Forza 3 was one of my most anticipated games of 2009. I’ve always been a fan of simulation racing experiences, such as the previous titles and the Gran Turismo series. I was looking forward to a refresh of the Forza series and this game didn’t disappoint.
Forza 3 is what you expect it to be. It comes with over 400 cars, all recreated in stunning detail. It is packed with over 100 track variations of all styles. It offers an exceptional career mode of progression and a multiplayer experience matched by few others.
Stepping into career mode will offer you dozens of hours of gameplay. Each season is measured by the length of a weekend series that is associated with the current season. Between each weekend race, which is often every other weekend, you choose shorter series to compete in. As you progress through these races you earn experience points as a driver and in each specific car, which entitles you to discounted upgrades in the upgrade shop. Along with the experience points, you earn credits which allow you to purchase and upgrade your cars for competition.
I’ve enjoyed my experience through the career mode to this point. There is a lot of variety in the cars you acquire and race with. At each driver level, you are given a car by a manufacturer. Unlike past titles to incorporate a similar feature, you’re not being given something from the mid ‘70s. For example, as you progress through the mid to upper 20s, you’ll receive a Ferrari or two and a very nice Lamborghini. I was pleasantly surprised that you’re often given cars that you can immediately jump into and use in your next race. Again, unlike other titles that have had a similar mechanic.
A complaint I have with the career mode is that sometimes it feels tedious. The weekend series are where the action is, without question. Sometimes the races in-between those events feels like an unnecessary filler. I’m not sure what you do to combat this and Forza 3 is certainly not the first racing title to have this problem, but it’s worth mentioning.
At face value, Forza 3 is what you would expect from a triple-A racing title on a modern console. Where the game truly shines is in the details. Turn 10 Studios has done an exceptional job in creating a true driving experience. Too often, racing titles lack variety in the way the various cars feel while driving them to their limits. You’ll really feel the difference between driving the Audi R8 and Corvette Z06. Forza 3 brings that experience to life.
Another major advancement Forza 3 brings to the table is the accessibility of playing with the standard controller. While I have used the Microsoft Wheel, I more often opt for the controller. I was really impressed by the default settings for how the controller input translates to how your car acts on the track. I’ve played a lot of racers and sometimes the default settings for the standard controller just simply don’t work (I’m looking at you Need for Speed: SHIFT). It feels like Turn 10 Studios put some serious effort into making the standard controller a viable input device for enjoying the game.
Accessibility seems to have been a focal point with Forza 3. There are a number of features available that will give even the most novice of racers an enjoyable experience. You have the standard assists, such as braking, traction control, and so forth. The racing line, colored specifically to whether you should be accelerating, maintaining speed, or braking, makes an appearance. All of these options can be disabled if you’d like.
The biggest assist that aides in accessibility would be the rewind feature. The feature itself has been in other games, with a similar implementation in DiRT 2. However, in Forza 3 the feature is prominently available throughout your driving experience, not just when you’ve completely destroyed your car. Hit a car in front of you? Rewind. Took a ride in the grass coming out of a turn? Rewind. I think you get the picture. While I agree the feature is useful, as I’ve used it a number of times myself, I think there should be some form of penalty or limitation with using it. I do think it can help a driver learn the track and become effective in that case. However, I can easily see it becoming a crutch for many novice drivers out there. I’d like to see the feature disappear as your progression moves forward.
The multiplayer experience in Forza 3 is solid. It’s not game changing, which is something I want to see in a racing title, but it does provide extended enjoyment once you’ve mastered the single player experience. A gripe I have with Forza 3’s multiplayer, among many other titles, is that the game caters to those who want to run time trials in order to find themselves on a leaderboard. I want to reward racing times, wins, and other metrics that involve more than one car on the track. That’s an absolute need in my opinion, and Forza 3 doesn’t deliver in that regard.
Overall, I’m really enjoying this game. I’ve already put in dozens of hours and will likely put in hundreds over time. I’m roughly half way through the single player career, with only a few hundred XP until driver level 30. With some minor quirks I hope get addressed in a future title, Forza 3 is easily the best racing experience available today. If you enjoy simulation racing, you’ve already got this game. Even if you’re not a huge fan of simulation racing, you owe it to yourself to give it a spin.
Rating: 9.5
This review is based on the Xbox 360 retail version of the game purchased by Skeptical Gamer.
