I've always had a fetish with realistic driving simulators-- it's undeniable the success Sony has managed to cash in on the ever more popular Gran Turismo series. And to know that it hasn't faced a stiff competition in a decade of it's existence is puzzling to say the least. With popular installments of the series refining the gameplay mechanics, and the assortment of cars you can obtain, and the massive detail of the car's is truly a work of art. While I am a die hard Gran Turismo fan, I can't be more impressed with any realistic driving simulator as Microsoft's entry into the arena with the original Forza Motorsport on the Xbox in 2005. The gameplay that Forza Motorsport implemented in it's installment's has changed the course of future installments, it's innovative online play, custimization features, and it's assists to help lure in folks who aren't very familiar with the genre has made it all the better.
Since it's release in May of 2007, I have not been able to keep Forza Motorsport 2 in it's game case for very long-- the custimization options, to it's online career, and spanning to it's auction house, truly makes it the best racer of this generation thus far. In fact, I couldn't say that I've dug myself deeper into a racing game, or spent so much time in a two months span than Forza Motorsport 2. The game is downright addicting, and it's evolving community friendly atmosphere takes it up a notch, to it's rival Gran Turismo.
The series is evolving, and while both series are superb in their own right, and both have their rights and wrongs I am hoping that the people behind Gran Turismo 5 take it up another level. While Forza Motorsport series doesn't have nearly the wider scope of content as Gran Turismo, it sure as hell makes up for it in terms of easy accessibility for anyone, it's online play, and large assortment of customization options have really elevated the series.
While both series have a long way to go-- let's hope that the rivalry between Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo will accelerate what gamers want in a car simulator game. Both franchises are the cream of the crop in their genre, but despite both being very excellent series, they are still in dire need of more improvements on both ends.
Forza Motorsport-
+More licensed vehicles, and tracks.
+Better music(in my opinion some of it does not fit the series, like Gran Turismo's does)
+More eye-candy(FM2 looks great, but after seeing PGR4 it could have looked better than it did)
+Deeper career mode-- it's short for my taste compared to GTs.
Gran Turismo-
+Online play similar to FM2. Auction houses where you can sell cars, watch tournaments, and customize cars
+Better physics, enough of the bouncing of the wall BS!!
+Damage, performance degredation, whatever you want to call it!!
+Assists, to help those who aren't familiar to the genre
+No more licenses!
It's funny that I added 'assists' for one of the improvements, but for my sake it's not necessarily a big deal-- in fact I generally play with assists off when I am playing Forza Motorsport but the honest truth is, my cousin never touched a realistic driving game until I convinced him to play Forza Motorsport 2. He was more into arcade racer's, but always had trouble of adjusting to Gran Turismo. In fact majority of my friends who play games, we're turned off at that fact that they just plained suck at Gran Turismo. Either way I've been pleased with both series. After looking at Gran Turismo 5, I am eagerly excited for Polyphony Digital's next installment of the series-- but the big question to me is, will it be better than Forza Motorsport 2? I'd hope so. It's time to suck up the countless excuses that have plagued the series such as car damages missing in all the installments-- because honestly the car damage in Forza Motorsport 2 isn't accurate, but I can live with it. Either way, for me Forza Motorsport is the King of the Crop.
