Forza Motorsport 3 review

I've had this game for about a week now, after effectively an impulse buy last week. What a great decision it was. I realised I didn't have many racing titles on the system, which is strange considering it was the genre I got to play first when I was younger.

Simply put this is without doubt the best racing game I've played on the Xbox 360. But I'll break it down into several categories.

Gameplay

The game physics were astounding in Forza 2, and provided the gamer with arguably the most realistic driving experience on the 360. Forza 3 improves it. The game offers a plethora of different
variants of driving settings. For example, you can turn off the racing and braking lines if you are a more experienced driver, or even further turn the ABS and traction control off, to give the races more unpredictability.

Lets talk about the cars. There is a wide selection, 400 to be precise, which range from the latest Fiat 500 to the Bugatti Veyron. Every single car (of which I used) has different handling, which adds to the game's replay value. Theres also several race cars on offer, such as the Holden V8 Supercar and both Peugot and Audi's Le Mans cars. The sheer amount of cars, from several countries makes this game great alone

The season mode is incredibly in-depth as well. Unlike in Forza 2, the season mode follows a calendar is mainly focused on World Championships, with several specific race tournaments in between, like car manufacter trophies. I finished the first season really quickly but each season adds a month, which I think is a great idea.

Graphics

It is stunning. Every car is done justice with 10 time as polygons on each vehicle, giving a glossy finish. Over 100 tracks are on the game, and each one is recreated with brillance. Its the little things like trees and backgrounds make the game an immersive experience.

My main issue with some racing games is the fact that some tracks don't account for gradients of the tracks and Forza 3 comes the closest to getting that right. Corners such as Laguna Seca's corkscrew and the Carousel at Nurburgring look fantastic.












Sound

A must for any driving game, do the cars sound like they should? An emphatic yes. Just some of the grunts and growls certain cars make, add to the realism of the game. This is a game best played loud. The background music in the race must be turned off though unless you like the same repetitive beat over and over.


Track List


As I've already said, there's over 100 tracks in Forza 3, some created by the Take 10 team such as Maple Valley Raceway, but theres some great real life tracks such as Mugello, the Ferrari test track in Italy and Silverstone, the UK's premier venue for motorsport (not the best track in the UK, in my opinion). My favourite tracks are the aforementioned Mugello and Sebring. Some tracks are downright irritating, the Almafi Coast track making Monaco look as a wide as a airfield.



Longevitity

Theres so much to do on this game. I haven't been able to try out online multiplayer or auction house, which adds to the in-game cash, but I'm certain that if it's as good as Forza 2 online, then it will be great. No lag, frenetic racing, what more do you want? (the Lawroism of the week there)

I haven't even mentioned the in-depth customisation mode, where the player can effectively put any design and manufacturer decal onto their respraid car. Theres also a offline multiplayer mode.

Verdict

The best racing title on the 360 to date, which is a vast improvement on Forza 2. A must for any racing game fan. There are little niggling issues, such as some rare races being easy due to class glitches but it easily forgivable when its such a good game.

4.5 out of 5

Images from flickr courtesy of orwar, Morten M and dave.scriven

Premiership preview

Well, it's that time again. No, not Hammer time, that was ages ago, and best left there. No, of course it's the start of the Premier League season this weekend.

It seems only a few weeks since Manchester United once again lifted the trophy for the 11th time since the league was revamped in 1992. The fact is in football in 2009, you can never get away from the game, due to the insane amount of coverage by Sky Sports during the summer, with all the amount of transfer gossip, much of which never materialises into much and leaves the club's wanting better players (yes this is Arsenal).

But anyway, here's my,unlikely to be brief, look at the 3 main groups of the league, the Top 4, the also rans and relegation candidates.

The Contenders

In my opinion, the usual runners and riders are going to be up the top end of the league. In all honesty, I don't see Manchester City being amongst them. Yes, they have spent a shed load of money this summer, but at the end of the day, these players (mostly strikers) have to gel and it won't be an overnight success. I think they'll do well, if they manage to get some away form for once, and will likely finish 5th, in which case, 'Sparky' Mark Hughes will lose his job. Oh well. Then again a cup run would be a success for City, they don't tend to do anything in the domestic cups.

