Forza2 Demo Review

[RC45]

Well - now that it's out and we can sample it in all its 720p (I think) glory, awith the Micro$haft FFB wheel.. here's a little review of the "demo"..

The bad news

First - the replay cameras SUCK.

What a let down, all that eye candy, and youcan't even watch a decent "TV style" replay of the action.

Second - the XBox360 hardware either sucks, or the Turn10 progammers are amayeurs

If you want a rear view mirror, then you can't have "hood view" (includes a littl eof the hood) - you get 2001 GT3 view instead

Third - what a silly view point - youare int he center of the car, not to the left or right - so you have no way to realisticly place your self on the track - this is 2007, racing simd shoul dplace you left or right orientated in the car.

Fourth - if the ForceFeedBack is any indicaiton of what the M$ Wheel and F2 are capable of - ***puke***

It has to be the WORTS FFB of a so-called mainstream title/controller combo EVER.

Really weak forces and even then, not at all intuative.

And if you turn off ABS, the wheels lockup as soon as you touch the brake pedal. Instant lockup and you understeer in the dirt.

Really poor - and this is supposed to showcase the title.

Isn't this the build that has "Wowed" the press and reviewers everywhere? If so then the idiots reviewing the game who are impressed by these controls have NEVER tried a 4 year old FFB wheel on a 5 year old PC game.

And lack of a stick to shift is very annoying - I will need to rig up the M$ Wheel in an old Logitech chassis

Fifth - Some of the 3D assets must have been either borrowed from PGR3 or the same folks made them. The SLR Macca still has no air brake deploying on decel... and the graphics has the same glossy "cartoon" look of PGR3 and Forza1.

Not photorealistic at all. Great detail renders, but the lighting is "fake" looking.

The good news

First - Sounds are nice, not fantastic, but good. The Viper as always sounds the best - for some reason 10 cylinders digitize well

Tyre screeches are not that great, reminds me of GT3/GT4/GTHD screeches - all games seem to get them wrong.

Second - Visuals are pretty nice, track environment is nice and adds to the atmosphere.

Third - AI seems to behave and not just ram into your or randomly stop - they only pose a challenge because they follw the same perfect line lap after lap.

This is where a PC driving sims beat the consoles hands down - AI is unpredictable but realistic and variable.

Verdict

This is of course a demo, and has rough edges - but the things that had better be fixed by the time it goes on sale (in 3 weeks ) are the Replay Cameras, stronger FFB and adjustable control thresh-holds/dead-zones etc.

Its a pity yousit in the center of the car like a Formual 1 driver - these are supposed to be "street cars" tuned.

All in all - a huge let down after all the hype.

Will I buy it..?? Probably, because I am addicted to trying semi-realistic driving games