Forza Motorsport

Maxim Online

Microsoft Game Studio's answer to Sony's automotive masterpiece is simple—add online play and program cars that take realistic damage.

GameBiz

You can sum up this game in two words, “Sheer Perfection”.

GamePro

Forza is easily the best driving game ever made. Loyal "GT4" fans ought to strap into the seat of this hot rod and take it for a spin--you won't look back.

1UP

This is by far the most realistic console racer ever made, and it's hands-down the best racing game on Xbox.

Xbox Evolved

Microsoft did the impossible, not only did they put out a superior game on their first spin around the track they did it in a big way that will force every other racer hoping to compete to evolve in more ways than one.

RewiredMind

All you need to know is that if it was a poker hand, Forza would be a royal flush. If a football score, it would be a 7-0 win. As a game, it is the finest straight-up racing game to grace any home console system and as such, is an absolute must buy.

Operation Sports

If the competition is Gran Turismo, there's no contest here. The complete integration of online play, full vehicle customization, better racing AI, and many other features raise Forza above the pack.

Times Online

But the really ingenious element is the Drivatar AI, in which the computer learns your driving technique.

G4 TV

Forza caters beautifully to both casual racers and hardcore car nuts, which is all that matters.

AceGamez

I'm not condoning adultery with the following analogy but it's the best way I can think of getting my point across; Forza Motorsport is like a wife - it looks pretty, you know what you're getting, you're in it for the long haul but it can become a little irritating and boring at times.

GameShark

It handily out Gran Turismos even Gran Turismo itself in almost every way.

Gaming Age

Forza has turned out to be a true force to be reckoned with, and hopefully the next game in the series will uphold the original's legacy of realism and online innovation.

Gaming Target

It is not only the best simulator on the market, it is the best racer period.

VGPub

Between the online gameplay, offline modes, car tweaking, and decal making, you’ll be set for life with this game.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Forza's handling is impeccable. Many car sims have done an adequate job of providing an impression of the forces exerted on a car as it hurtles around a track, but in Forza it's as though you can feel the exact point where your tires lose traction.

TeamXbox

Similar to a race car in its design. It was made to do a job and do it better than anything else out there. There’s no waste, yet the technology has been used to its fullest in order to squeeze maximum performance out of the hardware.

Next Level Gaming

I have never seen full color reflections in a game before.

Kombo

An amazing first show at racing, and possibly the best simulation game ever produced.

Talk Xbox

Forza Motorsport is like a dream for car lovers. Not only does everything play great, everything looks and even sounds great via the custom soundtracks feature. Seriously, what more could you ask for?

Extreme Gamer

A fully fleshed out multiplayer, realistic and fun driving, tons of variety, and an interesting drivatar feature Forza has everything you could have asked for in a racing game and is bound to please anyone who was looking forward to it, or anyone who likes driving games at all.

Australian GamePro

Perhaps it could've built on a few features found in V8 Supercars 2 to make it a more complete package, but it still makes great strides for the genre with smart gameplay ideas, great graphics and pitch-perfect car physics ensuring countless hours of enjoyment for genre fans.

Da Gameboyz

One of those rare jewels that come along once every four or five years and just can’t be ignored.

TotalGames.net

This is about as complete a racing experience as you could ask for from Xbox Live.

Gamezilla!

What really stands out however is the career mode which is loaded with possibilities. In addition to RPG elements like leveling up, there are plenty of cars and tracks to conquer and an inordinate amount of upgrading to be done both cosmetic and functional.

GameSpot AU

In terms of sheer fun, ease of use and online integration, it's now the racer to beat on any system.

Xbox World Australia

The opponent A.I is excellent (with a few occasional exceptions) and everything from the handling and physics, the customisation options and the racing is presented in a superb manner.

GameZone

A strikingly deep racing sim that delivers on most of the areas where Gran Turismo 4 faltered and then some.

IGN

Forza is a force to be reckoned with, out-maneuvering "GT4" in several respects, and beating out everything else in the sim department on Xbox, straight out. The fact is, Forza does some things better than "GT4" and some things worse, but it's a must-have game, full stop.

