Turn 10 has announced its Community Choice Classics Car Pack for Forza 3 will arrive on XBL next week.

There’s some really cool cars in it too.

The pack will contain 10 cars, which are listed below:

• 1971 AMC Javelin-AMX
• 1973 BMW Motorsport 2002 Turbo
• 1970 Chevrolet El Camino SS 454
• 1971 De Tomaso Pantera
• 1982 DeLorean DMC-12
• 1987 Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth
• 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II
• 1978 Saab 99 Turbo
• 1983 Volvo 242 Turbo Evolution
• 1957 Ferrari 250 California

The pack will cost you 400 MSP when it hits on December 14.

In case you were wondering what the car is in the header, it’s the Javelin-AMX. Now shut up lady, and go get us a beer while we sit here and rev the engine.

Microsoft has announced the Forza Motorsport 3: Ultimate Collection, which is to be released next month, along with a multi-year collaboration with Top Gear.

The deal will see BBC’s Top Gear brand integration in future versions of Forza Motorsport products while delivering a number of co-promotions that will provide fans of both to engage in both brands.

“Bringing together Top Gear and Forza Motorsport is a natural fit,” said Dan Greenawalt, franchise director at Turn 10. “Top Gear is all about automotive passion and playing around with cars which is exactly what we deliver with Forza Motorsport games. We are looking forward to collaborating with their team to bring some of what they do so well on television to our game design process.”

“It’s incredibly exciting to be teaming up with such a big name game,” added Andy Wilman, creative director at Top Gear. “I fear we’ll have to be a bit more ambitious and a bit less rubbish when dealing with these chaps.”

The first part of this collaboration will be through 90 minutes of specially edited Top Gear TV content plus access to the Stig’s Garage Car Pack, all downloadable exclusively through Xbox Live, as part of the new Forza Motorsport 3 Ultimate Collection.

Here’s what’s all included:

• The original Forza 3
• All previously released add-ons bringing the total car count to 500 along with 100 track configurations
• Xbox Live downloadable content card with three new cars as part of Stig’s Garage Car Pack (Koenigsegg CCX, LEXUS LFA, Mercedes Benz SLS-AMG)
• A 90-minute Top Gear video with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May
• Xbox LiveTheme featuring Top Gear.

Forza Motorsport 3: Ultimate Collection will be available in the UK starting October 29.

Got Forza 3? Want some more cars? Then today’s the best day in the history of days.

Microsoft just announced the World Class Car Pack for Forza 3. It’s out today and costs 400MSP.

You get:

• 2011 McLaren MP4-12C
• 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
• 2010 Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG
• 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
• 2010 Fiat Punto Evo SPORT
• 2010 Acura TSX V6
• 2010 Kia Forte Koup SX
• 2011 Mazda 2
• 2011 Citroën DS3
• 2010 Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart

Apparently, buying this “will ensure your Forza Motorsport 3 garage is fully stocked and ready to take the competition by storm during the summer racing season.

How can you resist?

The Forza 3 Exotic Car Pack DLC was released on XBL today.

As promised by Microsoft earlier in the month, the pack contains the following cars for 400 MSP:

• 2010 Gumpert Apollo S
• 2010 Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85
• 2010 SSC Ultimate Aero
• 2010 Devon GTX
• 2010 Rossion Q1
• 2010 Joss JT1
• 2010 Mosler MT900S
• 2010 Radical SR8 Supersport
• 2010 Wiesmann GT MF5
• 2010 Spada Vetture Sport Codatronca TS

Go nuts.

Microsoft has released its schedule of DLC for the month of May, along with Games on Demand and the Deals of the Week.

If you happened to click the link in the Dragon Age DLC post, you may have noticed the schedule already.

Just in case you are not a DAO fan though, or just don’t wanna do the clicking, we’ve got the whole thing for you below.

