rec.autos.simulators

I've been reading reviews and watching videos of this game... I really
want it. I doubt I will get a wheel, but I had a blast playing GT3 (but
returned the PS2 after a week)... what do you guys think of it? I dont
have a 360, and I'm hoping the Elite doesnt have the quality problems
the other models do... but is this game worth the $600 entry fee? The
only PC game I play anymore is LFS, and I would probably get Madden and
NCAA for the 360. What do you guys think?

I wouldn't get it unless your planning to use the wheel, however keep in
mind that the MS wheel is a POS compared to most PC wheels and PC wheels
can't be used on the 360.

The Elite is the same build quality as any other 360.

Forza 2 is more of a car tuning/collecting game than a true race sim.  It
has no on track racing rules (flags etc) other than a basic lap time penalty
for bumps and off track moves but this has no impact on finishing position.
It also only has 8 cars on track, both online and offline with AI.

It really depends what your looking for, if you like tuning and upgrading
cars and hotlapping then it is a good game, if you want series style racing
then it falls short IMHO.

I'd hold out.  Heck, change that to "I AM holding out".  I bought a
PS for GT, a PS2 for GT3, an XBOX for PGR2 & eventually, Forza.  I
did like Forza and played it through.  It's competitive with
GT3/GT4.  But from all I've read, Forza2 is only a modest
improvement on the original.  To me, that doesn't make it worth $600
(plus the price of a wheel).  I'll wait a good while longer for:
1) the prices to come down
2) see how GT-HD looks and reviews
3) see which HD DVD format "wins" (one can always hope)
4) see what other must-haves come out
Then decide which of the two platforms to get

But at this point, I'm not even tempted to get an X360 just for
Forza2.

Will a G25 or Black Momo controller work with an Xbox?  My kids have
an Xbox 360, but I've never messed with racing on it.  If the G25 or
Black Momo will work with it I might give it a try.

Pat Dotson

Not on a 360, no.

As a *** system, the 360 is pretty good. Yes, it has problems, but MS has
stepped up to the plate and is fixing/replacing them. They originally had a
90 day warranty, then they extended it to one year, and now they've gone
even further and now cover them for 3 years. They've even been automatically
refunding people who payed for out of warranty repairs.

Having said that, i can't say i'd buy a 360 if FM2 was all you were going to
play. FM2 rocks. I have the wheel and i love the game. I bought the wheel a
couple of months before FM2 came out just so i could use it with FM2. I just
played Project Gotham 3 to get used to it. Get some friends together and the
online racing is way fun. It has great physics. Good graphics. Excellent
sound. There's a lot of racing to do, lots of cars to try. If you get it, go
check out the auction house, people are coming up with crazy good paint
jobs! They're even more impressive once you try painting some yourself and
see how freakin' hard it is to make anything good. lol.

I really like FM2, but i can't say i'd drop all that money just for the one
game.

- Will

I have the demo on my 360 and it looks good but playing it with a gamepad
sucks. The cars are far too twitchy with a gamepad. I would only ever buy
this game for the 360 if I had a wheel and pedals, which I don't plan on
buying so no Forza2 for me. Physics engine seems a bit arcade to me too. I
don't think this game would score nearly as high on the PC as it has done on
the 360. It's mostly just eye candy, IMO. That 360 game PGR3 scores high on
the 360 too and I thought it was crap. It's just an arcade racing game.
Games like rFactor, GTR2 and LFS on the PC are far superior racing games
compared to what they have on the 360.

How does that wheel work when you are sitting on the couch playing the 360?

It works pretty well. I mean, it's definately no TSW or Logitech G25. For
$130, i wish it was a little more solid. It's designed for lap use and for
mounting on a desk or whatever. It works pretty well sitting on my lap. It
doesn't move near as much as i expected it to, but it does take some getting
used to. I haven't tried the clamp it comes with, but i read that it doesn't
hold down tight, it wobbles a little, but it does not come off. I've read
that people have resorted to using bungie cords or duct tape to make a more
secure connection to their desktop/whatever.

- Will