A step forward for racing sims. Definitely worth checking out.
I was wrong....very wrong.
This game is still great today. Forza introduced car modding for the first time in a complete racing sim. It also had upgradable engines in cars. For example you could add a ford gt engine into one of fords muscle cars! And then theres the damage. While not full damage, its impressive enough that there is damage. Any car car be damaged, so those precious ferrari's and koenissegs car be trashed. Windows can be smashed, bonnets fly loose, as do the spoilers. Damage also effects the handling of the car (much like in rally games) so you have to be careful not to drive straight into the walls (a usual tactic on gran turismo).
The game also features an amazing technology that tracks your driving style and turns it into A.I. So if you get your friends to do this, you can race against them even if they aren't with you! Or you could even race against yourself.
In terms of audio, the engine sounds are thrilling. They do sound like the real deal. Crashes, screeching tyres, turbo squeaks. They are all convincing. The music is done by Junkie Xl. It works well in the menu screens, but is largely ineffective in the races. But as this is an xbox game, you can use any music you want. So driving your favourite car while listening to your favourite music is a big bonus.
The graphics are good. The cars are detailed well, and the scenery is good. Its as good as gran turismo in this department. One extra thing they have in forza is a visual racing line. This shows an active line while you race, and helps you to determine when to brake or accelerate.
There are lots of cars in this game. Over 200 I seem to recall. It's not as impressive as Gran Turismo in this respect. But Forza sequels can add more cars.
This is by far the best driving game on the original xbox.