In a moment of weakness yesterday, I walked into one of our three local Targets (don’t ask) to get a pair of sunglasses and I walked out with a copy of the best physics game on the market, Forza 2.
I then had to go back and get some glasses.
I know that I previously mentioned that I just didn’t have the time, but something about the simlulation of it all was compelling me. I’m a sucker for realism. Of course, like mentioned in an earlier post, pretty picutres help too. Also, the last couple of years I’ve been digitally driving in games such as Burnout, Burnout 2, Burnout 3, and Burnout Revenge and I was just getting, well, burnt out. So, I cleared my gaming schedule for the first couple of weeks of June and put this disc through its paces. So as to not repeat what Tony said eariler, I won’t be giving my impression, but I will give my experience with the sim.
I never played the first Forza, but I did drive my fair share of cars in all the Gran Turismo games, so I know a little bit about driving simulations…or so I thought. I started the game in career mode, bought a Ford Focus and jumped into my first race. The timer counted down and I hit the gas. Within seconds, I’m drifting right out of the first turn. A couple of seconds later I get back on the road and then drift out of the second turn. Needless to say, my first race didn’t go so well.
However, the game has this great difficulty setting called Novice. Apparently, if you’ve never played before, this is an excellent place to start. There’s a track guide that not only shows you proper placing on the course but tells you when to brake and accelerate. There’s a credit (read: currency) penalty for playing on this setting, but it’s a must if you’ve never experienced true driving in a virtual form. However, after just nine races I’ve realized that the guide can be somewhat of a crutch. It’s perfect for time trials, but doesn’t come in really all that handy when racing against other drivers. They just keep getting in the way.
I did spend about 30 minutes customizing my car’s paint job and giving it the “pimp my ride” treatment, but then I realized why would I want to do this on a Ford Focus when I could just trick out my newly aquired Z28 and upload a pic to the Forza website. However, I may have to put that idea on the shelf. My son saw a Volkswagon in the game’s store. He adores Herbie the Love Bug.
You do the math. It equals 53.
The computer controlled drivers don’t just get in the way, they simply don’t deviate from the track guide. Heaven help you if you crash and end up in the path of the guide. None of the cars will try to avoid you. That’s been my biggest gripe so far — the AI leaves something to be desired.
I’m working on pimping out one of my cars in all pink. I’m going to call it Pinkalicious, in honor of one of my daughter’s favorite books.
The things we do for these kids!