Ford Racing 3 - Xbox

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Ford Racing 3 (Xbox)
Also for: PC, DS/DSi, PS2
Viewed: 3D First-person / Third-person Genre:
Racing: Car
Media: DVD Arcade origin:No
Developer: Razorworks Soft. Co.: Empire Interactive
Publishers: Empire Interactive (GB)
Released: 29 Oct 2004 (GB)
Ratings: PEGI 3+
Accessories: Wheel

Summary

Ford Racing 3 puts you in the driving seat of a wide range of faithfully recreated Ford vehicles, from world-changing legends like the Model T to potential future classics like the Ford Mustang 2005. As well as road-going classics and contemporary cars, Ford Racing 3 also features rugged off-road trucks and pick-ups, cars you'll recognise from the film world, and some amazing concept vehicles. And for the first time in the series, European Fords are included, such as the Capri, Escort Cosworth, Racing Puma, Sierra RS500, and the long-lost RS200 rally car. It's like a history lesson, but playable.

The start of the game is always the best place to begin. Ahem. Create a profile and you can go racing for rewards in competitions. The main menu offers Single and Multiplayer games and the option to sign in to XBox Live! Within these modes, you'll discover another menu with three headers: Ford Competition, Ford Challenge and Ford Collection. This is where the real action takes place. Ford Competition lets you engage in 14 different races to win trophies and vehicles, and to make new race types and tracks available. Ford Challenge is, to be honest, pretty much along the same lines, apart from the fact that the races are a series of pre-determined races and challenges that - when won - open the respective challenge's vehicle, track and race type for you to keep in your collection. Finally, Ford Collection is where you can race all the vehicles you've made available along the way. As you make progress in Ford Racing 3, and in addition to opening up more of the game's rewards, there's the matter of Driver Rating. The better your performance, the more Driver Rating points you gain. The more you gain, the nearer you get to being a Ford Legend.

For a game that'll cost you no more than a score, Ford Racing 3 is something of a bargain. Granted, it won't win any awards for innovation, but the gameplay is solid: as long as you bypass the 'Easy' difficulty setting (never was a setting so aptly names) the less-demanding race fan will doubtlessly enjoy FR3, along with the Ford fanatics.