WHAM! Gaming

A thoroughly engaging racing game with high production value and an extensive amount of replay. From the multiple game modes, to the extensive customization options to finally the numerous online options, there is an incredible amount of game to enjoy.

Xbox Solution

It offers replay in every aspect and no other racing game found on the Xbox has ever come close to offering as much as this title has.

Xequted

Achieves a stunning degree of realism, both in graphics and actual game physics. If you enjoy racing your friends or merely the computer in a realistic environment, Forza Motorsport was designed for you.

Gamers' Temple

If there is a knock against Forza Motorsports it’s that the game does not have much personality. The racing is great and the cars look sweet, but there’s not much going on in between.

Ferrago

Forza is probably the most complete racing package available for any machine in any era.

Pelit (Finland)

An excellent racing game. The performance classes tighten competition nicely. Move over, Gran Turismo! [July 05]

netjak

The graphics look excellent, sound effects and custom soundtracks are superb, the gameplay itself is rock-solid, damage modeling is present and accounted for, car customization goes even deeper than any game before it, the menu system is a god-send, and it's always ready to rock out on Xbox Live.

Game Over Online

Excellent visuals, innovative racing features and accessibility to drivers of all skill levels make this title stand out from its competition, including games with more tracks and vehicles.

Inside Gamer Online

It’s easy enough to get into, but will offer up enough challenge for more advanced players.

GameSpot

Forza's main success is in finding a blend between pleasing the notoriously fickle minority that likes its driving games consistently challenging and demandingly detailed, while introducing a set of user-friendly assists that will ensure that even those who are new to the racing genre will enjoy themselves.

Jolt Online Gaming UK

There may not be more cars than can ever be theoretically driven to make it the Xbox’s Gran Turismo, and it’s not the deepest racing game, so Bizarre Creations won’t be quaking in their boots in fear for the safety of their spectacular Xbox 360 sequel, Project Gotham Racing 3, but Forza Motorsport is an essential racing sim for Xbox gamers everywhere.

Game Revolution

While it doesn’t re-invent the wheel, Forza Motorsport pretty much perfects it. Its user-friendly options make it great for casual drivers and its generous reward system honors the skill of the experienced racer.

Worth Playing

The detractions are small but numerous. The poor handling of branded aftermarket parts, lack of real-life tracks, and tediousness of switching from racing to tuning are tops in the small flaws department.

Sydney Morning Herald

Car handling is demanding, but beginners can instantly have fun, thanks to helpful driving assists and generous early prizes.

Computer and Video Games

If you want "Project Gotham 2" with more depth, or "Gran Turismo 4" with less tedium, Forza Motorsport's a fantastic mid-range choice. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

GameSpy

Even without a high level of graphics pleasure, Forza is still better than "Gran Turismo 4." Why? How about incredible online play, solid AI and a realistic damage model? That's in addition to hundreds of cars, impeccable control and a career mode deep enough to rival your local bottomless well.

3DAvenue

If Vanessa Williams sang 'Save the best for last' about Microsoft, it would be about this game.

Yahoo! Games

Customization, handling, presentation, AI, damage, multiplayer: Forza hits the bull's-eye time after time. Although it doesn't have quite the bewildering range of cars as "Gran Turismo 4," Forza is its equal in gameplay, its superior in AI, and adds the online play "GT4" lacked.

MS Xbox World

The first ever true driving simulation to arrive on the Xbox console has achieved the highest standards in terms of graphics, sound, realism and playability.

Total Video Games

Forza Motorsport doesn’t just straddle the gap between "PGR2" and "GT4," it sits perfectly between the two, offering the best of both worlds and rarely puts a foot (or should that be ‘pedal’) wrong.

Stuff

If your racing game strategy usually involves driving your car like the Death Mobile in "Animal House," you won't get far in Forza. Damage modeling affects your car's performance and even the slightest fender-bender can wreck your front-end alignment, which means your car will pull either left or right for the remainder of the race.

