 |
| Forza Motorsport 3 : Where dreams are driven.... |
Another game for which the review comes really late, since Forza Motorsport 4 is already out there. In this review, I will not talk about the game itself so much, this is not needed. However, I will focus on the very interesting concepts that the Studio Turn 10 introduced with Forza Motorsport 3 (FM3) which, I believe, could serve as a model for many games, not limited to the racing world.
Where Dreams are driven...
Quick notes about the game : the cars look really awesome, exactly as the picture above. The cars are highly customizable, in terms of components, technical settings (suspensions, brakes, ... everything you would wish for) or external look. The game physics are refined and even take into account tire temperature and deterioration : you will not have a same grip and braking power one lap later. The gameplay is great and even more enjoyable with a force feedback steering wheel, which I have. Let us go straight to the point : with the steering wheel, playing Forza Motorsport 3 becomes a real sport. Tracks that have lots of left-right cornering variations will make sure your shoulders remember them, but this makes the experience even more immersive. But more importantly, ....
The Rewind Button
Purists might say, this button should not have been in the game, but I say yes ! The Rewind button allows you to take the action back a few seconds, so you can retry that one corner you freshly screwed up. Indeed, purists will cry out for blasphemy and they are right about this. However, no matter how much I am interested in a game, and how realistic I would like it to be, I do not have the time to go over and over the same race in Career mode. Haven't you been frustrated like this before, leading the race from beginning and spinning out on the very last corner ? Then go to the menu and choose restart race ? This is what the rewind button helps you to avoid : a continuous frustration. You might make only one mistake per race, but it is awfully angering if you keep making that one at a critical time. In Forza Motorsport 3, none of that. Screwed up the last corner ? Rewind and tackle it again properly. Make no mistake, my racer's heart is aching, but we all have a life and other things to do (at least we all should). Sometimes, it is better to just move on and progress in the game even if it is not a "pure perfect" race. Project Gotham Racing 4 is a an example of an amazing game that I stopped playing because I got fed up with constantly screwing something here and there and I was still studying at that time.
 |
| Mazda RX-7 FC3S |
Give the power to the Community
Forza Motorsport 3 has an impressive community, but remember that this is possible because the game is great and allows the community have the power. In this section, aside from multiplayer capabilities, I will present the originalities introduced by Turn 10 that truly makes FM3 an example.
Customizability
Cars can be customized to a very refined level including technical settings, internal components and external appearance. On the last one, you can apply decals and stickers to the car. But the beauty of the game is that you can create your own decals, with the help of the provided one. With a lot of patience, you can come up with anything. However, creating sophisticated drawings is not very comfortable with the Xbox 360 controller. We would have loved a means to push our own images or anything. Anyway, I did found some very nice decals from the manga/anime Initial D made by others that resulted in this :
 |
| Toyota AE86 Trueno just as it is in Initial D |
When you are a big fan of Initial D as I am, how cool can this be ?
Other people bring out old memories like this :
Possibilites are endless and you can find a lot of examples on the Internet.
Sharing and in-game Commerce
Sharing is a trendy word nowadays with the omnipresence of social networks. Here, we will not be talking about these though, but about what can you share and trade in Forza Motorsport 3. This not about real money, but in-game credits you earn by playing the Career mode.
 |
| My "Rukawa Racing" Audi R8 |
- Screenshots : Who would not want to show off his car ? Forza Motorsport 3 allows you to take photos of you car, even when the car is racing (in replays). You have access to a wide range of options including aperture settings. Once it is done, you have the possibility of uploading your pictures directly on the Forza website and retrieve them from there. The rest is all what do with them. Above is my Audi R8. Too bad this is only in-game...
- Car settings : So, you need settings for a specific car and need (drift) ? Someone in world might have done it already. That person could either share it for free, or sell the settings for an amount of in-game credits. You do not want to bother more than you did already, repeadtedly tuning and testing the suspensions behavior, right ? Have a look and see if someone did it already.
- Decals : Decals can be shared and sold for credits. Frankly, the people who come up with really sophisticated designs do deserve some credits for their work (pun intended), considering how difficult it is to manipulate the objects with a controller in the editor. I recreated all the Initial D cars, but I clap my hands at those who took the time to recreate the stickers and car license plate. Hats off to them. You can see my Initial D cars here : Rukawa701 on ForzaMotorsport.Net
- Car layouts : You created a nice look for car ? How about sharing/selling it ? I personally sold a few layouts for the Ferrari FXX. As you can expect, there are plenty of choices, players' creativity at the forefront really.
- Car Auctions : Probably the most innovative feature of Forza Motorsport 3. As you progress in the Career mode, you earn new cars and credits to buy equipments and other vehicles. A fully customized and tuned car can be put on the marketplace for auction. Players around the world will bid for your cars if they are interested. Note that one the transaction is completed, the car naturally disappears from your Garage. This allows players to trade and exchange cars, taking the interaction between the community to a new level.
Don't let your work go to waste
So you worked hard to get your cars fast and flashy ? Would it not be a shame to lose them ? Turn 10 understood that such saved data is a great asset to players. Apparently, if you pop in a Forza Motorsport 4 disc in your Xbox, it will recognize your FM3 saved data and you will have access to your Garage in the new game. Just how awesome is that ? I have not played or bought FM4 yet, but this is what I have read. As a FM3 player, I think this is very encouraging. The only reason I have not bought the game yet is that I simply do not have the time anymore. I hardly have the time to write articles and reviews on this blog, let alone get into a lengthy game... However, just in the same way I resurrected this blog, some titles to released soon will revive my gaming spirit. Forza Motorsport 4 may then be a viable option (it is still in my Amazon Wish List).
 |
| The FD3S of Keisuke Takahashi will still be in my Forza Motorsport 4 Garage |
Final Thoughts
My opinion is that Forza Motorsport 3 is a very good example of a game that is technically sophisticated and well polished while it does not forget about every little aspects outside of the game itself. FM3 introduced great ideas, making full use of the Xbox Live platform Considering that the game uploads screenshots and pictures straight to a website, considering the community interactions it allows, considering the level of customization permitted, I think that the Forza Motorsport series is not just a game but a complete racing ecosystem on its own. When I see something as rich as Forza Motorsport, I think of Peter Vesterbacka, founder and CEO of Rovio, the studio that developed Angry Birds, who said that console games are dead. Really ? I demand to live the same experience with his flying birds... It is not the same market and target. Period. I cannot really blame him for saying that because, after all, he had to get investors or venture capitalists to put money on his company. It is just like politics really...
0 Yorumlar