Games on Demand

• Today: Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway; Prince of Persia
• May 11: Tom Clancy’s EndWar
• May 18: Command & Conquer 3
• May 25: Battlefield 2: Modern Combat [Europe, Australia and New Zealand only]

Deals of the Week

• May 17: The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition – 400 MSP/$5; Avatar items: LeChuck Pirate Hat – 40 MSP; Avatar Cotton Swab – 80 MSP

Xbox LIVE Arcade

• May 5: Zeno Clash Ultimate Edition – 1200 MSP; RayStorm HD – 1200 MSP
• May 12: Rocket Knight – 1200 MSP
• June 2: Snoopy Flying Ace – 800 MSP

Add ons

• May 4: Rock Band – No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom” – 1600 MSP
• May 7: LIPS – Miley Cyrus Song Pack (whoohoo!) 400 MSP
• May 11: Forza Motorsport 3“Exotic Car Pack” – 400 MSP
• May 13: Super Street Fighter™ IV: “Super Shoryuken Pack” – 320 MSP
• May 18: DAO: Darkspawn Chronicles – 400 MSP
• Spring 2010: Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers “Expansion Pack 2” – 400 MSP

Xbox Avatar Marketplace

• May 6: Final Fantasy XIII and Game Room items
• May 13: Army of Two; A Kingdom for Keflings

Get the full thing here.

Turn 10 has released a new add-on for Forza Motorsport 3.

Called the Road & Track Car Pack, it contains ten new vehicles for 400 MS Points/$5 one of which is the new 2010 Mini Coupe Concept.

Here’s the list of cars you’ll get:

• 2010 Volkswagen Golf R
• 2009 Holden HSV w427
• 2010 Ford Taurus SHO
• 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
• 2010 Renault Megane RS 250
• 2010 Vauxhall Insignia VXR
• 2010 Mini Coupe Concept
• 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports
• 2010 Mazda MX-5 Superlight
• 2010 SEAT Leon Cupra R

The pack was revealed as part of the download schedule released by Microsoft earlier in the month.

Turn 10 has announced that Forza Motorsport 3 sold 2 million units since its release back in October, and to celebrate, there’s two new tracks from the Nurburgring Grand Prix Circuit up on Xbox Live.

Available starting today for 400 MS Points, the Track Pack includes the full 3.22-mile circuit with the famous “Schumacher S” corners, and the short 2.24-mile sprint circuit.

This is just the latest bit of DLC from Turn 10, which while working on the “next big thing”, plans on supporting the title with more content in the future.

Turn 10 has started work on its next major game, it’s been confirmed to VG247, with the studio now looking at how to turn car games into a “way of life”.

Forza 3 game director Dan Greenawalt told us that a “core part of the team is off working on our next big thing,” speaking in an interview published today.

As for the project’s identity, however, the studio has “nothing to announce at this time.”

The exec did give some hints as to the game’s direction, though.

“How do we go from being a ‘Racing Game’ to being a ‘Car Game’ to being a way of life? These are just some of the tenants we’ve taken to heart for our next project,” he said.

Forza 3 released last October to high praise. Monthly DLC work is ongoing.

As for the secret game, we’re going to hedge our bets and go for Forza 4.

By far the most significant racing release of 2009 was Turn 10′s Forza Motorsport 3. Thanks to both the studio’s delivery of a superb package and GT5′s belligerent absence, the 360 sim has become an immediate essential in the genre, racking up 13 million hours of Live play it just over three months.

We were lucky enough to grab some time with the game’s director, Dan Greenawalt, on the title itself, the IP’s future, Gran Turismo 5 and plenty more.

Interview by Patrick Garratt.

VG247: You must be thrilled at the response to F3 in general, especially now you’re the only first-party next gen racing sim on the market and probably will be for some time, given GT5′s recent slip. How important was it for you to hit a 2009 launch?

Dan Greenawalt: We started planning and development on Forza Motorsport 3 in June of 2007, shortly after the release of Forza 2. Hitting holiday 2009 was the plan from the get go – it made sense for the Forza Motorsport franchise and it made sense for the overall Xbox 360 business. In that respect, a 2009 launch was always important for the game. Of course, while we prioritized hitting our ship date high on the list during Forza 3 development, we never allowed that goal to trump quality and innovation. I’m pleased we were able to deliver the game in 2009 without compromising our vision for what Forza 3 would become.

You were pretty slavish as regards hitting 60fps, and did receive some criticism from the community for apparently trading off some poly budget to achieve it. In retrospect, are you glad you stuck to the 60 frames goal, or could you have created something more visually attractive if you’d lowered the target to, say, 30?

We get asked this question a lot by the press and my answer hasn’t changed much from Forza 2 to Forza 3. The reality is that racing games running at 30fps have to deal with visual shuttering artifacts in the environment and backgrounds that fly by your field of view when the car is traversing at high speeds. So you then go and mask that using motion blur for your environments, which end up eating into your GPU cycles, which take up resources from other features you want on-track.

