Forza Motorsport 3

This third mainline series entry focuses on the fictional Horizon Festival, a loud and brash racing competition. In past Forza Horizon games, you assumed the role of an eager driver looking to make a big splash at the Horizon Festival; this time out you run the show. You'll still cruise, compete in fast-paced contests, and make your garage fat with contemporary and classic vehicles, but your new responsibilities enable new gameplay scenarios. This is evident from the jump. On booting the game, you're tasked with creating a character—a first for the series. Forza Horizon 3 offers a handful of prefabricated male and female characters of various races and hues who act as your avatar. You can't tweak a selected character's appearance, but considering that almost all of your playtime is spent inside a vehicle, that limitation is understandable. Still, you can give your digital avatar one of dozens of preset names that are audibly spoken by your crew. I was sold on the idea being the head honcho when my assistants alternated between calling me "Jeffrey" and "Boss." It's a personal touch that I appreciated, though "Mr. Wilson" would've been a superior moniker, if it had been available.