Out of the top 4, I think that Chelsea, on paper, look the strongest. They have a aging team but if there is one manager to get the best out of them, it is clearly Carlo Ancelotti, who had great success at AC Milan with veterans in the side. Manchester United will of course run them close, even without Ronaldo. If United start badly, the press might write them off and claim the Ronaldo deal was a bad idea. History shows us that United often start badly and still win the league. Wayne Rooney will hopefully become the talisman of the side and bang in the goals in time for the World Cup. I expect Anderson and Frederico Macheda to figure heavily in Sir Alex's plans at some point.

I think Liverpool have bigger problems, the loss of Xabi Alonso will hurt them, even with Alberto Aquilani as his replacement, he tends to get injured a fair bit. I'm not saying Liverpool won't be near Chelsea or United but I think they might fall away towards the end of the season.

Arsenal will surprise people, I think. They may have got rid of two influential players and everyone thinks that they will become the fall guy for Manchester City. Don't bet on it. If Andrei Arshavin has anything to say about it, Arsenal will be up there. There are some great youth players coming through at Arsenal, who are English (shocker!) such as Wilshere and Ramsey. If they sort out their defence, they will be fine.


The Relegation Candidates

The team out of the promoted Championship teams I fear for most, are now Birmingham. A few days ago, I would have said Wolves, but they've got Michael Mancienne on loan for the season, who was inspirational for them last year. Birmingham City, however, haven't really added to their squad from last year. They've got some good players, no doubt but a lot of 'past it' players, who had their glory days in the Premier League a long time ago. The addition of Joe Hart is a good one, he should get some practice with a mediocre defence.

The other two teams who I think will go down are Stoke and Hull. Yes, those teams who had great success last season, well for the most part. Stoke, to me, will suffer the dreaded 'second season syndrome'. The majority of their goals will come from Rory Delap throw-ins and James Beattie (he better, he's on my bench of my fantasy league team). There's not much variety and many teams will work out how to play against them, similar to Bolton a few years ago.

Hull, who had a great start last season, followed by a Phil Brown pitch team talk, were only saved by their early form and the Newcastle debacle. They will struggle majorly if they don't find some players with experience quickly. I don't really see where the goals will come from, or how will lead the defence well. Harsh, I know.

Other teams to be around the bottom: Blackburn, Burnley, Wigan, Wolves and Portsmouth. Portsmouth will be the survival by the skin of their teeth award winners, if they sign anyone and get rid of their current manager. Expect them and Burnley to prop up the table early on.

The Best of the Rest

I'll keep this short, Spurs. There we go. This of course depends on whether they decide to play like their squad suggests. Last season, under Ramos, they couldn't kick a ball. Under Redknapp, they looked very good. Also expect Luka Modric to have a key season and in the words of Alan Partridge, "thrike" some goals in. Their success is depending on the amount of injuries they have and if Ledley King ever plays. And that's not a load of Tottenham in my book (good luck with the reference)

Conclusion

If I was forced to make a prediction of the league table, here's how it would look

1. Manchester United
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
---------------------------------
5. Manchester City
6. Tottenham
7. Everton
8. Aston Villa.
9. West Ham United
10. Sunderland
11. Fulham
12. Bolton
13. Burnley
14. Blackburn (Lancashire club league round here)
15. Wolves
16. Wigan
17. Pompey
18. Stoke
19. Birmingham
20. Hull

Other Cups and Awards

FA Cup - Spurs, to break "the year ends in 1" hoodoo
League Cup - Arsenal
Champions League - Inter Milan, as Mourinho might focus on it
Manager Sack Race - Paul Hart by a country mile
Overachievers - Spurs
Underachievers - Liverpool/ Arsenal
Player of the Year - Nemanja Vidic, he was robbed last year
Player who didn't do so well of the Year - At a random guess, and hope, Steven Gerrard

Don't quote me on those predictions, I don't have the Almanac from Back to the Future

Image courtesy of Jason Bagley

A quick Oasis Wembley gig review

Right, first things first, I've been a massive Oasis fan for as long as I can remember really, thanks to my parents playing What's the Story Morning Glory repeatedly for about a year in 1996. I'd put that album in my all time top 10. As Westwood would say, heavy hit after heavy hit (note to self, never, and I mean never use Tim Westwood in future blogs). So obviously I was very excited about seeing them at Wembley, at their final date of a sell-out UK tour. And, for the most part, they didnt disappoint.

