Product Description

Forza Motorsport 2, the sequel to Microsoft Game Studios' award-winning, fully customizable driving simulator Forza Motorsport 2 speeds its way onto Xbox 360.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3530 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Microsoft
• Released on: 2007-06-08
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Dimensions: .75 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Preview
Coming out towards the end of the original Xbox’s life, the first Forza Motorsport was a sadly overlooked gem that was as realistic as Gran Turismo but far more exciting and accessible to the average player. Despite being close to release, surprisingly little is known about the sequel, although it has been confirmed that it will include over 300 licensed cars with everyone from Nissan and Volkswagen to Lamborghini and Chevrolet having a presence on the track. All of the cars feature realistic damage; this can range from tiny scratches on the paintwork to almost splitting your car in two during a particularly devastating crash. If you’re the type of driver that likes their car damage-free, you can set the realism of the modelling to whatever you want.

The final game is expected to include over 70 different real world tracks, including Suzuka Circuit in Japan and Sebring International Raceway in Florida. There are also many fictional tracks, some inspired by real world locations. The game also supports multiplayer via Xbox Live, split-screen and system link. Every vehicle is customizable via the in-built decal editor, and you can trade cars and liveries with other players via Xbox Live. If you fancy the ultimate driving experience, then grab the official Xbox 360 Wireless Steering Wheel that has been developed specifically for the game. And to really impress your mates, you can setup multiple TV screens for an almost 360 degree view of the game. Any more realistic and you’d need a driving license to play. - HARRISON DENT

Manufacturer's Description
Forza Motorsport 2, the sequel to Microsoft Game Studios' award-winning, fully customizable driving simulator Forza Motorsport 2 speeds its way onto Xbox 360. With authentic simulation physics, bone-jarring damage, photo-realistic graphics, and licensed tuning and customization options, the franchise improves on the unprecedented features gamers enjoyed in its debut instalment. Loaded with more than 300 of the world's hottest cars for you to collect, personalize and tune, Forza Motorsport 2 gives you a complete racing experience.

Lap the competition with truly next-generation features. Made possible by the power of Xbox 360, Forza Motorsport 2 burns rubber at 60 fps with 4x full-screen anti-aliasing, motion blur, and high-dynamic-range lighting in crisp 720p high-definition glory. And you can feel every nuance of your car and the road thanks to support for the official Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel.

Experience uncompromising physics simulation. Top automotive engineers, professional race car drivers and programmers teamed up to create the most complete racing experience available. Cars incur dramatic damage and wear, which affects car performance. Advanced tire and suspension models respond to heat and pressure changes as well as weight transfer and aerodynamic load.

Master real-world tracks from around the globe. From the famously challenging Nürburgring Nordschleife track to the spectator-lined streets of Rio de Janeiro, race on meticulously designed tracks with an incredible sense of speed and realism. Forza Motorsport 2 features more than 60 tracks carved out of 18 environments, including 13 real-world licensed circuits such as the Road America race track, Silverstone Circuit, Tsukuba Circuit and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Sebring International Raceway is among four new real-world licensed circuits added to the repertoire of Forza Motorsport 2.

Collect, upgrade and tune hundreds of cars. From sport compacts to purpose-built race cars, collect more than 300 cars from over 50 of the world's leading manufacturers such as Ferrari, Porsche, General Motors, Lamborghini, Nissan and Volkswagen. Take your car to the garage and install alternative engines, suspension kits, bolt-on superchargers, brakes, rims, racing slicks and more. Dial in advanced suspension settings, tire pressure and gear ratios. Forza Motorsport 2 allows you to own the cars that will own the competition.

Create and share your masterpiece with the world. Express your inner artist in the paint and upgrade shops with near-endless visual personalization. Customize the shape of your car by combining licensed rims, performance parts and aftermarket body kits. Create your own unique paint scheme using millions of paint and decal options. Take in-game pictures of your creation in Forza Motorsport 2 Photo Mode.

Compete in a vibrant online community. Take your personalized car onto Xbox Live® for some intense online wheel-to-wheel racing. Earn in-game credits and complete single-player career objectives while racing over Xbox Live. Watch the best racers as well as your friends from around the world compete on Forza Motorsport TV.

