if she was mine, she wouldn't cry so much

List time....Forza 2, what should change, what shouldn't change, and how to make the game better.

I think it's fair to say that Forza 2 will be coming to the XBOX: 360, and as such, some of the problems of the current game would hopefully be fixed from the get go, things like pop-ups (seriously, pop-ups this late in the game? on the XBOX no less...), a lack luster physical damage model, and the like. These things aren't on my list, because a more robust system should fix those things.

Changes:
More cars. In this area, Forza is better then GT:4 (or any GT), I mean seriously, who needs 50 different Skyline models? I like how Forza mixes good low-performance cars with high-performance cars, but I'd like to see a few more older cars, and a few more cars in general across the board, like a street McLaren F1, take the car count up 350-375. Still a helluva lot, but with the classes of Forza, it'll be better.

More tracks. You can never have too many tracks. KEEP ROAD ATLANTA...of course, being from Georgia, I'm paritial to that track, and lvoed how the short and long courses are both in the game. More point-to-point tracks would be nice. I'd love to race at the LeMans track in this game (Ls Salle? Sarth? I forget), the old, dangerous track, and the new 'safer' track. I'd also like to see some more classic tracks...the old Sebring, Daytona infield, hell, even the old brick-surfaced Indy would be bad ass.

Deeper customization. I'm not looking for MC:3 DUB Edition depth of customizing the car, but I would like to see more wheels, the ability to choose wheel color, wheel size (within reason, no twanks+4 here), the ability to remove 'factory' decals, and more paint options...the paint selector from MC:3 DUB would be very nice. And the 'Forza' body kits?....lame...make them more then stock with a huge lip and venturi tunnels.

Widebody kits. I'm not really sold on this whole "take-your-stock-car-and-turn-it-into-a-race-car" thing Forza tries to sell us. Just about every proper race car based on a production car has a widebody with big fender flares and such. Not only give us a kit for nearly every car, give us two or three. It'd prevent every car on XBL looking the same, kinda problematic now.

More decals. Rice, rice, baby. The decals that are in Forza now are good, but I'd like to see more, to create some really trick paint jobs. I'd also like to see more decal colors, and the ability to change the colors or the sponsor decals. Again, that whole concept of making a race car from nothing is kinda lost in translation.

Better headlights. While the headlights actually 'work' on this game, I'd like to see different colors and brightnesses. Seeing a '69 Camaro with super bright HID lookin headlights kinda kills it. I don't nessicarily want the ability to change the headlight colors, just more accurate headlights.

Photo mode. Steal it straight from GT: 4, who give a fuck? Here you have BEAUTIFUL tracks with BEAUTIFUL cars, with your own custom paint job and modded to your taste, and no way to easily share it with the world. That sucks.

Backfires. Even Ridge Racer for the PSP has backfires, why can't Forza? Some people think of this effect as cheesy and overdone, but on a game like Forza, the lack of them is almost worse then overusing them. Hell, even the exhuast note burbles and pops on the race cars, match it up with a nice flare up and you've got yourself a winning combination.

Longer races. Thirty to Fourty-Five minute "endurance" races? That's sad. Call me strange, but I LIKE the 12-hour and 24-hour enduro's from GT: 4, and allow the Drivitar to drive a few stints as well. Maybe integrate some B-spec stuff from GT: 4 for even more control. And if the Enduro's were longer, I'd like to see daylight transitions...race from day, into the nite, into the morning, back into the day. Simply badass. If you're gonna do that, add weathering effects to the cars...carbon deposits from the exhuast, rubber build-up, dirt, oil, grease, the whole lot. If you want to put Gran Turismo in it's place, do it proper.


Don't Change:
Rally Mode. Forza doesn't need a rally mode. It doesn't need rally cars. If I want to do some rallying, I'll pop in Colin McRea Rally, or GT...don't fussy up Forza with rally.

Regions. This is kinda cool, don't lose it for Forza 2, rather, beef it up. Make some cars region exclusive, where the only way to get them is buy them online from other racers.

Much of anything. This game is great...wonderful in fact. It's the only game that distracts my attention enough from Halo: 2 to get anywhere in. Don't destroy what makes this game so damn good, realisim, great looks, great sound, great feel, etc, etc. Don't reinvent the wheel, simply make it ride on self-lubricating ball bearings and super nice tires, in other words, fix what needs to be fixed, add what needs to be added, but don't disrupt the core. I'd rather see Forza 2 as less of a revamp, but more as a make over. You've got a good foundation, run with it.


Rant #2....when did DVD makers stop putting the run time on the back of DVD boxes? Hard to tell how much time to set aside to watch a movie when you've got no idea how long it is? Bullshit I tell you! Bah...back to my movie...