For far too long, Sony’s Gran Turismo series had held the throne at the top of the driving sim heap. Granted, the series has offered a meticulously realistic driving experience coupled with tons of drivable vehicles and tracks as well as phenomenal graphics. However, the series does have some glaring flaws, like no car damage or online gameplay. Enter Forza Motorsport. Forza solves both of these issues by having the vehicles take on realistic damage and offers full Xbox Live support. Plus, the driving physics are very sharp and the graphics take full advantage of the Xbox's hardware. Xbox gamers take note: your quintessential racing game is here.

Forza gives players access to over 230 different cars from more than 40 different car companies ranging from Honda and Nissan to Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari. As you complete races and earn credits, you gain access to more cars and well as the ability to upgrade the cars you own, allowing you to put additions under your hood like turbo kits or even put a whole new engine in your car.

Forza also allows you to race across famous courses like Tsukuba, Rio de Janeiro and the Nurburgring Nordschleife. Completing races in the career mode unlocks new cars and courses in the arcade mode.

Forza features some very realistic racing physics. Things like road conditions and heat and pressure changes factor into how your car handles turns and performs overall. Also, your car can get damaged, which also can affect your car’s performance, as wear will cause your car to not control as well or lose speed.

For those of us who have a hard time getting into painstakingly realistic racing sims, Forza has a great assist system. If you turn on the assist, then a line of arrows will appear on the track as you race. The arrows will outline the path that you should take through the upcoming turn. If you are going too fast, then the arrows will turn red. If you readjust your speed to be able to take the turn most efficiently, the arrow will turn from red to yellow to green. The assist system is an asset if you are just getting started and trying to get used to the game’s physics. Once you feel comfortable enough, you can turn it off and earn more credits for winning races than you would with them on.

Another great feature in Forza is the Drivatar system. Basically, the “Drivatar” is an AI that you can create by racing. The Drivatar will observe your racing tactics and habits and apply them against other racers. You can have your Drivatar race for you or you can have them train other drivers.

Forza also has some extremely deep multiplayer options available. Aside from taking on other racers online, you can post your time trial rankings on over 1,400 leaderboards on Live, download other racers ghosts to take them on offline, and create or join car clubs with 100 other racers to compete in teams. Also, the career mode is fully online as well, meaning that you can earn money and complete the career mode while facing off against gamers from all around the world.

The graphics in Forza are amazing. The car models look nearly photo realistic and represent their real life counterparts well. The environments are also great looking, with bloom lighting effects, great textures and lens flaring giving the game a very real look. Vehicles also take on realistic damage, with great effects like broken glass and hanging bumpers.

The sound in Forza is pretty common stuff for a racing game. The engine noises are clean and clear, and the music is a mix of remakes of classic rock songs and original work by Junkie XL.

Forza is a remarkably deep racing game that simulation enthusiasts should definitely check out. Plus, with deep online support and a ton of features and cars, this could be the game to give the Gran Turismo series a run for its money.

Gameplay: 9.5
Forza gives you hundreds of different cars to race and many real world tracks to race on. The vehicle physics are very realistic, depending on aspects like car damage and road conditions as well as unique car handling. If you find driving sims to be an exercise in frustration, the assist system is a godsend, giving you a good gauge on the game’s physics engine and eases you in to the racing.

Graphics: 9.7
The graphics in Forza are phenomenal, featuring photo realistic cars and tracks complete with a host of special effects like bloom lighting, lens flaring and a true sense of speed. The vehicles also take on realistic damage, with great touches like hanging bumpers adding to the realism.

Sound: 9.0
The sound in Forza is pretty good, fairly par for the course for a racing game. The hard rock soundtrack adds to the atmosphere of the game and doesn’t feel out of place (unlike most of the music in the Gran Turismo series), and the engine effects are crisp and realistic.

Difficulty:  Medium 

Concept: 9.5 
From the deep Xbox Live features to the innovative new “Drivatar” system, Forza adds a lot to the driving sim genre.

Multiplayer: 9.5
The multiplayer elements in Forza are superb. You can race online, post scores and time trial rankings, create car clubs and race other clubs, and even trade cars with other gamers.

Overall: 9.5

Forza is a strikingly deep racing sim that delivers on most of the areas where Gran Turismo 4 faltered and then some. For driving enthusiasts with an Xbox, this is definitely the game to check out.