Customer Reviews

Little niggles aside, Forza 2 is a hugely enjoyable driving game.
This review will probably just follow the same pattern as the others in highlighting just how brilliant this game is.

The car handling is best compared to the Gran Turismo series and I can honestly say that Forza 2 comes out on top. Not by much, but there is definitely a bit more "feel" in the cars when playing Forza 2. Also the damage model adds a welcome dose of realism when compared to Gran Turismo which obviously has none. Rumour circulated for a long time that the car manufacturers would not let Sony "damage" their cars in games which is why there was no damage model built into any Gran Turismo games. I recently saw a video on "you tube" by one of the developers of Forza 2 who said this was "total crap" and that once a games manufacturer has the car licence they can pretty much do with it whatever they want.

Forza 2 is by no means perfect though. Some of the tracks feel a bit flat and a lot of them feel as if they are just tracks with the odd spectator stand built in random places around the circuit. Nott many of the circuits seem to have any real depth or character. When compared to "Toca race driver 3" on the PS2 I can't help feeling that the 360 is not really being pushed to the limits in the graphics department. It is also disappointing to see that all the races are in perfect conditions and there are no changes in the weather. It would have been fun trying to control a Ferrari Enzo in the pouring rain around Silverstone for example.

Another problem is the way some of the tournaments are structured. A lot of them are three race series and rather than a points system, you need to win each race to win the tournament. For a game which prides itself on realism I can't think of any motor sport where you need to win every race rather than have the most points at the end of it.

Little niggles aside this is an essential purchase for lovers of car games. There are so many races that you will literally be playing this for months.

One word of warning, don't be tempted to pay the extra money for the limited edition. The book enclosed has interviews with the developers, some car/manufacturer history and driving tips. It doesn't tell you anything you couldn't easily find on the internet and the three extra cars are not really worth the extra money.

Gran Turismo for the 360
With over 300 cars, over 300 races in Career Mode and God-knows how many tracks to race on, `Forza 2' is the complete package for any fan of the racing game genre.

In Career Mode, you choose one of about 8 cars to start you off and then enter yourself in series of events to earn more money to buy new cars or to upgrade other cars in your garage. When you complete an event, which tends to be built up of 3 races, you win a new car which generally will allow you to enter another event with the particular car specifications.
You also have player and car levels that you build up with the more money you earn, allowing you to also enter the higher up cups and events.

Overall there are about 300 races in total to complete the Career Mode as well as the Arcade Mode where you can test drive any car to unlock more cars in Career Mode.

Then there is also Multiplayer Mode where you can battle friends on Xbox Live or split-screen head-to-head.

So there is a lot of content on this game to interest single players, online players and two players, car modding nuts and speed junkies and basically anyone else who likes racing games.

Crashes into other cars and the sides damage your car, so this game really does feel realistic (even more so than the GT games) and can also prove quite difficult in longer races, where entering the pits is essential.

The graphics are top quality too - some of the best on the 360 and the soundtrack is not too bad, with appearances from artists like The Chemicial Bros, The Prodigy, Apollo 440 and Faithless among many others.

`Forza Motorsport 2' is the next-best thing to having Gran Turismo on the Xbox 360.

Forza Motorsport 2 Review
I got my copy of the game on the 6th June, luckily a shop near to me got it in a bit early. So far i have completed the first league of racing and i can say, although im in the " not so fast " cars it is brilliant fun. The handling is very realistic, the graphics are brilliant eye candy and what makes it even better is the damage.

I havent really gone into the Auction House yet to sell/buy cars from other players online, but i have tried out the " Gift Car" feature, which allows players to give cars to one another if they are your xbox live friends.

The customisation of the cars is great too, body kits, decals, vinyls can all be added to make your car unique. The paint schemes are also very good, with metallic, pearlescent and manufacturers colours.

This is a very good racing simulation and will keep on being a brilliant game for years, one of the best racing games i have ever played.

A definite must buy for any racing fan, give your XBox something nice to play!