Wembley Stadium itself is a great venue for music. I imagined it to be a lot bigger than it actually was but there must been at least 50,000 people there, all anticipating the arrival of the Gallaghers. No idea why people would choose seating at a gig like this, because to get the real atmosphere, you really need to stand, just to take in the experience

Lets talk about the support first. I missed Reverend and The Makers and the majority of The Enemy, because quite frankly, I dont really care for either band and neither did my friend, Mr David "I love Blur" Stubbings, who is quite possibly the only person to see both bands this summer.

However, I saw Kasabians set, which was quite frankly fantastic, and really got the crowd pumped up. I thought they'd stick to a lot of stuff off the new album, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (yeah I still don't get that album title.)

But they just played the songs that made them one of the UK's best bands of this decade such as Club Foot, Empire and LSF plus new tracks Fast Fuse, Fire and Underdog, which if you haven't heard on any advert recently, I'd be very suprised. The highlight of the set for me though had to be The Doberman, which I think is criminally underated from the second album.

But on to the main attraction. Lets get the negatives out of the way and maybe people will call me critical here. Liam Gallagher doesn't move. He could have died and I probably wouldn't have noticed. You would think at a gig of this stature, he might just move around the stage a bit. Nope, he just stood there staring at the crowd. Yes I understand its his gimmick to lean into the mic and think everything is above him, but after two hours, it becomes very tiresome. Even the graphics were more entertaining, especially the rolling car as Mr Stubbings pointed out.

The 2 hour set itself was almost perfect. They started with Rock and Roll Star, which I think is a great opener for them really, although I would have gone for Morning Glory. Then Lyla, which the less said about the better, one Oasis song I can't stand. They threw in the odd track from the latest album, Dig Out Your Soul such as The Shock of The Lightning and I'm Outta Time. To Be Where There's Life though felt a bit out of place, and I dont see it is as a great track.

Every hit was there, but I would have liked to see more tracks that weren't big singles such as Shakermaker and Cast No Shadow, but I'm really nitpicking as they played Whatever for the first time in 10 years according to Noel

The highlights for me were definately in Noel's acoustic stuff. The entire crowd with their hands in the air and singing in unison for Half the World Away and The Masterplan, not to mention Don't Look Back In Anger. These moments really made the gig for me, it was a sight to behold.

The last two tracks were also brilliant, Champagne Supernova, which to me is the definite Oasis song and a cover of I Am The Walrus, which made the gig near perfect.

Overall, Oasis were on near top form, just let down a bit by the fact the gig wasn't great visually, but music-wise it was spectacular.

Heres some other more in-depth reviews of the gig, including a review of both Britpop bands by some guy from down south:

Dave Stubbings' review of Britpop gigs

www.itsgoodtobefree.com/2009/07/14/itsgoodtobefrees-review-of-oasis-at-wembley-stadium-12-07-09/
www.thelondonpaper.com/going-out/whats-new/live-music-review-of-oasis-gig-at-wembley-stadium

Images courtesy of becca_ca_ca at Flickr

Spikey proves laughter is the best medicine

It's been a while since I last saw some live stand-up (in fact the last comedian I saw live was Bill Bailey at the M.E.N and I don't think anything will top that performance) but as soon as a mate told me Dave Spikey was appearing at the legendary Bolton Albert Halls, I thought I'd check it out.

I've always been an admirer of Spikey's work, especially the sensational Phoenix Nights, which he co-wrote with Peter Kay and Neil Fitzmaurice, but he also starred in the show as everyones favourite compere, Jerry "The Saint" St. Clair . But before Spikey turned to the comedy circuit, he used to work for the NHS, and this forms the basis for his observational material and the tour name itself "The Best Medicine: Repeat Prescription."

