but I was never too worried about that,I just wanted a really fast car with the best suspension so I could take that corner like it wasn't even there.Well,those days have been gone for a while now and the new ones are here for the better(for most people).FM2 is great to me because it's got all the old stuff & more!I love the way I can use the telemetry to see the replays and look @ the friction,suspension,body acceleration,tire misc.,heat & damage.And the paint jobs are more than I ever thought would be possible.With this game you can trick your hot rod in so many different ways that it's like a dream come true in better ways than you originally dreamed.The graphics are fantastic and the camera works are simply the best.You can get all the old cars or buy the newest concept ride and trick that out too.What more can you ask for?Not much,really.If you're in to racing this is the game for you.I'm sure it'll be a while before I find a better game than FM2,but why bother,this'll do just fine for a long,long time.