Pelaaja (Finland)

Forza Motorsport doesn’t leave much room for improvement. It’s without the question the best choice for a real driving simulation on Xbox, or on any console platform for that matter. [May 2005, p.76]

Eurogamer

With Microsoft's typically brilliant online implantation underpinning everything, alongside its determination to break technical boundaries Forza Motorsport is a quite staggering achievement for a first attempt and is a must have for any driving game fan.

Gamenikki

Forza is kinda like Danica Patrick: an attractive, rising star that isn't quite ready for victory lane...yet.

NTSC-uk

Decent physics, clever AI, online racing: this is everything GT4 should have been and wasn’t, and it’s allowed Forza to take the GT trophy away from Polyphony, at least for the time being. Buy it.

Computer Games Magazine

It's ultimately Forza that ends up with the win for its more comlete features and player friendliness. [July 2005, p.85]

GameCritics

Personally, as much as I have been impressed by Forza, I found it to be just a little too much. It's a fantastic game, but one best suited to those willing to invest some serious time into their racing games.

Gaming Nexus

Forza is quite likely to be the pinnacle of racing sims available on today’s Xbox, and certainly demonstrates the level of quality and realism that we can expect from the next generation of consoles.

Official Xbox Magazine

But the overall experience just somehow feels a tad incomplete, like a shiny Ferrari Enzo with an old Burger King wrapper on the passenger seat. [July 2005, p.80]

DarkStation

No "Gran Turismo 4," but comes close to usurping the throne for the genre with jaw-dropping visuals and impressive online play.

eToychest

It features outstanding visuals, tremendous gameplay, and enough options to keep even the most meticulous players entertained for hours.

Play Magazine

It can be incredibly intense at times. [July 2005, p.78]

Game Power Australia

Forza Motorsport does one thing excellently, lots of things really well and a couple of things comparatively badly. However, that one excellent thing, the racing, is above all what this game is about.

Boomtown

Super fun races with interesting AI and that surprisingly great customisation section.

DailyGame

The physics are fantastic and the tuning terrific, but pound-for-pound, it doesn’t offer any more in the “sim racing” category than a couple of existing budget titles.

PALGN

A game that will last a ridiculously long amount of time. We personally shudder to think of how long it would take to complete the entire game, it would take at least fifty hours and this isn't including the Xbox Live features.

Game Informer

If there's an overall problem with Forza, it's that the game isn't polished into the slick experience that others have recently offered. [June 2005, p.130]

Gamers Europe

It’s a bit of a shame that a game such as this has a flaw so crippling as a lack of tracks.

Gamestyle

A great game and worthy of every racing fan's collection. It's no quick-thrill arcade ride, however, and those looking for something more along those lines should think twice before considering Forza.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

A great sim but not a perfect game. It suffers from too few tracks and a complete lack of soul, but the basics are spot on - and it's massive too. [Xbox World]

VideoGamesLife

Unfortunately, when the game is outclassed by its rivals, it feels rather bland. The career mode may rival that of Gran Turismo 4 in the anal depths it descends to, but seems to lack the love and attention (for instance, the wrong cars competing in the wrong championships) of the Polyphony Digital classic.

Edge Magazine

Because there’s an underlying subtlety and sophistication in the handling - and it’s encouraging to see even minor damage and tyre wear affecting lap times - the compulsion to shave fractions off your records is always there. [June 2005, p.89]

games(TM)

Forza’s driving physics are excellent - with the driving aids switched on the game offers something just on the right side of arcade-style racing. [June 2005, p.99]

Detroit Free Press

And, man, is this game difficult, even on the easy setting. I prefer games with unreal speed, power boosts and shortcuts. I just couldn't seem to get a grip on Forza until I played around with different cars, perusing the six classes, from standard production cars like your basic Honda Civic to race cars like the Audi R8.

AltGaming

The problem with Forza is, however, that this is a game that feels somewhat empty. Your victories aren’t celebrated and are barely acknowledged. Tuning up a car is so easy that is barely feels rewarding to feel it going at top speed.