I have been playing it with the force feedback wheel and it is really cool.

looks really nice running at 60fps, and yes, I do agree about the other driver AI as I have also been shunted off the track on more than one occasion.

I'm looking forward to the full game now...

It'll be interesting to see if the 3 screen feature is included.

But will it make you go Gran Turiswho?

I agree the track was a rather dull choice, I assume it was a choice between having only a few cars and more than one track or lots of cars and only one track in the demo. Keeping the demo to less than 1GB was probably a consideration too.

Still overall I really enjoyed the demo and I'm looking forward to the full game, although I like to keep ABS on so I can break late. ;)

Its nice and all, but Im still trying to tell myself a real reason to buy the game now that Ive tried the demo. As Mr. Plunkett said the track was rather uninspired and the AI does seem to like to ram you a lot. Makes me wish that the one who does the ramming gets a larger penalty, and not the other way around which is how it seems to be atm. (Considering you are the one who goes spinning out of control when hit usually.)

This feels a lot like GT. I think the whole experience would be a lot better with a proper wheel + pedals control scheme. This is totally a racer for the hard core realism freaks. :) Used to be one, but Im getting old and want to just enjoy games now.

Personally looking more foward to PGR4, but hell I guess I might as well pick up Forza 2 in the mean time, to tide me over till then. I think the whole kudos earning stuff really spoiled me, since it was always fun seeing what kind of score you would get in the end.

Anyways am very interested to see what other tracks there are to race on. Would be nice to see other things that just circut courses. Since there never is much to look at. (Yeah I know thats not the point of the game to stare at the scenery)

Ok rant over, time to put on the ol asbestos suit for the incomming flames! :D

damn it! i have not tryed it as of yet!

i started downloading it before i went to work.... and now im at work.... knowing the download has finished and waiting to be played... DAMN IT!!

I thought it was rubbish. I kept smashing into walls and my car wouldn't break

FIX THIS FOR THE PROPER RELEASE!

I always felt that the strong points in Forza were customization and tuning, rather than the actual driving. It would have been nice if the demo had some sort of limited car customization or something, so that people who have never played the first one could get an idea of what it is about.

For me the novelty of these types of "driving simulator" games wore off a long time ago.

the only fun i had out of forza 2 was looking at the pretty gaphics.

Sat with the demo for a few hours yesterday, and several things about the game really impressed me.

The 30 new fps are just wonderful. Feels like you get more precision now. And the cars themselves are suberbly simulated.

The biggest improvement is the audio. I mean when you roar down that straight line in a Gallardo, it really does pick up the general idea of what a Lambo sounds like. I mean these high-end cars have really a distinct sound scheme that really adds to the experience. Ask anyone intrested in motoring which car they think sound best. They all have an answer ready for you. Can't believe developers doesn't realize this and put more work into the audio department. Tire screetches and other sound effects are convincing as well.

The negative things I can think of is the AI can sometimes bump you around even if you have your position and you get the punishment for that. The AI in Forza was pretty good, so we'll see what happens in the full game.

The music is still shite. But that's minor complaint since it can be changed or turned off.

All in all I'm very impressed. I'm also a big fan of Gran Turismo, but GT4 dissapointed me in a few areas. The amount of cars and graphics have always been the staple for the series, while the gameplay has remained almost unchanged. The audio is lacking and the AI is useless. I really feel like Poly shouldn't spend so much time modelling obscure, japanese city cars from Honda. Maybe Forza 2 will be the wake-up call :E

i wasnt impressed at all! im not usually a racing guy, (excempt Burnout), but i just thought it was horrible =/ just my opinion =/

@brooza: dude, actual damage was turned off in the demo.

I like it, it plays well. It plays a lot like Forza 1 which is great. The braking is easier, Forza 1 was a bitch.

