Even though this may not be my cup of tea I think I found all the good worth mentioning in Forza Motorsport 2.
There are three modes of gameplay in Forza Motorsport 2: Career, Arcade and Online.
Career Mode lets you compete in a variety of race events to earn credits and experience, which will raise your racer level and your car's level. Racer level limits the number of races that are available to you, but as you win races and earn credits, your level will increase and more events will be unlocked. You car also levels according to how much you use it. The more you race with the same car, the better the discounts you get for its upgrades and the higher its rarity bonus become.
In Online Mode you can compete with other Xbox Live players from all over the world in Career and Tournaments, and also participate in online car auctions. There is also a split-screen multiplayer mode where you can connect up to eight systems for a LAN party.
Arcade offers three sub-categories: Exhibition, Time Trial and Free Run. Exhibition is where you compete against AI opponents to unlock the next series of races and new cars. You must place in the first three in all races, which sounds a lot easier than it actually is. In Time Trial you race against the clock to beat one lap of a specific track with a specific car, within a certain amount of time. The car is unlocked when you succeed. Free Run is basically a practice mode where you can take out any unlocked car for a test drive in any track.
There is a good number of tracks in the game, some more complex that others. This gives beginners like me a chance to get used to the game and pros (like yourself more than likely) a good challenge. A few of them are fictitious, but the most part copy real track designs.
Fortunately for me, there are a series of driving aids including this line indicator on the track that says when to hit the gas or the brakes. Unfortunately, I tend to ignore the line completely and still smash my car against everything. The physics seemed odd and made me lose control often, slide all over, bump against other racers and eventually flatten myself against a wall. The damage on the car depends on the impact and it also affects the car's performance, which is a very cool feature.
Forza 2 really focuses on the vehicles. Licensed brands from all over the world gather under one game. Several of the achievements consist of collecting all the cars from a certain country or continent.
You can customize your cars to your liking, be it aerodynamics improvements, mechanical changes, a quick color makeover or creating a custom design. Upgrading a car will sometimes move it up a class, and the vehicle class also limits the races you can participate in.
If you feel so inclined to keep an album with photos of your vehicle collection or if you just want to show off your cool custom designs, Forza 2 also comes with a photo capturing and sharing option.
After all this, I can honestly admit I am still frustrated with my driving. Even though this may not be my cup of tea (give me my Midnight Club and I'll drift like a pro), I think I found all the good worth mentioning in Forza Motorsport 2.
Review text part of Grrlgamer.com. Full text and screenshots at http://www.grrlgamer.com/review.php?g=forzamotorsport2