Planet 9

bccars · #1 05-31-2007, 04:03 AM

A mate and I are training to race the 24h of Le Mans on the Playstation parallel to the real race in a few weeks. If all goes well we will probably do it again next year but upgrade to Playstation 3 and Grant Turismo 5. But now I see these Forza 2 threads popping up. Looks interesting. Can anyone comment from experience wich combo (xbox/forza2 vs GT4/PS2) is best at the moment from a simulation viewpoint. We are looking for the most realistics and pure driving and racing experience on the game consoles.

**K-Man S** · #2 05-31-2007, 06:11 AM

Originally Posted by bccars

A mate and I are training to race the 24h of Le Mans on the Playstation parallel to the real race in a few weeks. If all goes well we will probably do it again next year but upgrade to Playstation 3 and Grant Turismo 5. But now I see these Forza 2 threads popping up. Looks interesting. Can anyone comment from experience wich combo (xbox/forza2 vs GT4/PS2) is best at the moment from a simulation viewpoint. We are looking for the most realistics and pure driving and racing experience on the game consoles.

Right now the best is Forza 2 on Xbox 360, it smokes GT4 on PS2 hands down in a lot of ways. GT5 on PS3 isn't out yet so no way to compare but it will be hard to beat Forza 2...

bccars · #3 05-31-2007, 08:22 AM

Originally Posted by K-Man S

Right now the best is Forza 2 on Xbox 360, it smokes GT4 on PS2 hands down in a lot of ways.

Could you please elaborate on that in relation to it's simulation capabilities, the realism of driving and racing ? (I'm referring more to steering wheel feel, car control and so on, less to graphic design)

**smounic** · #4 05-31-2007, 09:11 AM

IMHO ... the physics are significantly better on forza 2. I've been playing for about 8 hours now. You can adjust all aspects of the car like gearing, camber, etc, etc with the right parts added. That ability is above and beyond what I've seen on other sims. That said, I think the graphics are worse than some of the other sims I've seen (PS3 or Xbox360). They only have bright and shiny days, no inclimate weather or nightime driving. Its a blast and you should get it although I'm not sure I would call it preparation for the real thing.

**Chris S** · #5 05-31-2007, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by K-Man S

Right now the best is Forza 2 on Xbox 360, it smokes GT4 on PS2 hands down in a lot of ways. GT5 on PS3 isn't out yet so no way to compare but it will be hard to beat Forza 2...

Have you played F1 '07 on the PS3? It's awesome! Incredible graphics and realism. You can go through each circuit just like the real series, w/ practice/car setup (changing suspension, alignment, downforce, fuel strategies, etc.), 3 qualifying sessions, and the race.

It can almost be a bit too realistic, since the high performance makes the cars much harder to drive well than production car-based video games...but it feels good once you get up the learning curve and start to put together good laps.

Interestingly enough, I've found I can do very well if I patiently go through the setup w/ the team, tweaking settings, and getting my practice/qualifying laps in. If I just want to do a quick no prep race, I get my butt kicked!

I have an XBox 360 too, so I may have to check Forza out as well.

**K-Man S** · #6 05-31-2007, 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by bccars

Could you please elaborate on that in relation to it's simulation capabilities, the realism of driving and racing ? (I'm referring more to steering wheel feel, car control and so on, less to graphic design)

As smounic said the physics and adjustability are great, the only problem I've found is that some of the physics are flat out wrong out of the box, and I've seen other complaints on that. The Cayman S is a victim of that, the standard physics are more like a mid 70's 911 than a Cayman, but you can change that, I just think they should have gotten it right from the start without making me figure out how to correct the game designer's mistake.

I've actually found the graphics to be quite good (screen caps in the other thread i posted last night) but as smounic said there isn't a rain or fog mode, etc. but I assume that's because they are going to be doing add-ons for this game over time. The marketplace is cool and the custom car design is very cool, I've got someone helping me mock up my car now and when done I'll show it off here.

I do think the force feeback steering wheel could be a little more realistic but I understand that 1 wheel represents a lot of cars so you have to make compromises but you CAN adjust the wheel sensitivity, dead zone, etc. to try and match the feel of the car in real life, just yet another thing to have to tweak...

hsjb · #7 05-31-2007, 11:32 PM

Talking about steering wheels...are these games "playable" without the wheel?

1337Porsche · #8 06-07-2007, 01:08 PM

I've played all the original GT's and the Forzas and even have the new Gran Turismo HD. Now in the new GT there is no comparison to Forza. The only advantage Forza has in my opinion is the ability to custom paint your car. Gran Turismo looks much better i drove a Infiniti G35 in both games and in Forza it looked cartoon like while in GT you can even make out the LED lights in the back. Heres the Ferrari 599GTB in GTHD

I've played previous GT's and they did have what is referred to as the GT slide where you lose really no speed when sliding. Now though the game is much more realistic that before. You can actually take a car in Gran Turismo 4 and race is on a track and take the equivalent car in real life around the same strack and get very close numbers.

I hope EA lets go of their license on Porsche so they can come to GT.

Wojo · #9 06-08-2007, 12:12 PM

A bit off topic, but I am still waiting for a PSP version of any GT game. I cant believe the graphics on the newest GT game, that is simply amazing. +1 on wishing Posche would be in the GT series. Ill even settle for a new NFS Porsche Unleashed game for PS3.