Graphically, I don't really care, it looks nice enough for the moment, I don't care about the jaggies, I didn't look for them and didn't see them, but if I did I wouldn't care. I just drive the car :)

I plumped straight for the Zonda race car, no aids and loved it. Putting too much power on coming out the first corner, then thinking fuck it and nailing the throttle, just to 'control' the car powering over all the way up the straight then round the next two corners, with smoke pouring off the wheels, Awesome! :D

The only thing I really don't like are the replays. They're just like Forza 1, in Forza 1, I drifted the last corner of Tsubuka, watched the replay, had a nice close up view of my bonnet, realised they were worthless and didn't bother again. I don't think I'll bother with the replays in Forza 2. That is unless, like GT4 you can save your pictures out in hi-res to USB or something, that rocked! :D

Just like Gotham 3, the Sagaris rocks. The difference in handling between the cars is supurb. I love the 997 Porsche Turbo.

Simply put, replays and not gob smacking graphics aside, I love this game :D

It's just the right side of true sim for me, GTR2 was too far. I drive my (much) slower car on track and it isn't as hard as GTR2 makes out.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the sound! This is by far the best sounding racing game I've ever played. If you don't believe me, start a class A race and park your car in the grass shortly after the last turn on the track. Then just listen to the cars as they pass...

Music played in the menus is definately a step up over the previous game (ie: I wasn't trying to figure out how to turn it off after the first 10 seconds).

I also don't know what you all are doing to get the AI to ram you "a lot" -- the AI seems very aware of your presence on the track and doesn't choose lines through corners that make it occupy the same space you're occupying. The few bumps I've received have been of the trading paint variety.

It is a significant improvement over the original Forza -- probably the best dynamic (ie: non-rail based) racing AI I've ever seen as well.

I can't remember the last time I played a racing game where it was actually fun to try and pass an opponent; normally racing game AI is so bad that your primary mission in the game is "get far enough ahead of the computer so that it can't ram you" and not "set the best lap time".

The car physics are also very good -- everything "feels" right. And, for once, the "real" race cars don't act like twitchy death machines that veer off into a wall the instant you touch the gas.

The track itself isn't my favorite ever, but I especially liked how it had a narrow section between the last two turns -- normally something you don't see in track based games.

Graphics aren't bad, but they aren't going to set the world on fire -- they're definately the weakest part of the game. The track itself feels very ... "sterile". The way they did the reflections on the car makes the models look worse than they really are (the models look significantly better in the car select screen than they do on the track). I was impressed with how the brake lights look when lit, and the detail on the wheels (an often neglected detail) is amazing.

Ok, zlimness mentioned the sound, but in my defence he hadn't posted when I wrote my comment...:p

I also loved the demo. Apart from the superb graphics, sounds, audio etc , I really liked the AI. Just as mprobins said, I have never had more fun trying to overtake an opponent in a racing game. I honestly can't wait until the 8th of June (I live in Greece so we get the game later than gamers in the US). Assuming that the game has a whole bunch of extra features not even shown in this demo, customization, trading etc, I believe that this is really going to be an AAA title.

@CONVERGE: Yeah if only racing game that you like is Burnout, I seriously dont think this is the game for you.

It really just is for those who want to have a driving simulator. Or those who get off on tuning their cars.

People who are a bit too used to arcade racers are going to be turned off to the difficulty level of the games driving mechanics itself.

But thats why we have demos right? ;) Seriously love XBL for that.

@zlimness: The obscure Japanese cars is what helps the game sell over here in Japan. I mean if other developers put in the obscure cars for their regions Im sure it would help them move copies also.

Quite personally with Forza 2 Im a bit turned off with the lack of some cars that I love, even though its a massive collection of cars. For some, these obscure cars is the whole difference if they will buy the game or not. :) I think that Sony actually did put in more US cars for the US version of GT. I mean hey it only makes sense right?

On a personal level (My own opinion and am not slamming the game in any way) I dont find the Forza list of cars all that interesting to myself, this is mainly because cars I love are missing. On top of that cars I could care less about are in the game.)

Im sure later on I might get gouged on XBLA for downloads for these cars though. (Maybe)

You mean you don't like hearing a bad cover of Iron Man over your menus? Takes all sorts I guess!

