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Will the Xbox ever get its equivalent of the spectacular Gran Turismo series? Will anyone ever be able to match what Sony and Polyphony Entertainment have accomplished with the franchise? Up until the release of Forza Motorsport, the answer would have been a resounding "no!" Now, that resounding no has become a forceful "maybe!" Read on.

The Sincerest Form of Flattery

At its most basic level, Forza Motorsport apes the Gran Turismo games--buy or win dozens of real-world cars, race them in an endless stream of events with various qualifying limitations, and earn the cash to upgrade your ride with new gear. Whoever has the most when they die, wins.

But Microsoft isn't stopping at creating a Gran Turismo clone. Forza Motorsport incorporates some of the best aspects of other hot driving titles. Bits and pieces from games such as Project Gotham Racing 2, Sega GT, and Need For Speed: Underground can all be glimpsed as one plays through this flagship racing title. Constantly updated online scoreboards for every race, the ability to trick out your ride, and the trainable "drivatar"--your own personal A.I. that you can train to race for you--are just the tips of the iceberg.

Doorhandle to Doorhandle

But let's get to all that stuff a bit later. The key thing most Gran Turismo wannabes get wrong is the actual gameplay. You buy the car you want, you install a few upgrades, and then the whole thing falls apart when you get out onto the starting grid.

Luckily, that's not an issue with Forza. Taking it to the tarmac is a total joy, if it's a racing simulator you're looking for. Each of the 250-plus vehicles available feels exactly as it should. High-powered, rear-wheel drive beasts swing around the turns, always in jeopardy of breaking loose and going for a spin, while light, nimble econo-boxes make up for their lack of power with tight cornering and a higher chance of the driver recovering from the odd mistake.

That said, the learning curve can be a bit overwhelming. Luckily, the game is designed with the beginner in mind, thanks to a plethora of driving aids that can be turned on or off individually. So if you need stability control on, but don't want to bother with the "best line" graphic on each course, you can do that. In fact, the more driving aids you turn off, the more money you'll make in career mode.

Fear not, gearheads. Forza doesn't leave anyone out. The amount of tweaks you can make to your ride in this game rivals the level of tweaking you can do in some hardcore PC racing simulators. And all of it works realistically. Basically, Forza can be tweaked to suit just about any driving style.

The Information Super Speedway

One area where Forza unquestionably trumps Gran Turismo 4 is the inclusion of the online modes. Not only are the best times for each race recorded and shared via Xbox Live, but in both arcade and career mode, you can take your chariot online and race against other Forza players around the world.

The interesting part is that you can actually use this to supplement your income in career mode. So if you've tuned a ride to your liking, taking it online to see how you fare against other players isn't just for bragging rights or a spot on the coveted top-10 list.

Since most races are restricted by class in career mode, and it's possible to tweak your car right into a completely new class--Forza's way of keeping the game challenging--it's easily possible for your racing campaign to stall out should you not be able to race in any of your current class events. The introduction of online play to the career mode alleviates this problem rather nicely. Rather than re-running older races in order to move on, go online for some real competition.

Furthering the online experience is the clan option, or car club. This is pretty self-explanatory, as it's just a way for you to group with other online gamers. Still, it's pretty much unheard of in online racing games, so it's a welcome addition.

Pimp My Ride

When you first start playing Forza, it's easy to believe that the tracks--not the cars--are the real star of the game. Every track in Forza looks gorgeous, with loads of roadside detail. This is especially noticeable in the New York City stages, which just put Gran Turismo 4's low-res tracks to shame.

But getting into Forza's upgrade screens reveals an amount of car customization options that's on par with EA's Need For Speed: Underground 2. Add window tint, wings, front spoilers, and up to 100 layers of vinyl and decals to every one of your cars. You can truly make your car your own work of art, which makes going online to show it off even more fun.

And the interface is great. Resizing and placing decals is made easy by the simple, number-based controls. Plus you can duplicate placement on both sides of the car with a simple command, which means you never have to worry about your ride looking all "ghetto," as the kids would say. 

There's a contingent of car nuts out there who cringe at the thought of putting a two-foot wing on the trunks of their racing machines. In keeping with the whole user-friendly theme of Forza, it's important to know that none of these body-mods are required to play the game. While they will earn you a bit more cash (a sweetness bonus?), and in some cases a bit of down force, it's entirely possible to play through the whole game without modifying the body of your car even once. Yet again, everyone's happy.

Ears Bleedin'

If there's one obvious problem in Forza, it’s the awful, generic rock tunes that accompany the game. No, that's not a case of personal preference--the music really is crap. Luckily, the standard Xbox "custom soundtrack" option comes standard with the game. So you can scream down the straight at Laguna Seca while blasting anything from Nine Inch Nails to Celine Dion. Should you choose the latter, seek help.

Besides, you may just want to turn the music off altogether and listen to the music of eight finely tuned racing machines navigating tight turns at high speeds. The sound effects for each car in Forza are unique, and change based on what equipment you install. Bouncing off other cars, bottoming out in low sections of the track, slamming into walls at high speed--it all sounds great.

Photo Finish

The pointless debate over which is better--Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo 4--will likely rage on internet message boards for years to come. God bless those little geeks. In actuality, there's no clear winner. Each game has aspects that are better and worse than the other, and in the end, the important bit is that the Xbox finally has a racing game that measures up to the almighty GT series. Forza caters beautifully to both casual racers and hardcore car nuts, which is all that matters.