***DaveN007*** · #10 06-08-2007, 04:02 PM

I have two PS2s networked together with a cross-over cable. Two Sparco racing cockpits with forced feedback Logitech pedals/wheels. Each sits in front of it's own 42 inch display. Head to head racing is great. I have a PS3 and love the HD demo on it's 1080P LCD...but there is no forced feedback.

I still play GT4 and love driving Infineon and Laguna in my yellow detuned ruf 3400s with street tires. It accurately simulates driving on those tracks in my car.

Since I am not a pool table guy, I convinced my wife that outfitting the gameroom with video game gear was a reasonable investment compared to the pool table I didn't want to buy. :-)

**K-Man S** · #11 06-08-2007, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by 1337Porsche

I've played all the original GT's and the Forzas and even have the new Gran Turismo HD. Now in the new GT there is no comparison to Forza. The only advantage Forza has in my opinion is the ability to custom paint your car. Gran Turismo looks much better i drove a Infiniti G35 in both games and in Forza it looked cartoon like while in GT you can even make out the LED lights in the back. Heres the Ferrari 599GTB in GTHD

I've played previous GT's and they did have what is referred to as the GT slide where you lose really no speed when sliding. Now though the game is much more realistic that before. You can actually take a car in Gran Turismo 4 and race is on a track and take the equivalent car in real life around the same strack and get very close numbers.

I hope EA lets go of their license on Porsche so they can come to GT.

The problem is not knowing if that is a cut scene photo of a car or an actual driving scene. Forza2 has some great looking cars in the intro and cut scenes, but of course the resolution and clarity drops when you get to the driving cars. For me it is more about the driving experience than the looks, so let's see how that compares...

**SY987CS** · #12 12-08-2007, 08:46 PM

I'm thinking about a game system and either GT5 or Forza.

Any more thoughts from you guys after playing these for a while now?

**K-Man S** · #13 12-08-2007, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by Blackbird

I'm thinking about a game system and either GT5 or Forza.

Any more thoughts from you guys after playing these for a while now?

GT5 is coming out when? I heard it got pushed back again so I haven't paid any attention to it. Forza2 has been out so long you can find it at a discount now.

**SY987CS** · #14 12-09-2007, 07:00 AM

Originally Posted by K-Man S

Forza2 has been out so long you can find it at a discount now.

Does that mean that Forza3 is comming soon?

AFAIK, GT5 should be out early next year. I just want to get the one you guys with experience feel is best.

**K-Man S** · #15 12-09-2007, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by Blackbird

Does that mean that Forza3 is comming soon?

AFAIK, GT5 should be out early next year. I just want to get the one you guys with experience feel is best.

Well right now it would be Forza 2 on Xbox 360 but the game isn't perfect by any means. I was hoping PGR4 for Xbox 360 might be even better but it wasn't in my opinion, adding motorcycles seemed like a gimmick to me. I have no idea when Forza 3 is coming out or if there even is one but I suspect there will be. There are holiday Xbox 360 bundles with Forza 2 and some Spiderman game for $349 which is a good deal.

Of course there will always be something better down the road too...

**SY987CS** · #16 12-09-2007, 09:38 AM

OK, XBox it is, thanks Ken.

***DaveN007*** · #17 01-03-2008, 02:47 PM

Some additional thoughts now that I have XBox360 and Forza.

GT4, and by extension GT5 when it arrives, is the best simulator IF you are willing to buy a driving cockpit along with a Logitech Pro or better yet G25 wheel/pedal set. Until you have used the G25 wheel with GT4...you have not realized the potential of these games. The GT HD preview is amazing.

Graphics and fun with a game controller? Forza2 is much better. With a wheel? The Forza wheels don't offer 900 degree rotation. Online? (GT4 is awesome if you network two systems together locally. I may be the only guy with that setup, though.) Forza on XBoxlive is fantastic fun as a game. I ran head to head at Laguna last night. Graphics are beautiful.

Shear gaming delight? Forza2 wins.
Simulator? GT4 with proper hardware.

Kor · #18 01-03-2008, 03:19 PM

Agree Forza is more fun but I think GT5 is really not that far off now and looks insanely good.

spindoc · #19 01-04-2008, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by hsjb

Talking about steering wheels...are these games "playable" without the wheel?

I am hopeless in these games without a wheel. I suspect in part it's a generational thing, i.e. I didn't grow up with a game controller in my hands. My sons are 19 and 21 and can drive superbly with the controller.

For me, without the wheel and pedals it just doesn't seem enough like driving. And even with them, the absence of simulated g forces is a limitation; the on-track "feel" just isn't there. It seems some company could come up with a great "strap-on" accessory that ties in to the accelerometers in these games....

**porcupine** · #20 01-04-2008, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by spindoc

I am hopeless in these games without a wheel. I suspect in part it's a generational thing, i.e. I didn't grow up with a game controller in my hands...

the way i see it, there's a good reason that we don't steer our cars with our left thumbs moving a 1cm long stick.

i bought myself gt4 and a logitech wheel, and borrowed a ps2 to learn the 'ring before i went there. it definitely helped in a big way. i've no experience with forza.