During the annual Los Angeles geek-fest that is E3, we were invited to sample a preview version of Microsoft’s Forza Motorsport 3. As the much-anticipated follow up to Forza 2, and the main rival to the PlayStation’s Gran Turismo series, this new game has a great deal to live up to.
Fortunately, it didn’t disappoint. The graphics and gameplay are first-rate. Once again, the game is very inviting and easy to delve into. Accompanied by somebody who doesn’t play video games (can you believe?!), he was quickly able to set competitive lap times thanks to the driver assists that help with the racing line, braking, traction control, etc. That said, he did manage the best and longest barrel-roll ever encountered on a video game. Virtual damage is pretty convincing, with the painting getting scuffed and panels buckling as damage increases.

As we mentioned on the News pages at eurotuner.com, Audi’s marketing department is getting bolder with each day. Its latest surprise move was to get involved with Forza 3, offering the Turn 10 development team access to its cars and data. This has allowed them to include exciting machinery such as the latest Audi R8 V10 and supercharged S4 models in the game. The R8 V10 will also appear on the front cover of the new game.
These same cars were on hand in the metal at the demo event for all to drool over. The cleaning crew spent all night wiping saliva from the paintwork!
We also managed to slip our Project BMW 135i into the event, but many of the computer nerds were too distracted by “actual” women to notice it.
Sadly, the virtual 135i in Forza 3 didn’t seem to replicate the real thing quite so well. The interior noise was unrealistic, as was the braking and turn-in. It also lacked the 135i’s amazing mid-range acceleration. It’s only a game, so we didn’t lose sleep, but we comment because we’d been asked to compare our actual experience to the virtual world.
With access to three different tracks and an array of supercars, we inevitably spent most of our time piloting the R8. Its sharper acceleration and higher levels of grip made it absorbing to drive. And while there was only a single-player mode available to us, we were soon swapping fastest times with each other. And with the promise of eight-car online races when the game is launched, we’re looking forward to the action on Xbox Live when the game is launched in October 2009.
A new feature to Forza 3 is the rewind facility. It allows you to back up the action to the point before an accident or overtake happens and try it again, like Groundhog Day. There didn’t seem to be a limit on how often or how far back you could use this feature, which possibly dilutes the game’s hardcore reputation. But it’s another function that will make the game more accessible to more people, particularly in the longer races where a mistake can signal disaster.
Another nice feature is the in-cockpit view, which allows you to finally sit behind the wheel of the car and see the track unfold in front of you. In previous Forza games, you viewed the car from above and behind, relegating it to a video game rather than a driving simulator.
Once again there will be tuning options, as well as the paint program and video editing, making this one of the most rounded driving games available.
Forza 3 has moved driving games up another notch and it will gain greater credibility with its new licences among fans of the genre. Look out for it on October 22, 2009.