The Daily OrangeBehind the Wheel
Forza Motorsport 2 successfully simulates real-life race car driving
By James Schomar
Posted: 9/16/09, 12:05 AM EST Section: Joystick
Game: Forza Motorsport 2
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Console: Xbox
Price: $19.99
Despite the image of being a child's toy, believe it or not, the average person playing video games in America is actually in their 30s.
Due to the wide range of users, video games have always been classified into two main categories; those for acne-ridden 13-year-olds and those for the bachelor looking for something to do on weeknights. If you don't know what that means, think "Dungeons & Dragons" vs. "Madden." But now there is a third category-Simulators-people who wish they can do things, but don't have the means of going about it.
This doesn't mean that Wii Fit or "Guitar Hero" is actually like playing baseball, or performing Beatles songs on a guitar. "Forza Motorsport 2" brings a level of racing simulation unmatched by almost any other game. Struggling to even call it a "game", Forza has over 300 actual cars and concept cars with their actual specifications and performance from around the world. It also features many real racetracks from all over the world and for the "Fast and Furious" fans; you can decorate each car with body kits, paint, window tint, decals and much more.
There is also an "Xbox LIVE" version for Forza, where you can buy cars from other users, race one-on-one and even race in tournaments according to what class your car is in. The class system used by Forza is basically a yardstick for the speed of your car. That again brings some realism because in many real-life race events, such as Autocross, cars are also classified into classes based on their performance.
During the race you can view various aspects of the car's performance including: spring compression, tire pressure, tire wear, lateral and longitudinal gravitational forces, engine performance and even damage on specific parts. Before the race you can tune the car by adjusting aspects such as the rebound, bump and camber angle settings for the suspension set up. To have that much detail put in a $19.99 video game is pretty remarkable. It allows you to adjust all of the settings just like you would a real racecar, even the spoiler angles.
The biggest advantage over games such as "Gran Turismo" is the car's handling. Where most of Forza's competition has this strange, constant understeer-based handling even for the rear wheel drive cars, in Forza, the cars handle more realistically at the limit. Everything from the amount of grip, cornering speeds, braking, acceleration, braking and tire fade, and even the damage, is more realistic than other racing games.
As nerdy as all this sounds, if you like cars you really do need to play it to understand just how good of a simulator it is. Now, of course, no game, no matter how good, can ever really replicate actually racing on a track, but as far as affordable video games and sitting in front of a television with a controller go, few others get as close to reality as this one.
jaschomar@syr.edu
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Console: Xbox
Price: $19.99
Despite the image of being a child's toy, believe it or not, the average person playing video games in America is actually in their 30s.
Due to the wide range of users, video games have always been classified into two main categories; those for acne-ridden 13-year-olds and those for the bachelor looking for something to do on weeknights. If you don't know what that means, think "Dungeons & Dragons" vs. "Madden." But now there is a third category-Simulators-people who wish they can do things, but don't have the means of going about it.
This doesn't mean that Wii Fit or "Guitar Hero" is actually like playing baseball, or performing Beatles songs on a guitar. "Forza Motorsport 2" brings a level of racing simulation unmatched by almost any other game. Struggling to even call it a "game", Forza has over 300 actual cars and concept cars with their actual specifications and performance from around the world. It also features many real racetracks from all over the world and for the "Fast and Furious" fans; you can decorate each car with body kits, paint, window tint, decals and much more.
There is also an "Xbox LIVE" version for Forza, where you can buy cars from other users, race one-on-one and even race in tournaments according to what class your car is in. The class system used by Forza is basically a yardstick for the speed of your car. That again brings some realism because in many real-life race events, such as Autocross, cars are also classified into classes based on their performance.
During the race you can view various aspects of the car's performance including: spring compression, tire pressure, tire wear, lateral and longitudinal gravitational forces, engine performance and even damage on specific parts. Before the race you can tune the car by adjusting aspects such as the rebound, bump and camber angle settings for the suspension set up. To have that much detail put in a $19.99 video game is pretty remarkable. It allows you to adjust all of the settings just like you would a real racecar, even the spoiler angles.
The biggest advantage over games such as "Gran Turismo" is the car's handling. Where most of Forza's competition has this strange, constant understeer-based handling even for the rear wheel drive cars, in Forza, the cars handle more realistically at the limit. Everything from the amount of grip, cornering speeds, braking, acceleration, braking and tire fade, and even the damage, is more realistic than other racing games.
As nerdy as all this sounds, if you like cars you really do need to play it to understand just how good of a simulator it is. Now, of course, no game, no matter how good, can ever really replicate actually racing on a track, but as far as affordable video games and sitting in front of a television with a controller go, few others get as close to reality as this one.
jaschomar@syr.edu
Be the first to comment on this story