I forgot to dl this yesterday but I did get to try out the new background stealth downloads.

physics-framerate-gameplay-sound: perfect
graphix: ok

but who cares about the graphics...it's the gameplay that matters! And forza is great, as far as the gameplay is concerned!

@Witzbold: mm it's understandable that GT has so many japanese cars in it, and it's also true that GT has some novelty cars that are just fun to screw around with. But in my opinion the overall quality of the game suffers from this insane time-consuming task of putting almost a thousand cars in it.

I do understand where you're coming from though. In the end, we all want our favorite cars to be in there, and if you put in 700 instead of 200, chances are that more people will have their wish granted.

The demo was stellar. The a.i. and physics really impressed me. Can't wait to get the final game and test out the Scion tc and see if it handles like mine. See you guys online !

The one thing I love about the GT series was the fact that you had one make/series races, often with some woefully underpowered japanese exotica. These are some of the hardest races to win, and IIRC one of the endurance races is in an mx5. Oh and the British cars are so excellent (although a bit larey to drive, TVR Speed12, wheelspin in 5th gear with slicks mmmm)

PGR3 did nothing for me, graphically I thought GT4 was better looking, and the racing just felt wrong - also didn't feel like I'd achieved anything when I was winning so easily and the expensive cars were so available.

Forza, never played, had I kept my 360 an extra few weeks, I would have picked this up, but hey ho.

@zlimness: Yeah man, I totally agree with you too. Since I felt that the latest addition to the GT series was a bit of a letdown gameplay wise. I mean it had a shitload of cars I loved and stuff, but the game wasnt interesting enough to have kept my attention longer than collecting the cars I loved.

Not to mention the whole balancing issue with all of those cars must be a nightmare for the QA team, programmers.

One nice thing to think about is the fact that there is the option of content downloads adding more cars. If the price is right with the cars I want, Ill be sure to bite. :)

I'm running it in 1080i and am getting lots of smalljaggies, especially on the cars.Anyone else noticing this?

Had a quick blast on this last night and loved it. As others have commented the handling is right on the money and I'll certainly be picking it up on release. It might even convince me to by the FF wheel!
I don't mind the AI cars bumping me - it makes it a bit more "real" I suppose - but it's annoying that the game penalises you for it. I guess this'll be fixed for the final release.

The MS wireless wheel feels so much better in this demo than it does in PGR3 IMHO. As far as graphics go...the cars look nice but there are some jaggies there. No bad but noticeable.

Also check out the mountain in the distance as you are coming down the front stretch. VERY NICE.....

There is more detail, polish and depth in that demo than in most released games. It's just slick.

@Fistynuts: Actually no, in real racing there isnt a sane driver who would be willing to hit another car at those speeds.

Not to mention, theres personal reputation / own + others life at stake if such an action is done during a race.

Dont see how that really fits into the category of realism. I thought more realistic AI was shown in PGR3 where the AI will try to do what they can to not ram you, especially if they are from behind, they will actually break to not hit you. Which is how it is in a real race. Unlike Forza 2 where they seem to ram you on purpose to get ahead.

If you're looking for a great simulator, well... this is the way to go. But anyone who prefers a more arcadey feel will not dig it. Its too much of a perfectionist game for me, even if it is pretty and does what it does wonderfully.

I've been dying for a taste of Forza 2 ever since I heard about the 360. I've followed every morsel on info as it has been birthed on the interwebs. I've just clocked out of a truly shite day of work with the saving grace of beer, couch and spanking new Forza demo to download and what do I find......... a bricked 360. Niiice.

Graphics are pretty ... meh. Spoiled by Gran Turismo HD I guess.