Now here's my first problem with the gig, it was effectively the same stuff churned out from his last tour (the repeat prescription being the clue there) and that was fine with me as I hadn't seen the previous tour, but after checking Youtube after the show, I saw effectively the same routine. This surely would annoy several people and the fact it shows laziness on his part that he can't be bothered to write new material. It seems he may have copied a certain trick of his former friend, Peter Kay.

To be fair, Spikey did two hours straight, something Kay hasn't done since 2003 probably. However, It did tend to drag quite a bit as he focused for what seemed like 30 minutes on the class clown from his school days. But the beginning and end of the material was brilliant. To start off, Spikey focused on local newspapers and how rubbish the headlines and stories usually are. There's nothing better than lampooning the industry that I want to be a part of.

He ended with some great audience interaction as he did a pop quiz, which focused on artists terrible lyrics. No one was exempt including the classic Pink Floyd lyric "we don't need no education" which of course is a double negative and also Des'ree's Life, which has the line "I don't wanna see a ghost. It's the sight that I fear most. I'd rather have a piece of toast (yes that song did reach the top 10)."

Overall, I enjoyed the performance although some of the jokes just seemed obvious and I could tell where they were headed. But the audience, being from Spikey's hometown, made up for that, with some great responses to Spikey's questions.

3 stars (yep I'm not creating a new ranking system, I'll stick with the good ol stars)

Students Unite!!!

I'm a bit pissed off. Why? Because I've found out this week that the government is attempting to raise the minimum cap of student fees from £3,000 to £5,000. Over 50% of uni chiefs around the country are in favour. Oh no but that's not all, some want there to be minimum of £20,000 per year. Yep you read that correctly. £20,000. Per. Year

Now considering the current global financial situation, is this really the best solution? According to the BBC today, 2009 is set to be the worst year economically, with the first 'shrink' in the global market for 60 years. So clearly the best option is to take money from people who are more likely to be debt (then again surely everyone is these days).

Now, I'm in a reasonable the way things currently stand. Yes, I'll be in debt when I finish my degree but at the moment, I think I've done a decent job at managing my money. But if my student fees were to increase to near £5,000 then I might struggle.

I've read studies that many people in lower class families are struggling to get into universities due to the current costs. So clearly by increasing the costs, the middle class bias and the gap will widen. Shouldn't it be determined by how clever you are rather than how much the family earns.

Former Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, who attempted to raise uni fees in 2004 admits that the recession will clearly have an impact on any decision making regarding an increase. If he sees it why can't Gordon. Oh I know why, we have to find the billions that the bankers lost somehow. I'm sure that the government would argue something along the lines of "better resources, teaching etc" but I doubt it can actually get that much better.

I doubt it will go through but if it does, I wont be happy, and I'm sure the 1 million other undergraduates won't exactly be thrilled either.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7946912.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7937083.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/mar/17/university-tuition-fees-rise

The Demise Of The Galaticos

I decided to not watch the Liverpool vs Real game last night, mainly due to the fact that I had already made plans and also because every time I watch Liverpool in the Champions League, they always find a way to pull something out of the bag. And in the words of Cilla Black, "Surprise Surprise", an emphatic 4-0 win, which was fully justified.

Now, most of the British press have gone for the "Rafa's done it again" sort of story but I'd rather focus on the feeble opposition (I watched the highlights and I saw enough), the once brilliant Real Madrid

At the beginning of the decade, Los Blancos were feared by effectively all European teams due to their star studded line-up: Zidane, Figo, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Raul (and possibly David Beckham) to name but a few. Even some players, who weren't renowned for selling shirts, such as Claude Makelele (who i rate very highly, maybe not so much now) and Michael Salgado were key to the system that Real Madrid played.

But now, the team looks a shadow of its once great side and Real Madrid haven't made it past the last 16 since 2004. Real Madrid Sporting Director Pedja Mijatovic summed up what happened last night with this quote, "We were nowhere to be seen. And we should be very worried because we have left a very bad image of ourselves."

There are many problems and many people to blame for this. Ramon Calderon is one of them. The former Real President who promised that Real would return to their 2000-2003 glory period by announcing several players on his wish-list. Kaka, Cesc Fabregas and Cristiano Ronaldo, all rumoured to have agreed deals with him but nothing ever materialised. I feel sorry for Real fans because he promised them so much and all they got Higuain and Gago. To be fair he has made some good signings, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben for example, but the majority have been flops.

