FORZA MOTORSPORT 2
Platform: Xbox 360
Review: Jason Round




Now, there have been some truly incredible car sims hovering around for some time, but no-one has really been able to topple the juggernaut that is Gran Turismo. Sure, NFS and Burnout provide cheap thrills for kiddies, but for those of us who live and breath cars, GT has really been our only source of pixelated refuge – until now.

The figures are mind-boggling – 300 cars (full car list posted below), 60 tracks in 18 environments, 13 real-world circuits including Tsukuba and the Nurburgring, 50 manufacturers, hundreds of upgrades… It’s so jam-packed with car porn you’ll probably need to stash it under your bed.



For those aforementioned ‘kiddies’, though, who are used to tracks with loop-de-loops and fireworks exploding overhead as you race a shark through a pirate’s cave, the ‘plain’ look of Forza 2 may well disappoint. You see, real-life tracks don’t involve any kind of theme-park craziness, and that’s exactly why you won’t find any in this release. What you will find, however, is realism – buckets and buckets of it.
Firstly, turn off all the ABS, SC and TC systems that turn you into Ms Daisy and then dive straight into single-player mode. Throughout the game we were pleased to find all our favourite vehicles just waiting to be unlocked, including rarities such as the Ferrari Larbre Competition 550 Maranello GTS and even the Tommy Kaira Skyline GT-R R34. It’s fantastic being able to pilot your wet dreams around tracks that you’ve watched over and over on the latest JDM Option vids, and it’s just so damn realistic.



Your car bumps over ripple strips, your tyres squeak and moan while losing traction and every little nuance of every car has been perfectly pulled from real life and inserted into what is an intensely complex yet rewarding physics engine.

In fact, a whole slew of top-level race-car drivers, automotive engineers and designers teamed up to work on said engine, and the results have been well worth it.
The graphics engine deserves a round of applause too, with cars looking sumptuous in 360fps, 720p high-definition glory. You can even spy the brake calipers working for crying out loud.
Then there’s the sheer depth of this game – gaping, Marianas Trench-type depth. You can upgrade everything from suspension to tyre pressure and gear ratios on your ride, before customising it with hundreds of layers of decals, paint and all sorts of odds and ends. Certainly, our recent sneak peak at Juiced 2 pointed to this level of customisation, but it’ll have its work cut out with games like this riding its back.
Although the track range isn’t enormous, there are plenty of events to sink your rubber into, and we got the distinct impression that we hadn’t even skimmed the surface of this thing after playing it almost habitually for a week straight. Yes, folks, if you want to become a hermit, here’s your poison…
Online community? It’s probably one of the best out there – for any game. You can swing by the auction house to see high-end exotica going under the hammer, organise an eight-player head-to-head or simply view races 24/7 from around the world on Forza TV. You might even want to share your ride…
The audio is great, a kind of electro-metal mix, which is all well and good, though purists like you and mean will probably just switch it off to hear the sweet 12 of a Murciélago ringing through.
Something that may be a little lacking is the damage engine. Admittedly, getting a car to roll or flip in real life is hard to do, but in Forza 2 it seems it can’t be done at all. Driving at 300km into a ripple strip at a 90-degree angle, we just couldn’t get it happening, though this might have something to do with manufacturers having a bit of a whinge. Boo…

You can still shatter windows and pull of fenders, which ain’t so bad, though a little more depth would have been nice considering how expansive the rest of the game is.
One point of mention is that if you’re going to shell out for Forza 2, make sure you also pick up the Xbox steering wheel. It’s a punishable crime not to for a game as encompassing as this.
All in all, this is just an awesome release that’ll keep true car lovers burning their thumbs to the absolute bone and shielded away from all social contact for days, nah months.

