I’m going to cut to the chase here. I’ve already written a bit about the demo and a First Impression, so I’m going to skip over that shit and get right to the goods. Forza 2 has finally given Microsoft what it wanted, a Gran Turismo fighter for the Xbox.

That’s a bold, but troubling statement. Bold because Gran Turismo has been the undisputed king of racing sims, for any system, for almost ten years. It’s the 3 series of video games. It’s a troubling statement because while Gran Turismo gets slightly better with every iteration, it’s also the same game. Every time. I can only hope that Turn10 takes the good of Forza 2 and builds on it with future games.

Speaking of the good, are the things I really like about the game.

Index system: Each car starts off as a class, and the more mods you do to the game, the higher your index gets. It’s great when you’re in a C class only race, and you have an idea of how your car compares to the field.

RPG elements: I love that I can start off with a D (lowest) class car and through modification, I can use it for almost the entire game. I hate when I’m forced to buy new cars just to compete in one race and then I never use it again. Or, when I’m forced to stop using the car I love because the rest of the races in the game my car has no chance of winning.

I can also level up my driver and car. Basically, the more you drive, the more money you earn, the higher your driver/car level. The higher the driver level, the more cars and races you can unlock. The higher the car level, the more discounts on cars and upgrades you get.

Telemetry/Tuning: Forza 2 does a great job of balancing the gear-head/casual gamer understanding. Not only are all the levels of adjustment there (and thens ome), but the telemetry lets you know if they’re working. For people not as into the whole tuning thing, if you buy a racing suspension, the out of the box settings are 80% of the way there, so your car will drive great without the fear of you screwing it up trying to set it up “right”.

If Turn10 builds on these few features, while adding new interesting ones, I think they have a shot of not falling into the Turismo funk, where they don’t improve the game because they know they have a guaranteed million in sales regardless. However, there are some problems they’re going to have to fix as well.

A.I./Penalties: Most racing games have stupid A.I. Forza 2’s A.I. really makes you rethink the “intelligence” part. Not only does the A.I. cause accidents that would get them black flagged in real life, but I incur a time penalty for it. The really need to look at this part of the game. I can more than understand a car aggressively defending its line if I’m behind it, but if I’m lapping a car, it should move out of the way. NOT run me off the road. If I’m breaking too much for a turn, the car should take the outside line and pass me. NOT smash into the rear of my car and send me off course. Do you see where I’m going with this?

Increase level of cars: Like I stated above, being able to level up your car is a great thing, but don’t make me stop at level 5. What I like about the leveling up of cars is that you’re rewarded for using the same car over and over again. It promotes the bond. Then they go and cap it at level 5 so I have to buy a new car to get more discounts. It’s kind of counter productive.

Unlocking cars and races: This is just fucking stupid. If I have an eligible car, I should be able to race in any race that car is eligible for. Don’t tell me I have to be level 45 to race in it. And while you’re at it, don’t tell me that I can’t buy a car I can afford to buy. If I have the money for an Enzo Ferrari, let me buy it. Don’t tell me I have to be level 36. I assure you no dealer has ever turned down a rich guy trying to buy a Ferrari because he didn’t have enough track experience. They will happily take the rich guys money. My video games should do the same. I realize that it adds an element of length to the game, but in a false and stupid kind of way (as reflected in the presentation score).

So that’s really all I’ve got. I could geek out more, but almost none of you would know what I’m saying. Just know that Microsoft has a legitimate contender, and Xbox only owners can finally tell Sony only owners that they have one less reason to want a Playstation. Just don’t grow content Turn10.

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