Let me just say this right now, Forza 3 has got 60 frames per second 1080p high-definition racing.  I should probably stop my thoughts on the demo right there, because that’s all you really need to know about Forza 3.  1080p auto-racing porn goodness.  Wait a minute though, there are over 450 cars, 100 real-world tracks to race on, the graphic and lush environments of those tracks, and the stats to possibly take down Gran Turismo.  Does looking under the hood of Forza 3 show the same amount of detail?  Find out how it stands up to other racing titles hitting store shelves after the jump.

The Forza franchise has always been known for its great looking games.  Hell, in my opinion Forza Motorsports 2 looks better than what Blur is shaping up to be (which is set to come out on Nov. 3^rd of this year).  After all, I know all racing games aren’t about flash and great graphics, but in order to immerse the player into a racing game you need to incorporate the right amount of detail to suck them in and get their blood pumping from the seat of their pants.

Under the bonnet/hood/cowl/racing pins or whatever you want to call it these days, Forza 3 lays down the foundation for a great game for all the varied types of racing fans.  I immediately noticed that I had the ability to set my difficulty, and not only change it, but change 10 or so individual settings to make my racing experience unique.  This is a great thing for casual players and hardcore players alike.  For the casual racer, they can leave all of the assists on.  For the hardcore racer, they can try to master the complexity of changing gears through the left bumper, right trigger clutch combo.  Everyone will be able to find a comfortable setting to challenge them and get the competitive juices flowing in Forza 3.  One thing new to Forza is “Replay Mode”.  Now, while the hardcore crowd might scoff at this, it does present a great way to clear up that one mistake on a track.  How many times have you found yourself desperately trying to get the pole position only to find out you miffed up a little bit in turn 3 on one lap.  Press the Back button during that race and you’ll see your miffed turn disappear, allowing you to go back and do that corner better.  It’s similar to what I saw in the Dirt 2 demo, but with Forza you can do this as many times as you want with no limited amount of uses.

The game looks and sounds incredible, as seen by the almost limitless combination of great camera angles when you view your replay.  Underneath all of that glam and shined 60 frames per second racing polish is a hardcore racing gamers’ dream come true.  Don’t believe me? Go check out one of your replays and select “Telemetry”.  Cycle through to the many information screens by hitting the right bumper and you’ll see what I mean.  You’ll see stats you have no idea what they are or what they do.  Everything from tire temperatures, tire sweet spots and g-forces are being calculated millions of times throughout your short racing demo.  It’s all there for you, IF you want to see it.  My point is, Forza 3 will be reaching out to both casual racers and hardcore racing freaks come October 27^th.  Forza 3 is a great looking racing franchise with the right amount of detail on top of everything to get the casual racer in the seat, as well as the finer details to get the hardcore racing jockey pumpin’.