So far, I've spent time in the M3 and the F430. Both demonstrate a far more complex physics model at work than in GT4 and it's predecessors (can't speak to GT:HD). There is a much greater sense of weight transfer, progression from traction to slip and back to traction is better conveyed, the transmission plays a much greater part in the handling (dropping two gears can unsettle the cars in a way that you never saw in GT) and generally the handling is both more absorbing and challenging. Sure, it's not GPL, let alone the more advanced sims that have undoubtably hit the PC since, but it does a hell of a job of making you forget that you are fidding around with a controller playing a fancy version of pole position.

Witzbold, plenty of racers make contact at high speed. This recent example at Sebring comes to mind:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL2HF-sFLnc

An amazing race with an amazing ending, and some big contact through Sunset Bend. For even higher speed contact, watch Max Angelelli in any ALMS race. I've seen him nudge people all the way down straights longer than this Mugello short straight in Forza 2.

As for Forza 2, I'm a huge fan of these racing simulators. I bought a PS2 for GT3, I bought an XBox for Forza, and I just bought a 360... for Forza 2. I play other games, of course, but these games are system sellers for me. I love spend hours tweaking suspensions and such to squeeze more performance out of my cars.

Forza 2 doesn't disappoint. Forza 1 was already the pinnacle in console racing realism. Forza 2 adds to that a bit from what I've seen so far... braking feels a bit better, with appropriate loss of steering under heavy braking. AWD cars launch better now (some cars in Forza 1 would bog no matter how much power they had, or how you tuned the diffs). And the cars feel even more communicative than before... already something Forza had a huge advantage over GT4 for.

The biggest improvement I can see in this demo, however, is the AI. WOW. They no longer drive like slot cars, completely ignorant of your car. In Forza 1, like mprobins said, you had to get way ahead of your competition, because if you were within reach of an AI car in a braking zone, he would happily ram you in the back with his perfect brake modulation. Now cars not only race each other dynamically, but they respond to you intelligently too. I've had cars block inside moves, but get fooled by inside/outside feints, and the AI sometimes doesn't defend if it thinks you're too far away... the kink before the last turn is a great place to make dive bomb passes.

The sound is definitely improved, too. Running down the back straight once after the Viper spun me I joked to my wife that I'm going to take the Viper out as soon as I catch up. She saw a car in the distance and said "is that it?" Without thinking I said "no, it doesn't sound anything like a Viper." And I was right, it was a screaming V12 Lambo. I've never had an experience like that in a racing game, where I could identify cars (at a distance!) by sound alone. Turn 10 did their job well, here!

I'm also pretty enamored by the fact that my persoanl car (Subaru Legacy) is in the game. I can say without a doubt it handles very much like my car, too. Mostly neutral, a little loose under brakes, with a touch of power oversteer. The game captures the essence of my car very well. Better than GT4 or Forza 1 did (I had a Miata a couple years back, and neither game did a particularly good job simulating the feel of that car.)

The demo leaves us guessing on the biggest part of this game: tuning. Whether Forza 2 is considered simply an accurate sim or a great game is up to how well tuning works. Hopefully they don't dumb it down, like Polyphony did from GT1 to GT2 and onward. Forza 1 with improvements weould be a great game. The only thing they can really do to spoil the game is to alienate their target market by dumbing the tuning down.

Can't wait to see how the full game plays. My wife already has mentioned the phrase "Forza Widow." I think she's just unhappy that she won't get as much time to make her pinatas have sex. :)

Graphics work well but I hope that because this is just a demo they don't have AA enabled because the cars are a jagged mess. Most of the audio in game is very good however engine noise and exhaust didn't seem realistic especially in the SRT4 I have had some time in them racing and racing against, stock and modified. With a game being advertised as realistic diving sim the car sounds are a let down for me but it's just a demo so I will see, fun game but it will be just a rent for me.

I drive an Honda Civic EP3 SiR in real life, so I'm just happy that my car is in the game. Can't wait to meet you guys on the track.

You'll easily recognize me ingame from the car. Not many people in the states like them.

I'm not all that impressed with Forza 2. After spending lots of time with GT4 and the HD demo on the PS3, Forza is lacking in some key areas. The cars look fine on their own, but when you throw them into the the environments in Forza they're just shiny pieces of plastic so it looks like a poorly rendered CG film. The physics model is good, but it's not realistic like GT, and I suppose the most important aspect of it all is that I never actually felt like I was driving an actual car like I do in GT.

