At a glance...

Reviewer	Platform	Publisher	Developer	Players
James Mark Walker	Xbox	Empire	Razorworks	1-2
Requirements				Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Xbox Live for online scoreboards				Click here to buy Ford Racing 2.

Ford Racing 2 review

Since the birth of the motor car, Ford has set the standards for others to follow.
That is the claim on back of the game case. Dose this game live up to that claimed standard?

For Racing 2 has many cars from the Ford era spaning from 1949 to modern day.
Cars such as 1956 F-100 pickup, 1968 Mustang GT, Ford Focus Rally, exotic concept cars to the Future Classics like the Super car Ford GT.
With 32 Ford models to choose from to use in 34 different modes which many need to be unlocked.
Challenges to choose from include drafting which you to need to follow the car in front at a close distance for a certain amount of time before you move on to the next car. From 4 cars to draft in a short time limit for you to pass the challenge.
Other challenges are elimination which you start of with 6 cars on track and at the end of each lap two car are eliminated. With more challengers to face such as Racing Line, Standard race’s, Time trials to name a few it will put your driving skills to the test.
The graphics look good but still fail to impress in comparison to Gran Turismo and Project Gotham Racing.
The cars are nicely detailed with the use of limited damage to smashed windows but no noticeable bodywork damage which to me for a racer to stand out full on damage is needed for a more real driving experience.
The cars detail are very good an do look the part however the track detail fail to impress and seemed rushed and does not use the power of the Xbox to it’s caperbillities.
Saying that though does not make it a bad game just that it lacks in that area.

The nice addition of custom sound tracks can add more fun to the game as you don’t have to listen to the music that is already on the game which may keep you playing it longer. There is nothing worse than playing a game with music you don’t like when you know there is options on the Xbox to play you own tunes which is a breath of fresh air for any racing game.
The sound in general is very good the grunt of the cars engine is very realistic which also makes the game feel more at home with the other big racers which is also complemented with the in-game Dolby Digital, which many games still don’t use.

Tracks you only start with a few but with the option to unlock more as you progress through the challengers.

Now down to the cars handling. Which I think is very poor. At time it feels like you are driving a block of wood on wheels and on some tracks it is almost impossible to stay on the racing line unable take corners at a preferred speed. There is very little difference between each car and their handling which means most cars will drive and handle the same so it easier to go from one car to anther with out adjusting you driving skills to match the next car.

The game is relertivly easy to play and complete all the challengers for a racing game fan.

With the added bonus for XboxLIVE owners who can keep track of their scores amongst the worlds finest.

So does the game live up to the standard claimed?
It is a good little title to own for the price which is £15.
So no in my personal opinion it does not live up to the standard of the big guns but better than many other over priced Racing games which seem to be in abundance on the console format.

Ratings

Graphics	Nice car design, but looks a bit poor on the background graphics.	6/10
Gameplay	Apart from the feel of driving a block of wood at times it still can be fun to play.	7/10
Value	At the time of writing, we did not have a value for money ranking.	0/10
Lifespan	Quite short to complete but with the XboxLIVE scoreboard it could add length to the game.	7/10
Audio	With in-game Dolby Digital, Custom soundtracks and the real feeling to the cars sounds it makes it more fun to play.	10/10
Overall	Well worth a look at as the game price is very cheap and you may well be surprised.	7/10

Click here to buy Ford Racing 2 from Amazon.co.uk.

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