E3 2004: Forza Motorsport Hands-On

Catchy slogans, fancy cars, and more customization than you can shake a gearstick at. Screenshots included.

Update: Video coverage added.

Forza Motorsport is the result of two years of development involving a team of over 100 people, spanning team members involved with Bizzarre Creations and Digital Illusions, two developers responsible for the Xbox's two biggest racing franchises, Project Gotham Racing and RalliSport Challenge. It's no surprise that Microsoft chose E3 to debut its intriguing and somewhat promising first party offering that caters to a hardcore demographic that would be hard pressed to find a more challenging racer.

The sheer volume of options and customization is overwhelming at first, to add to the fact that you can continually upgrade and tweak your vehicle until it'd be morally reprehensible to upgrade it anymore. The numbers themselves are staggering, too many cars to count, millions of paint schemes, hundreds of auto parts, over forty ways to upgrade your engine and much more. With the ability to swap engines, change everything from suspensions to brakes and alter your body, the possibilities are nearly endless.

The actual gameplay is not only dependent on your skill with a controller, but your ability to craft a fine racing machine. The game features realistic physics that depend on the weight of your car, which is dependent on the various auto parts, and whether or not you have automatic assist, in addition to the friction of the tires to the track. It's all very complicated and as so, highlights one of the biggest problems facing Forza Motorsport - that it's very hard for a novice to play.

Visually, Forza Motorsport is to be recognized for faithfully showing off the sheer amount of customizable cars, but it's not without its flaws. It doesn't quite run at 60 fps yet, which considering the detail of the models (not spectacular by today's standards), is a necessity for such a fast-paced game. Codemaster's Race Driver 2 pulls this off effortlessly it would seem. There is real-time damage done to the cars, but even that looks somewhat mediocre. The good? Some great lighting effects and three layers of textures on the track, thus assuring that every lap looks different.

As one of Microsoft's flagship titles, Xbox Live is a sure thing for Forza Motorsport, but nothing will be finalized until later this Summer. What little is known for now is to expect similar modes to Project Gotham Racing, 8-player racing, allowing for customized cars over Xbox Live, complex ladders, downloadable ghosts and community building.

On track for a release later this Winter, expect final numbers on car models and parts when Microsoft wraps up licensing with its many auto manufacturer partners later this Summer, along with finalized Xbox Live details. For now, be content with this fresh batch of screens and the prospect of playing Microsoft's hyper realistic racer sometime this year.

Will Federman
Staff Writer, Kikizo.com