You guys saying that the AI is good are fooling yourselves as the AI ignores the player completely as far as I've noticed. If you park your car in the middle of the course the AI doesn't even try to avoid you. The tires and engine noises sound like they were recorded with one of those free Logitech mics packed in with some PC games today. The game is far from GT as far as gameplay is concerned, but it at least has some American cars in it.

BigKidIcarus:

You've gotta be kidding...After playing my ass off in GT4 forza 1 was a much better game, physics are so so much better than GT. Forza 2 does even more physics calculations and *feel* (at least to me) so much better than GT ever did.

I'm not overly impressed with this demo, but overall the forza series has been in improvement over GT. I haven't tried GTHD on the PS3.

Although with Forza2 I've been noticing so many jaggies I've been thinking the spring update turned off AA on my VGA connection. God only knows, but I've never noticed jaggies like this on any other game...ever.

I thought it was pretty weak to not include the performance damage.

I'm not sure WTF you're doing to get the AI to ram you. I ran like 8 races and the only collisions I had were my fault. I mean, maybe if you brake too early/late on a turn or something? I don't know, I had fairly clean races (cleaner than if you race an actual person...get used to pack-wiping, 6 people dropping T-bones on turn 1).

Saying GT is better than this fails on so many levels. Particularly online mulitiplayer and GT's lack thereof.

I tried the demo for a bit last night as well. It was alright, but certainly not worth clammoring months at a time over (IE: On the Major Nelson comments any time something was released that wasn't Forza 2).

Maybe I'm missing part of the fun by not having a wheel, but it wasn't that great. Then again, I haven't had an Xbox until my 360 in December. So I've never really experienced the whole Forza or PGR experience. The next PGR looks more like my style though.

Well, to be fair, this didn't really get into the guts of Forza (damage effecting performance, tuning, customizing paint jobs, and multiplayer).

The demo was very, very limited. No customization, no damage effects (only superficial), and the short side of a fairly boring track.

However, I have been playing PGR3 a lot too, and it is almost as if you can feel the physical weight of the FM2 cars, and that is with a remote not a steering wheel. Also, it is nice to again be rewarded for taking a racing line instead of drifting through every turn.

The graphics were great, but some of the track effects and grass look last gen.

As for the music, I heard one of my favorite Bloc Party songs, so I'm ok.

The last game you played was PGR3? Hmmm... I dunno, but I don't think that really screams 'I'm the best person to tell you about driving games!'...

Anyway... you're still funny. But don't let that go to your head... Biatch!

Ahem. I should stop drinkning.

after playing the demo i can't wait for PGR4.

This is my first experience with the Forza franchise And I really enjoyed it.
I loved the detailed models, looking forward to collecting them all. I wish a small chunk of customization was in the demo. I really enjoyed the telemetry viewing during replay, thought that was pretty bad ass.
I have a 42" TV running 720p and I noticed brutal jaggies though.

I never once had another AI car ram me? Actually the opposite I remember watching a replay where it was clearly visible that they were trying to avoid me...All in all I'm still on the fence though...it was missing that extra something for me...

I like the demo ok however I really miss the behind the wheel cam, I don't think any next gen game should be without it. I don't know about you but when I go driving down the highway I dont do it sitting in the middle of the hood of my car I do it from BEHIND A WHEEL.

Come on...

Yeah, I, too, have no idea what you guys are talking about for the AI. They have constantly been braking to avoid me, and I have yet to have any AI car force me off the road. Quite the opposite, this is one of the first racers in recent memory were you could take out an AI opponent... in PGR3 they are like freaking tanks.

The AI reacts to your style. I am very aggressive, the type of driver that gets kicked from online PGR races because I like to bump from behind on the turns, and I found that in the demo, they cars will attack you if you bump them. I really really liked tha