The Gran Turismo series has conquered the racing sim genre for many years now. With the help of Polyphony Digital, Sony’s monster series has been seemingly unstoppable. However, Microsoft’s new racer Forza Motorsport is working to dethrone the racing champion, and looks to already have a few 1-up’s on GT.

This game should easily rival Gran Turismo 4. All of the cars and tracks are detailed to the point of photo-realism, and there’s one thing that already gives Forza the advantage; vehicle damage.  That’s right, whereas GT4 will feature no visible car damage at all, Forza will feature a full-blown damage model that affects not only the look but the handling of your car as well.  If it can be pulled off right, this could possibly propel the game right over Sony’s entry.

Microsoft’s Forza team has been said to have put extensive research into how the car engines and other aspects sound during a race. And so far, it seems as though this has paid off, as early trailers boast realistic sounding cars. The in-game soundtrack is being done by Junkie XL, which gives the game a hard pumping soundtrack during races.

But a racing sim is nothing without the cars. And here the game may falter a little bit.  Compared to GT4’s hundreds and hundreds of cars, Forza will only feature 230+ customisable cars. However, these cars can be fully damaged, so maybe that might sway some players over. Within these 230, you have Ferraris, Mazdas, BMWs, and many more. So it’s not a total loss.

It’s not specifically known yet what the game will play like, but considering the extensive research the team has put it, it is expected to be realistic enough to rival Gran Turismo and meet the needs of car junkies everywhere. However, it has been stated that many of the in-game options would be customisable, in order to make the game playable for all skill levels.

Forza will feature an in-depth career mode offline, and tune just about every aspect of their car (from the suspension to decals that are on the car).  What may also push the game ahead of GT4 is an in-depth Xbox Live mode. On XBL, there will be eight player matches with players blazing to the finish (you can also buy, sell, and trade cars online).  The game will also feature more than 1,700 leaderboards, allowing you to get a comprehensive ranking on your skills.

Forza Motorsport appears to be well on its way to racing greatness. As long as the gameplay can match the amazing graphics and features list, we have a potential champion here. If you have an Xbox and need a proper racing game, Forza will answer your prayers this spring.

Chris Dahlberg