Forza 3 runs laps around its predecessor. Nothing bolsters that appreciation more than the visuals. It can become a crutch at times, but it also frees you to kick the difficulty up to a higher level and get a true appreciation for your car. Some might call this a "win" button, but I think the rewind is a crucial addition to Forza 3. There's no penalty for using the rewind and no limit. Your cat jumps on your face causing you to crash into a wall? Rewind. Get tapped from behind and spin out? Rewind. Misjudge your speed on a tight corner? Rewind. A rewind function allows you to instantly skip backwards in five-second intervals during a race. The great thing about Forza 3 is that it encourages even the novice to take off the training wheels and drive freely with the assists off.
Mess+up+this+corner+and+you+can+rewind+and+try+again. You can't throw green turtle shells at the other drivers, but it's pretty much Mario Kart at that point. You can even go so far as to turn on auto-braking, which allows you to hold down the gas the entire race and let the AI brake for you whenever necessary.
The cars won't feel as unique, other than the speed, but you'll have no troubles being competitive. Turn the different assists (such as traction control) on and you can still have a good time. If you're a novice or just like to take things easy, Forza 3 can satisfy your racing needs as well. Turn 10 has finally mastered the subtleties of the controller, allowing for better responsiveness. While Forza 3 controls brilliantly with a wheel, I can assure you that you can play a hundred hours with just a controller and have no issues. I've always felt that you couldn't properly drive a car in a racing game with the assists off if you didn't have a racing wheel. Forza 3 GuideĪ helpful breakdown of car tuning and advanced racing technique. And though you'll race the same tracks quite often, the experience changes from one car to the next. With all of the driving assists turned off, you can feel the difference from one car to the next. The tire physics are so greatly improved (and include real-time deformation), that you get a true understanding of how your car is reacting at every turn. This is largely due to the enhanced physics of Forza 3, which add a level of nuance not experienced in most racing games.
Though I've played dozens of hours with Forza 3, I still go back to the E and D class cars for some races, because there are so many good cars. Hallelujah.Įven if you were stuck with the lower-end cars for the first few hours, that wouldn't be as much of an issue with Forza 3. Well, Forza 3 is throwing racing conventions out the window. You're supposed to start with crappy cars, suffer through a few hours of slow-paced driving, then graduate to a sleeker class of vehicle. It goes against everything we've ever thought about racing games. If you've played racing games your entire life, this fact alone may just blow your stack. Sure, you'll need to earn some credits to make your purchases, but if you can drum up a million creds, you can take the Bugatti Veyron for a spin. That's right, with the exception of a few cars available only to those who pre-order Forza 3, every car on the disc can be driven from the get-go. Forza 3 has more than 400 vehicles you can take for a spin and the crazy part is, they're all unlocked from the outset. Simply put, Forza 3 is one of the best racers ever made. The career mode is easy to get into but offers an immense challenge you can auto-tune every car or dive into a rich set of tuning options and driving can be toggled between a simple point-and-go system and the most physics-driven sim every created. The result is a hardcore simulation racing title that can also be enjoyed by the most casual of fans. Developer Turn 10 has adopted a new philosophy for Forza 3: Make it accessible. Sony's Gran Turismo may still sit in the pole position among racing sims for many, but Microsoft is making a hard charge with Forza Motorsport 3.