The level of realism is truly getting scary, but if you’ve ever wanted to live out your schoolboy fantasies of ripping a Countach around the Nurburgring, this is the place to do it – and do it in style. Now, I don’t do this very often, but hands down, there is no other score for this game…

Final Verdict : 6/5

Acura
#42 Realtime Racing NSX (2002) [pic]
Integra Type-R (2001) [pic]
NSX (1997) [pic]
NSX (2005) [pic]
RL A-Spec (2006) [pic]
RSX Type-S (2002) [pic]
VIS Racing Integra Type-R (2000) [pic]

Aston Martin
DB9 Coupe (2005) [pic]
V12 Vanquish (2001) [pic]

Audi
#1 Champion Racing RS 6 (2003) [pic]
#1 Champion Racing S4 Competition (2002) [pic]
#1 Audi Sport Team Joest Infinion R8 (2002) [pic]
#2 FSI Champion Racing R8 (2006) [pic]
#4 Johansson Motorsport R8 (2001) [pic]
#5 Audi Sport Japan Team Goh R8 (2004) [pic]
#8 Infineon Team ABT Sportsline TT-R (2004) [pic]
#88 Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx R8 (2004) [pic]
AWE Tuning SilverBullet S4 (2000) [pic]
RS4 (2006) [pic]
RS6 (2003) [pic]
S4 (2000) [pic]
S4 (2004) [pic]
TT Coupe 3.2 quattro (2004) [pic]

Bentley
#7 Team Bentley Speed 8 (2003) [pic]
Continental GT (2004) [pic]

BMW Motorsport
#2 Team BMW Motorsport M3-GTR (2005) [pic]
#15 BMW Motorsport V12 LMR (1999) [pic]
M3 (E36) (1997) [pic]
M3 (E46) Coupe (2005) [pic]
M3-GTR Street Version (2002) [pic]


Buick
Regal GNX (1987) [pic]

Cadillac
#6 Team Cadillac Northstar LMP-02 (2002) [pic]
#16 Team Cadillac CTS-V (2004) [pic]
CTS-V (2004) [pic]

Chevrolet
#3 Corvette Racing C5.R (2003) [pic]
#4 Compuware Corvette C6.R (2006) [pic]
#31 Whelen Engineering Corvette Z06 (2005) [pic]
#73 3R-Racing Corvette Z06 (2003) [pic]
#99 Tiger Racing Corvette Z06 (2005) [pic]
Camaro 35th Anniversary SS (2002) (Unicorn (Auction House Exclusive))
Camaro SS (2002) [pic]
Camaro SS Coupe (1969) [pic]
Camaro Z28 (1969) [pic]
Chevelle SS 454 (1970) [pic]
Cobalt SS Coupe (2005) [pic]
Corvette Grand Sport (1996) [pic]
Corvette Guldstrand Edition (2003) [pic]
Corvette Sting Ray 427 (1967) [pic]
Corvette Z06 (C5) (2002) [pic]
Corvette Z06 (C6) (2006) [pic]
Corvette ZR-1 (1970) [pic]
Lingenfelter 427 CID Twin Turbo Corvette (2002) [pic]

Chrysler
Crossfire SRT6 (2006) [pic]
ME Four-Twelve Concept (2005) [pic]
PT Cruiser GT (Turbo) (2004) [pic]

Dodge
#1 Team Zakspeed Viper GTS-R (2002) [pic]
#22 3R-Racing Viper Competition Coupe (2004) [pic]
#23 Magellan Financial Viper Competition Coupe (2003) [pic]
#57 Carsport Holland Viper GTS-R (2000) [pic]
#58 Larbre Compétition Viper GTS-R (2001) [pic]
#77 Team Zakspeed Viper GTS-R (2005) [pic]
#126 Team Zakspeed Viper GTS-R (2003) [pic]
Charger R/T-SE (1969) [pic]
Charger SRT8 (2006) [pic]
Hennessey Viper 800TT (2000) [pic]
SRT4 (2003) [pic]
Stealth R/T Turbo (1996) [pic]
Viper Competition Coupe (2003) [pic]
Viper GTS ACR (1999) [pic] [audio]
Viper SRT10 (2003) [pic]

Eagle
Talon TSi Turbo [1998] [pic]

