Game Cover

Platform played on: Xbox

# Review

This is Microsoft’s response to Sony’s Gran Turismo series. In this simulation racer, players can customize 231 licensed cars and race them on 35 real and fictional racetracks.

Gameplay

The game is very detailed and is highly customizable. Players can not only customize their cars in detail but also the game itself, such as selecting various difficulty options. There are some very cool features introduced in the game. My favourite is probably the realistic damage that cars can take, which not only affects the car cosmetically, but also the performance of the car. Another cool feature is the Drivatar AI, which learns how the player drives through an actual Bayesian neural network. To say that the game is ahead of its time is an understatement.

The game is pretty hard to pick up at first, but after some practice (and tweaking of game options), one will eventually get the hang of it. Due to the game being a simulation racer, the game can get very grindy and repetitive, especially as the player progresses through the career. The car collection and upgrade aspect of the game keeps the game interesting though.

# Conclusion

A very cool game with some very cool features ahead of its time.

# Overall rating: 7.8

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