And its Go, Go, GO!

Apologies for the drawing, it really is ment to be a XBOX 360. Honest.

So, the topic of today is Forza 3. I picked this up when I got my 360 but didnt get round to playing it due to the addiction that is Modern Warfare 2.

Having played the original, I wasn't really that impressed. The graphics were somewhat wayward and GT3 was still a much MUCH better game. I never played the second, probably for reasons to do with the first Forza, but I was turned by the rave reviews and friends egging me on to 'Stop being such a tight-arse and fucking buy it'. I saw it for half price and went for it.

For the last couple days I have been truely hooked on it. It is immense. The level of detail that goes into each car, be it mechanically (handling) or aesthetically is sheerly breathtaking. Even the 'unofficial' tracks are brilliant, with clear thought put in to every single corner. Another interesting way of looking at this is from a novice (noob) perspective.

In this instance I'll be picking on my Girlfriend (sorry babe.) She doesn't play many games, hasn't been that much of a fan of racing games full stop- but picked the game up, shoved some assists on (racing line) and adored it, beating me in split screen mode on more than one occasion. All cars are accessable, provided you have the cash- which I think actually improves the game. You do loose the element of surpise that the Gran Turismo series gave when winning races and gaining unknown car prizes, but hey... I'm not one to look at minor details like that (oops.)

Now, I have (always) been a true fan of the GT series. Since GT1 (ohh yea, PSX baby) I have been an avid fan of the series, with the effort and sheer aesthetic beauty that showed off what the PSX and PS2 could do. GT5 (prologue) however... Didnt. annoyed me that Sony would release a game (at £19.99 I might add) that is only about 1/4 finished? Yes, its one of their flagship games and did sell quite well (me included) but it just didnt look like a game that was worth having. I played it for 25 minutes then got pissed off and didnt play it again.

I dont think it's possible to mention Forza 3 without the car design aspect. My friends, this is what clinches it for me. For those of you that dont know this, using set shapes (squares, circles etc) and other forms such as gradients, paint splashes and so on - you can create your own custom paint job for your car. Even I have had a go (pictures on facebook) with the Jaguar I picked up off Forza3 auction.

Ok, enough about it - this is how it is.....

If you like racing games and cant be fucked to wait God knows how many months until the arrival of the 'Full' Gran Turismo 5, then buy Forza 3. You might even forget about GT5 by then, who knows? If you dont like it, then buy it anyway... You might be swayed into liking racing games...

PS: In responce to my FM10 post I made a while back, I gave it another go. Starting to enjoy myself and got little Crawley Town to the depths of League 1! More to follow...