It really turns into a trade-off for the type of visual direction you’re trying to achieve, and with Forza Motorsport, the visual style is clear, crisp graphics, and highly-detailed environments and textures. But in truth, the decision is less about graphics than feel. We prioritize 60fps as an important feature because it gives the games a feel you just can’t achieve at 30; for instance, the responsiveness and feedback of the controls, or physics calculations and visual manifestation of that on how we model our tire flex and body roll. While those calculations are decoupled from the graphics and run as high as 360 frames per second, we found that graphical framerate impacts the feel of those systems as well. Simply put, we couldn’t have achieved the experience we wanted if the game only ran at 30fps. I’m sure you would get a similar response from Infinity Ward regarding Call of Duty.

Can you give us any figures on how many items are being traded in the game at the moment? Have all the online community features panned out as you expected, or have you had to cope with some sticking issues?

[Story - Ed]

Sure. We already knew from Forza 2 that the online Auction House was going to come back strong for the community. What we were curious to see was how the new Storefront feature would play into the community ecosystem. We pulled these numbers a few weeks ago so they’re not the most recent server stats, but it gives you an idea the kind of momentum we’ve had nearly 90 days post-release. We’ve had over 8 million auction bids placed online, with over 3.3 million auctions created. Our community has purchased or downloaded nearly 10 million Storefront items. Overall, our community has driven well over 126 million races on Xbox LIVE, totaling over 13 million man-hours of time spent playing the game online. They drove over 1.1 billion miles in online races, which is more than five return trips from the earth to the sun. So yeah, we have a community that’s deeply engaged with the game.

As for sticking issues, there’s been surprisingly little fire drills this time around. We had to update the leaderboards a couple times due to glitches but nothing really out of the ordinary.

You’ve already said that 2010′s going to be a busy year for the Forza IP. Are you just talking about DLC here, or will there be disc-based expansions? I’m assuming Forza 4 isn’t releasing this Christmas.

[Story - Ed]

Right now a part of the team is focused on monthly DLC to support Forza Motorsport 3 and they’ve been a huge success for us since we started last December. We have lots of great content in the production pipeline right now which will all sooner-or-later become a part of the Forza Motorsport franchise. Another core part of the team is off working on our next big thing, but we’ve got nothing to announce at this time.

On the subject of DLC, are there plans for any free packs, or is everything you release for the game going to be premium?

We included a free DLC pack (with tracks and cars) packed in as code with the retail game at launch last October. This was content that didn’t get finished until the two game discs were already in certification. Soon afterwards we released a free Hyundai DLC pack on Xbox LIVE featuring three cars. We have no other free DLC announcements at this time.

Has the reaction to F3′s car customization options been everything you’d hoped? For the record, one of the first things I did in the game was decorate a car with my daughter’s name: she loved it.

The Forza Motorsport livery editor has evolved into something incredible with the help of our creative community. Every time we think we’ve seen the best livery possible with the toolset we’ve given them to paint cars, the painters out there have come back with something that raises the bar yet again and blows us away. And what I realized during the development of Forza 3 was that it really didn’t matter what the toolset you provide – creative people will use whatever means possible to express themselves. If you’re not artistic, it doesn’t matter how good or sophisticated your tools are – you’re still not an artist. I expect to see user-generated content taken to the next level with not just Forza Motorsport 3 but pretty much any game that Turn 10 creates because it’s just in our DNA as a studio.

How closely are you watching GT5′s development? Are you looking forward to playing it? What does GT5 do that F3 doesn’t, and vice versa?

I think all good game developers look at what their competitors are doing. It’s important to understand the landscape; not only to see what’s being done, but to see what’s not being done. As Game Director for Forza Motorsport, what I’m really interested in seeing and defining is the next big shift in how gamers (and even non-gamers) will play and interact with each other and express their passion for cars. For us, player generated content and social media are the modern ways to connect people and their passion for cars. That is why we’ve stressed those features for so many years. As a racing gamer, I’ve been a long-time fan of the GT series. At this point, after so many missed releases, it’s nearly impossible to say what GT5 will be or when it will ship. Based on the all the preview versions over the last several years, it looks like it will be a good racing game.

Finally, how do you see the future of racing sims panning out? We have photo-realistic cars, online racing, full customization; where’s left to go?

