Forza Motorsport 2

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Forza Motorsport 2

Developer(s) Turn 10
Publisher(s) Microsoft Game Studios
Aspect ratio 720p, 1080i (HDTV, requires PAL-60)
Platform(s) Xbox 360
Release date JPN May 24, 2007

NA May 29, 2007
EU June 8, 2007
AUS June 14, 2007
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single player, Split-screen, System-link, Online multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
Media DVD-DL
Input methods Xbox 360 Controller, Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel

Forza Motorsport 2 is a racing game developed by Turn 10 Studios, and the sequel to the original Forza Motorsport, for the Xbox 360 gaming system. The Japanese version was released on May 24, 2007,[1]and the North American version was released on May 30, 2007. The game was released in Europe on June 8, 2007,[2] followed by Australia on June 14, 2007.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Forza Motorsport 2 is a racing simulator on the Xbox 360 games console, the sequel to Forza Motorsport (Xbox). The Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel was developed alongside Forza 2 and is designed to work with the game.

Most cars in Forza 2 can be visually customized with both aerodynamic parts as well as graphics. 4,100 layers of graphics can be created with the livery editor to draw shapes, letters and pictures onto a car.[3]

The game supports split-screen, System Link and Xbox Live multiplayer gaming. Split-screen allows two player head-to-head racing, while both System Link and Xbox Live allow up to eight players to participate in a single race. Using Xbox Live, players can also buy and sell in-game cars through the game's Auction House.

Forza 2 concentrates on circuit racing; point to point races have been removed.[4]

The damage and physics in the game have been revamped over the previous game, allowing for multiple settings: "simulation," which is the most severe, allowing for damage that can take a car out of commission; "limited," which scales down the severity of impact of crashes; and "cosmetic," where the damage is merely visual.[5] The damage ratings for each part of the vehicle can be seen on the HUD (heads up display) accessed from the in-game menu.

Professional racers playtested the wheel to aid the development in trying to achieve realistic features and settings.[6] Forza Motorsport 2 features force feedback with the use of the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel.

Forza 2 runs at 60 frames per second in 720p resolution (HD), with replays running at 30 frames per second to accommodate additional after-effects.

[edit] Cars

There are over 300 cars available in Forza Motorsport 2. They are divided into six production classes and four race classes. A car's class can limit races for which it is eligible.[7]The final list of cars was revealed on April 20, 2007.[8]

[edit] Production Cars

Production cars include stock cars, as well as cars tuned by aftermarket tuning companies. Production cars can move between classes, but cannot enter the "R" classes.


[edit] Tracks

There are 14 tracks (including 2 downloadable content tracks: Twin Ring Motegi (4 ribbons) and Road America (1 ribbon) which total 47 different configurations:

Real-world tracks

Fictional tracks

  • Maple Valley Raceway
  • New York Circuit
  • Nissan Speedway
  • Sunset Peninsula Infield

[edit] Web integration

New for Forza 2 are scoreboards similar to those found in Halo 2. Each user can log into the official website for Forza 2 using their Xbox Live account. In addition to leaderboards, features included are online auctions for in-game cars. Cars purchased through auctions will come with all statistics related to that car such as mileage, total repair cost incurred, number of previous owners, etc.

Other features include tournament scheduling and the ability to take in-game photos and upload to and view five at a time on the Forza 2 website.[9]

[edit] Downloadable content

On August 1, 2007, the first downloadable content for the game was released in the form of a free Nissan car pack, which includes three free cars:

Also available is a paintable Peugeot 908 race car for 50 Points.[10]

On September 20, 2007, the second downloadable content was available, in the form of 11 individual cars for 400 Microsoft points:

On October 19, 2007, the third downloadable content was announced in the form of a new downloadable track, Twin Ring Motegi. The track will be playable in the form of four variations, including three road courses and an oval. The downloadable track was made available through Xbox Live on October 26, 2007 and it currently costs 400 MS points.

On December 1, 2007, the fourth downloadable content was announced in the form of a new track, Road America, costing 100 MS points, along with a pack of 11 cars costing 400 MS points. This car pack was made available through the Xbox Live Marketplace on December 7, 2007:

On March 19, 2008, the fifth downloadable content was made available, in the form of 13 individual cars for 400 Microsoft points. Included in the Pack is:

[edit] Limited Collector's Edition

Forza Motorsport 2 was released in two editions: the regular edition and the Limited Collector's Edition. The latter features a 157-page booklet containing insider details on the game as well as tips on how to obtain the game's Achievements. Car manufacturer detail is also provided along with three Limited Collector's Edition-exclusive cars. The three cars are the Subaru Impreza S204, Saleen Mustang S281E, and Challenge Stradale. Various online game stores also offered a bonus code to unlock the Nissan 350Z featured on promotional pictures with preorder purchase.

The Limited Collector's Edition was available in Australia, Asia, Canada and Europe, but not in the United States.[11]

Reviewer Score
GameSpot 9.2/10
IGN 8.9/10
GameSpy 5/5
TeamXbox 9.3/10
1UP 8.5/10
Game Informer 8.25/10
Edge 9/10
TalkXbox 9.4/10
XboxSpot 9.7/10
X-Play 5/5
GameTrailers 9.1/10
Toonami 9/10

[edit] Physics exploits and scoreboard wipe

A series of exploits and physics engine bugs have affected the fairness of online multiplayer and competitive hotlapping since the game's launch. A bug in the initial release gave the simulated Lotus Elan an unrealistic and unbalanced performance advantage over other vehicles.[12] A patch which aimed to resolve this issue introduced a second bug which again could be exploited to gain an unfair advantage.

On September 9, 2007, in an attempt to address these issues in the context of an extremely large scoreboard database and limited tool set, Turn 10 Studios began wiping [13] accumulated scoreboard times and online rankings for players who had:

  • A top 5000 scoreboard time using a Manual Transmission vehicle before August 25, 2007;
  • A sub-10 second laptime;
  • A top 2000 scoreboard time using a Lotus Elan.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Forza Motorsport 2 for Xbox 360. CNET Networks, Inc.. Retrieved on 2007-05-27.
  2. ^ Forza Motorsport: Forza 2. Forza Motorsport. Retrieved on 2007-01-26.
  3. ^ xbox360.ign.com/articles/736/736490p1.html. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  4. ^ forzamotorsport.net/news/pitpassreports/pitpass17.htm. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  5. ^ forzamotorsport.net/news/pitpassreports/pitpass31.htm. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  6. ^ forzamotorsport.net/news/pitpassreports/pitpass38.htm. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  7. ^ download.microsoft.com/download/3/b/2/3b2d8dd4-6247-4c1d-b1dc-b378bb356373/FM2Standard_MNL_EN.pdf (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  8. ^ forzamotorsport.net/news/announcements/carlist.htm. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  9. ^ xbox360.ign.com/articles/766/766789p1.html. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  10. ^ New DLC for Forza Motorsport 2. GamerNode. Retrieved on August 1, 2007.
  11. ^ forzamotorsport.net/news/pitpassreports/pitpass45.htm. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  12. ^ Weekly Pitpass Report Volume 55.
  13. ^ http://forums.forzamotorsport.net/forums/thread/929558.aspx. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.

[edit] External links

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