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Forza Motorsport Review: Page 5
The Finishing Touch: Xbox Live cont.
Cars earned and modded in the singleplayer career can be bought from or sold to other gamers online in specially designed buying lobbies. Finally, Forza Motorsport also introduces the racing version of clans as we know them from FPS communites. However, they are called Car Clubs and separate scoreboards exist to keep track of a club’s ELO ranking. Thanks to Live Aware you can contact your friends or car club members from any menu in the game.
A Racing Simulation
I intentionally left this question aside, because the answer to this question is subjective and will vary for each person. Nonetheless, a review of a racing simulation isn’t complete when the single, most important part of the game isn’t discussed: the physics and tuning.
Microsoft Game Studios has worked with Ferrari and Toyo tires to get the tire, suspension and general physics model as realistic as possible. What you will find in Forza Motorsport might not be as realistic as it could have been, but it needs to be said that the majority of the gamers will play this game with a controller. As such, Microsoft managed to find a perfect balance between simulating the real world and gameplay. Tires wear and deform, your car’s weight shifts as you approach a corner, understeer and oversteer are very noticable and seriously affect your lap time.
If you are not satisfied with the way your car feels and performs on track, you can shift into the tuning menu. When all racing packages are bought and applied, you have the option to adjust each of the following settings:
- Front/rear tire pressure
- Gearing
- Front/rear caster, camber, toe in and toe out
- Front/rear suspension stiffness and ride height
- Anti-roll bar
- Bump and rebound damping
- Braking balance and strength
- Front and rear downforce
- Differential lock under acceleration and deceleration
All of this isn’t just for shows. Each setting affects your car’s performance like expected and allows you to get the maximum out of your car for a certain track. The combination of a car’s unique characteristics defines the way a car feels — a FWD Honda Integra Type-R feels very different from a Porsche 911 GT2-RS with the engine in the rear. The ability to feel such aspects and changes is crucial to a good racing simulation with the goal Forza Motorsport is aiming for.