Ferrari
#11 Larbre Competition 550 Maranello GTS (2005) [pic]
#12 Risi Competizione F333SP [1998] [pic]
#62 Risi Competizione F430GT (2006) [pic]
#72 Team Alphand Aventures 550 Maranello GTS (2003) [pic]
#88 Veloqx / Prodrive Racing 550 Maranello (2003) [pic]
250 GTO (1964) [pic]
330 P4 (1967) [pic]
360 Modena (1999) [pic]
512 TR (1991) [pic]
575M Maranello (2002) [pic]
612 Scaglietti (2005) [pic]
Challenge Stradale (2003) (Collector's Edition Exclusive) [pic]
Dino 246 GT (1969) [pic]
Enzo Ferrari (2002) [pic] [audio]
F355 Berlinetta (1994) [pic]
F355 Challenge [1998] [pic]
F40 (1987) [pic]
F50 (1995) [pic]
F430 (2004) [pic]
GTO (1984) [pic]

Ford
#10 Tiger Racing Mustang (2004) [pic]
FocusSport SVT Focus (2003) [pic]
Focus ST (2006) [pic]
Focus SVT (2003) [pic]
Ford GT (2005) [pic]
GT40 Mk II (1966) [pic]
Mustang Boss 429 (1970) [pic]
Mustang GT (2005) [pic]
SVT Mustang Cobra R (2000) [pic]

Honda
#8 ARTA NSX (2005) [pic]
#16 G'ZOX NSX (2003) [pic]
#18 TAKATA DOME NSX (2005) [pic]
Aerogear Integra Type-R (2000) [pic]
Civic 1.5 VTi (1994) [pic]
Civic Si Coupe (1999) [pic]
Civic Type-R (2004) [pic]
CR-X Del Sol SiR (1995) [pic]
CR-X SiR (1991) [pic]
Do-Luck NSX (1994) [pic]
Integra Type-R (2000) [pic]
Integra Type-R (2002) [pic]
Mugen Civic Type-R (2004) [pic]
Mugen Integra Type-R (2002) [pic]
Mugen S2000 (2003) [pic]
NSX-R (1992) [pic]
NSX-R (2005) [pic]
NSX-R GT (2005) [pic]
Prelude SiR (2000) [pic]
S2000 (2003) [pic]
Wings West Civic Si (2004) [pic]

Hyundai
Tuscani Elisa (2003) [pic]

Infiniti
G35 Coupe (2003) [pic]

Jaguar
E-type S1 3.8 (1961) [pic]
XJ220 (1993) [pic]
XK Coupe (2007) [pic]

Koenigsegg
CC8S (2002) [pic]

Lamborghini
Countach LP5000 QV [1988] [pic]
Diablo GTR (1999) [pic]
Diablo SV [1997] [audio] [pic]
Gallardo (2005) [pic]
Murciélago (2005) [pic] [audio]

Lancia
Delta Integrale EVO (1992) [pic]
Stratos HF Stradale (1974) [pic]

Lexus
Foose Design IS430 Project Car (2003) [pic]
IS300 (2003) [pic]
IS350 (2006) [pic]
SC430 (2002) [pic]

Lotus
Carlton (1989) [pic]
Elan Sprint (1972) [pic]
Elise 111S (2005) [pic]
Elise 135R (2003) [pic]
Esprit V8 (2002) [pic]
Exige (2005) [pic]
Exige Cup 240 (2005) [pic]
Exige Espionage (2005) (Unicorn (Auction House Exclusive)) [pic]

Maserati
#9 Vitaphone Racing Team MC12 (2005) [pic]
#15 JMB Racing MC12 (2005) [pic]
#35 Risi Competizione MC12 (2005) [pic]
GranSport (2006) [pic]
MC12 (2004) [pic]

Mazda
AB Flug RX-7 (1995) [pic]
Axela Sport 23S (2005) [pic]
INGS RX-7 (1995) [pic]
MAZDASPEED Familia (2001) [pic]
MAZDASPEED Roadster (2001) [pic]
RE-Amemiya RX-7 (1995) [pic]
RX-7 (1997) [pic]
RX-7 Spirit R Type-A (2002) [pic]
RX-8 MAZDASPEED (2004) [pic]
Savanna RX-7 [1990] [pic]

McLaren
#41 Gulf Team McLaren F1 GTR (1997) [pic]
#43 Team BMW Motorsport McLaren F1 GTR (1997) [pic]
F1 GT (1997) [pic]

