One noticeable area of improvement is sound, specifically the game’s soundtrack. Instead of the forgettable soundtrack of the original Forza Motorsport, gamers are treated to a soundtrack comprised of not only more well known songs, but songs that better fit the game’s attitude. Turn 10 has also done a great job of re-creating the different engine sounds for each car that change as the car is upgraded with newer parts. However, in a few areas, sound could be greatly improved. The biggest glaring example of this comes in the spectators’ sound, which is the same clip recycled again and again. Come on Turn 10, it’s 2007, and using the same clip over and over again isn’t really acceptable anymore.
The game plays incredibly similar to the original Forza Motorsport, but it seems the development team has turned up the realism a bit, as Forza 2 is a bit less forgiving. Driving off onto the grass will slow you down, as well as add a penalty, and even brushing the wall can be enough to cause damage. Career mode is once again an affair all about beating cups and progressing up levels. It’s incredibly time consuming and deep, but it is also pretty fun and rewarding, especially when it comes to unlocking more cars and saving money on upgrades.
The controls layout is almost identical to that of Forza Motorsport, but when you’ve got a good thing going, why change it? The only new addition is in the function of the D-pad, which now brings up a telemetry menu to let you see in-depth data on tire wear, car damage, and more. It’s nice to have such data, but the fact that it takes up the entire screen and can make it harder to drive means you might only be using this when you’ve got a big lead and aren’t making a lot of turns. In addition to the Xbox 360 controller, the wireless wheel can be used for Forza 2.
Forza 2’s other major selling point besides the deep customization feature is being able to race on Xbox Live, as well as buy and sell cars through the Auction House feature. The online racing aspect has had a few bugs in it so far that are likely server-related, but when it works right, it’s an incredibly fun experience. As for the Auction House, it’s a great place for Forza artists to show off their work and sell it for change, but there is one problem: each time a bid is made within the final two minutes, the bid’s ending time is reset to two minutes left. This can be incredibly frustrating, and while it might reflect real-world bidding, this has so far caused some bidding headaches. However, even with this slight drawback, it’s still a great feature to have in the game.
Article comments