Preview: Forza Motorsport 3

Xbox 360

By Travis Moses / Tuesday, September 29 2009

Ten times the polygons, four times the resolution, and 60 frames per second. Faster is better.

Forza Motorsport 3 is racing exclusively to the Xbox 360 this October with more features, more cars, more tracks, and more community features than the two previous games could ever offer. Fans of the series will be shocked by the new graphics engine, damage effects, and gameplay features that allow for super-high-resolution cars and race tracks, car rollovers, and a new video editor that can produce better car commercials than seen on TV.

Game director, Dan Greenawalt, says the entire game engine has been rebuilt from the ground up, allowing the developers to create better graphics and more robust gameplay features. There are 10 times the number of polygons on the 400 cars from 50 different manufactures, four times higher resolution, longer draw distances, high-resolution textures and normal-mapping on the road. What's more, the game never drops below 60 frames per second.

That's just the polish and shine on the outside. Under the hood, Forza 3 is tuned to allow you to flip cars over for the first time. Damage is something that's always been in Forza games, and with more car detail the splintering effects of fenders shattering and rear-view mirrors detaching are hyper-realistic. Of course, crashing sucks and ultimately you'll lose your first-place position. The new rewind feature, however, allows you to turn back time and fix your mistakes. There is no limit to how many times you can rewind in single-player, a feature that just wouldn't cut it in multiplayer.

Community is very important to Turn 10 Studios and the Forza experience. That's why Forza 3 will connect racers in more ways than in-game. The new video editor, for example, is a powerful tool that allows you to create your very own car commercials. You can find a trailer for the video editor on forzamotorsport.net to see how an experienced user can change camera angles, transition cuts, and perform breathtaking stunts. Upload and share your video and you might just make a name for yourself as Forza's greatest video director. There are even more features to come, but Turn 10 is remaining tight-lipped for now.

Better graphics, a robust community network, and over 400 cars, including SUVs, economy minis, and sports cars look to make Forza Motorsport 3 one of the best racing experiences money can buy this October.