Mercedes-Benz
300SL Gullwing Coupe (1954) [pic]
C32 AMG (2004) [pic]
CLK-GTR AMG Street Version [1998] [pic]
CLK55 AMG Coupe (2003) [pic]
SLR McLaren (2005) [pic]

Mini
Cooper-S (2003) [pic]

Mitsubishi
Eclipse GSX (1995) [pic]
Eclipse GT (2006) [pic]
Eclipse GTS (2003) [pic]
FTO GP Version R [1998] [pic]
GTO (1997) [pic]
HKS Racing Performer CT230R Evolution (2006) [pic]
Lancer Evolution VI GSR (1999) [pic]
Lancer Evolution VI T.M.E. (2000) (Unicorn (Auction House Exclusive))
Lancer Evolution VIII GSR (2004) [pic]
Lancer Evolution VIII MR (2004) [pic]
Lancer Evolution IX GT (2006) [pic]
MINE'S CP9A Lancer Evolution VI RS (1999) [pic]
Sparco Lancer Evolution VIII (2003 [pic]


Nissan
#3 HASEMISPORT ENDLESS Z (2003) [pic]
#12 CALSONIC SKYLINE (2003) [pic]
#23 XANAVI NISMO GT-R (2003) [pic]
#32 Nissan Motorsport R390 GT1 [1998] [pic]
#46 Team MOLA Dream Cube's ADVAN Z (2005) [pic]
Fairlady Z 432 (PS30) (1969) [pic] [audio]
Fairlady Z 432-R (PS30SB) (1969) [pic]
Fairlady Z (Z33) (2003) [pic]
Fairlady Z (Z33) "Custom Forza Edition" (2003) (PreOrder Exclusive) [pic]
Fairlady Z Version S Twin Turbo (Z32) (1994) [pic]
MINE'S R32 Skyline GT-R (1993) [pic]
MINE'S R34 Skyline GT-R (2002) [pic]
R390 GT1 Road Car [1998] [pic]
Silvia K's CLUB Selection (S13) (1992) [pic]
Silvia K's (S14) (1994) [pic]
Silvia Spec-R (S15) (2000) [pic]
Skyline Coupe 350GT (V35) (2003) [pic]
Skyline GT-R V-Spec (R32) (1992) [pic]
Skyline GT-R V-Spec II (R34) (2002) [pic]
Skyline GT-R V-Spec II Nür (R34) (2002) [pic]
Tommy Kaira Skyline GT-R R34 (2002) [pic]
Top Secret Silvia D1-Spec S15 (2004) [pic]


Opel
#5 OPC Team Phoenix Astra V8 Coupe (2003) [pic]
Speedster Turbo (2004) [pic]


Pagani
#17 Carsport America Zonda GR (2003) [pic]
Zonda C12 (1999) [pic]


Panoz
#11 JML Team Panoz LMP-01 (2003) [pic]
#51 JML Team Panoz Esperante GTLM (2005) [pic]
#81 Team LNT Panoz Esperante GTLM (2006) [pic]
Esperante GTLM (2005) [pic]


Peugeot
#3 Team Peugeot Talbot Sport 905 EVO 1C (1993) [pic]
206 RC (2004) [pic]
207 RC (2007) [pic]
207 Super 2000 (2007) [pic]


Plymouth
Barracuda Formula-S [1968] [pic]


Pontiac
GTO (2004) [pic]
GTO Hardtop [1968] [pic]
Solstice (2006) [pic]


