Forza Motorsport 3

I’d ordinarily begin a positive racing game review with a light vehicular reference such as “buckle up” or “start your engines.” But seeing this season has already taken gamers around the track with excellent entries in the Dirt and Need for Speed series, I’ll assume fans of the genre are already strapped in with engines running hot. So, in recommending Turn 10’s latest lap, I’ll offer the decidedly less exciting “please remain in your vehicle.”



While that may sound more like the demand of a stick-up-his-butt state trooper than an endorsement for Forza Motorsport 3, it’s exactly what racing fanatics will want to do. Even after spending countless hours with Codemasters’ and Electronic Arts’ recent racers, this 360 exclusive continues to keep me behind the wheel. As someone who prefers arcadey controls over realistic navigation—I’d rather down a can of motor oil than play Gran Turismo—the Forza series, despite its accessibility options, has previously kept me at arm’s length. Forza 3, however, further blurs the line between pick-up-and-play and strict simulation, offering options and difficulty settings that’ll appeal to everyone from gear-heads to tykes that just want to have their Lightening McQueen moment.

In addition to assists ranging from auto-braking to self-tuning, Forza 3’s career tailors itself to specific play styles; based on your skill (or lack there of), vehicle and event preferences, it actually creates a personalized career path. Further accessibility-amping appeal comes in the form of AI scaled to your skill level and a rewind option allowing you to erase your most windshield-shattering mistakes. While all this hand-holding probably makes Forza 3 sound as appealing as a kiddie kart racer to dedicated fans, remember that everything is scalable, so daunting realism and dizzying depth is still an option for the purists. In fact, if you’re into the customization and community stuff, you could get your money’s worth from this two-disc offering without ever leaving the garage.



Personally, I’d rather vacuum the petrified fast food french fries from the floor of my ‘99 Jeep Cherokee than decal virtual cars. But again, the beauty of Forza 3 is its ability to offer something for race fans of all stripes. For me, it’s about tooling around in hot cars, not worrying how heavy my foot is, and taking in some of the prettiest visuals the genre’s ever seen. From the physical damage displayed to the detailed cockpit views, this one’s a polygon-pushing powerhouse—I was tempted to approach my HD display thinking I might be able to catch my reflection in the pristine paint jobs of the scary-real rides. Forza 3 satisfied my fix for sexy rides and pedal-to-the-metal thrills, but others will find it just as appealing for its racing realism and under-the-hood accuracy. Regardless of your particular car porn preference, Forza 3 should fulfill all your lead-foot fantasies.

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