His best and worst decisions revolve around one man, the current England manager, Fabio Capello. First, making him manager was a brilliant decision especially after the debacle of Carlos Queiroz (a great assistant but never a great manager) and various others. He tried to change the system by being defensively minded, like any Italian would. But he was criticised by many pundits for ruining what Real was based on - stylish football. He still won the league in the 06/07 season on the last day and was sacked in the aftermath, pretty illogical if you ask me. Hey, what is Real's foolishness is England's possible glory.

I think the only way Real can once again become a European great is by focusing on their defensive frailties. It was evident last night that they couldn't defend. They brought in 2006 World Player of the Year Fabio Cannavaro and Gabriel Heinze (I'll leave my problems with him aside for now) to bolster their aging defence. It hasn't worked at all and it isn't helped the fact that Juande Ramos is their manager.

Another issue is passion. Only Iker Casillas had a good game last night, it should have a been rout, but he was in inspired form. The rest of the team just sat back and allowed Liverpool to do what they do best. I think many of the squad should look to Alfredo Di Stefano, a Real legend who scored 216 goals in 282 appearances, for their inspiration

To be fair, Real are the current holders of La Liga but there isn't much chance of them retaining their title with Barcelona as runaway leaders. It seems that they are trying a Wenger method of building youth players up to become future greats. But like Wenger has found this season, you need experienced players in the side as well, or you become lambs to the slaughter. I'm sure in a few years, Real Madrid will be back among the greats of Europe but without change, that won't happen.

Image credited to Acebuche at http://www.flickr.com/photos/24957237@N04/2551250256/

Carling Cup, why bother?

The League Cup has always been seen as the least prestigious of the trophies on offer to the clubs of the Premier League, especially the so called "Big Four". And yesterday's final proved this.

Manchester United are on course for 5 trophies this season, an unprecedented feat, after their penalty shootout victory. As a Man United fan, you would think I'd be estatic with another trophy in the Old Trafford cabinet, but I'm not really that fussed.

I'm pleased that Sir Alex uses youth and fringe players in the tournament to give them valued experience. It's a tried and tested formula that works for the majority of the bigger clubs, except Liverpool, who often fail against lower teams (this blog will often contain a Liverpool joke at some point)

This years cup campaign has unearthed new United talents such as Darron Gibson and Danny Welbeck who have both shown their great potential in the red shirt. It has also allowed Tomas Kuszczak and Ben Foster to establish themselves as Edwin Van Der Sar's sucessor in the United goal.

I think my main problem with the League Cup is that the competition shows the gulf between the reserves of the big sides and the somewhat mediocre teams. A prime example being Arsenal's teenagers 3-0 victory over Wigan earlier this year and I remember thinking what is the point of all this.

Apart from Spurs, who won the cup last season due to Avram Grant's ineptness, the last team outside the 'Big Four' to win it were Middlesbrough under the guidance of the now Dutch Steve McClaren and look what happened to him.

I think the main reason why managers choose not to care about the cup is down to the chairmen, who would rather take the money of Premier League survival than a outside chance of European success. Many purist fans would love a cup day out at Wembley but the fact is the game is purely about money and not entertainment.

Anyway, rant over, the game itself turned out to be damp squib of a game with only fleeting chances for both sides. I'll gladly admit Spurs were unlucky and exposed the usually excellent Patrice Evra down the right hand side with Aaron Lennon. It was probably their biggest game of their dreadful season but they made a good account of themselves and I don't see them being in the relegation dog-fight for too long.

Jonny Evans continues to impress me at the back and I believe he could fit into any side in the Premier League and play every game. Unfortunate that Nemanja Vidic is playing out of his skin.

On a side note, according to various newspapers today, Ben Foster used an certain generic MP3 player (I hate endorsing this company so I won't) to work out which way Jamie O'Hara would go on the penalities, as goalkeeping coach, Eric Steele stored Tottenham's past penalities to aid his goalies. Initiative or Cheating? You Decide

Image credited to WowtheWorld at http://www.flickr.com/photos/singapore_spur/3319959723/