Porsche
#3 Lechner Racing School Team 1 911 GT3 Cup(997) (2005) [pic]
#5 Drivex XBOX 360 911 GT3-RSR(996) (2005) [pic]
#17 Racing Porsche 962C (1987) [pic]
#22 3R-Racing 911 GT3 Cup(996) (2003) [pic]
#23 Alex Job Racing 911 GT3-RSR(996) (2004) [pic]
#26 911 GT1-98 [1998] [pic]
#31 Peterson-White Lightning 911 GT3-RSR(996) (2005) [pic]
#44 Flying Lizard 911 GT3-RSR(996) (2005) [pic]
#55 Applied Materials 911 GT3 Cup(996) (2005) [pic]
#57 Larbre McDonalds 996 GT3 Cup(996) (2002) [pic]
#66 AXA Financial/Jon Groom Racing 911 GT3 Cup(996) (2005) [pic]
#81 Synergy Racing 911 GT3 Cup(996) (2006) [pic]
#82 Red Bull 911 GT3 Cup(997) (2006) [pic]
911 Carrera RS (1973) [pic]
911 GT2 (993) (1995) [pic]
911 GT3 (996) (2004) [pic]
911 GT3 (997) (2007) [pic]
911 Turbo (997) (2007) [pic]
911 Turbo 3.3 (930) (1982) [pic]
914/6 (1970) [pic]
944 Turbo (1989) [pic]
959 (1987) [pic]
Boxter S (2003) [pic]
Carrera GT (2003) [pic]
Cayman S (2006) [pic]


PROTOmotors
Spirra (2006) [pic]


Renault
Sport Clio V6 RS (2003) [pic]


Saab
9-3 Aero (2002) [pic]


Saleen
#2 Konrad Motorsports S7R (2003) [pic]
#11 Graham Nash Motorsport S7R (2002) [pic]
#26 Konrad Motorsports S7R (2001) [pic]
S281 (2000) [pic]
S281 E (2006) (Collector's Edition Exclusive) [pic]
S7 (2004) [pic]


Saturn
ION Red Line (2006) [pic]


Scion
tC (2005) [pic]


SEAT
Cupra GT Prototype (2005) [pic]
Leon Cupra R (2003) [pic]


Shelby
Cobra 427 SC (1965) [pic]
GT 500 (2007) [pic]
Mustang GT-500KR [1968] [pic]
Series 1 (1999) [pic]


Subaru
#77 Cusco Subaru ADVAN Impreza (2003) [pic]
Impreza 22B STi [1998] [pic]
Impreza S204 (2006) (Collector's Edition Exclusive) [pic]
Impreza WRX STi (J-Spec) (2004) [pic]
Impreza WRX STi (J-Spec) (2005) [pic]
Legacy B4 2.0 GT (2005) [pic]
Tommy Kaira Impreza M20b [1998] [pic]


Toyota
#3 Toyota Motorsports GT-ONE TS020 (1999) [pic]
#6 EXXON Superflo Supra (2005) [pic]
#25 Eclipse Advan Supra (2006) [pic]
#35 Yellow Hat YMS Supra (2004) [pic]
#36 OPEN INTERFACE TOM'S SUPRA (2005) [pic]
2000GT (1969) [pic]
AB Flug S900 Supra Turbo [1998] [pic]
AE86 Sprinter Trueno GT Apex (1985) [pic]
Altezza RS200 (2004) [pic]
APR Performance Celica GTS (2003) [pic]
Border MR2 Turbo T-bar (1995) [pic]
Celica SS-I (2003) [pic]
Do-Luck Supra (1992) [pic]
MR-S (2002) [pic]
MR2 GT (1995) [pic]
Soarer 430SCV (2002) [pic]
Supra 2.0 GT Twin Turbo (1992) [pic]
Supra RZ [1998] [pic]
Tom's T020 MR2 (1995) [pic]
Tom's W123 MR-S (2002) [pic]
Tom's Z382 Soarer (2002) [pic]
Top Secret 0-300 Toyota Supra (2002) [pic]
VeilSide Supra Fortune 03 [1998] [pic]
VeilSide Supra Fortune 99 [1998] [pic]
VIS Racing MR2 Turbo T-bar (1995) [pic]


TVR
Cerbera Speed 12 [1998] [pic]
Sagaris (2005) [pic]
Tuscan R (2001) [pic]
Tuscan S (2001) [pic]


Vauxhall
Astra VXR (2006) [pic]
Monaro VXR (2005) [pic]
VX220 Turbo (2004) [pic]


Volkswagen
Beetle (2004) [pic]
Bora VR6 (2003) [pic]
Corrado VR6 (1995) [pic]
Golf GTi 16v (MkII) (1992) [pic]
Golf GTi (MkV) (2006) [pic]
Golf R32 (MkIV) (2003) [pic]


Volvo
#24 At-Speed S60 R (2004) [pic]
S60 R (2004) [pic]