Do I think the racing game genre is played out? No, I think graphics fidelity and immersion will continue to improve in a predictable fashion. But if you want to evolve the core racing genre and reach players who may not typically race in a competitive fashion, you need the flexibility to be able to design the game for an audience outside of your comfort zone. We’ve touched on a lot of these diversifying pillars in Forza Motorsport 3: the game is easy to pick up for casual gamers, yet deep enough for hardcore gearheads; we’ve elaborated on the areas of the game that de-emphasize competitive racing to focus more on inciting the car passions that lie within all of us, such as collecting, customizing, photographing, and simply admiring cars in your home space. Now the question is, how do we take all of that to the next level? How do we go from being a “Racing Game” to being a “Car Game” to being a way of life? These are just some of the tenants we’ve taken to heart for our next project.

If you’d been wondering whether or not Forza 3 was “working,” you can stop: game director Dan Greenawalt has given VG247 some staggering stats on just how heavily the 360 racer’s being used.

“Our community has driven well over 126 million races on Xbox LIVE, totaling over 13 million man-hours of time spent playing the game online,” said the exec, speaking in an interview to be published later today.

“They drove over 1.1 billion miles in online races, which is more than five return trips from the earth to the sun. So yeah, we have a community that’s deeply engaged with the game.”

The figures were compiled “a few weeks ago,” Greenawalt said, “so they’re not the most recent server stats, but it gives you an idea the kind of momentum we’ve had nearly 90 days post-release.”

And if Forza 3′s actual play stats aren’t baffling enough, check out its auction figures.

“We’ve had over 8 million auction bids placed online, with over 3.3 million auctions created,” Greenawalt added.

“Our community has purchased or downloaded nearly 10 million Storefront items.”

Forza 3 released in late October last year to universal acclaim.

We’ll have the full chat with Dan up for you this afternoon.

Turn 10 and car enthusiast site Jalopnik.com are teaming up to allow Forza 3 players to choose the cars to be implemented in an upcoming DLC pack.

Starting today, gamers who visit the site can vote from a list of 120 cars to be included in two Jalopnik car packs during 2010 (via Koatku).

The cars were chosen based on community feedback, and voting will take place until January 29, with the first car pack to be released this summer.

Also, in March, Turn 10 and the site will release a Jalopnik Car Pack with 2009 and 2010 models autos hand-picked by the editors.

You an vote through the link, there.

The last bit of DLC released for the racer was the AutoWeek Car Show Pack, which included the 2010 Ford Shelby GT500, 2009 Lotus 2-Eleven, 2010 Aston Martin One-77, and the 2010 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport, among others.

Forza 3′s getting ten new cars on January 12 via DLC, in the shape of the Autoweek Car Show Pack.

Revealed in the latest Autoweek podcast (via Boomtown), the content contains the following cars for 400 MSP:

• 2010 Aston Martin One-77
• 2009 Audi R8 LMS
• 2009 Audi RS 6
• 2010 BMW Motorsport M6 Coupe
• 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
• 2010 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500
• 2009 Holden HSV w427
• 2009 Lotus 2-Eleven
• 2010 Pagani Zonda R
• 2010 Porsche Boxster S

The game is, apparently, rather popular. Back in December, Microsoft reported that the Turn 10-developed racer moved 1 million units in one month.

Also, the Forza community on Xbox Live, at the time, had logged over 6.6 million hours of online play with more than 64 million sessions, and had driven over 590 million miles (952 million kilometers) in-game.

Update: Aaron Greenberg has tweeted the following additional stats: “$18.7 billion was spent LTD on Storefront, there’s been over 4 million auction bids, and 1.5 million items for sale”. Nifty.

Original: Microsoft has announced that Forza Motorsport 3 moved one million units worldwide with only a month at retail.

Also, the Forza community on Xbox Live has logged over 6.6 million hours of online play with more than 64 million sessions, and has driven over 590 million miles (952 million kilometers) in-game.

“That’s equal to more than three trips from the Earth to the Sun and back,” said MS.

To help these numbers grow, kiddos, you should totally get the Hot Holidays Car Pack which is available today on XBL for 400 MS Points.

It has the Ferrari 458 Italia, ya know.

Via IndustryGamers.

Microsoft and Turn 10 announced today that it has released the free Hyundai Genesis Coupe Car Pack for Forza 3.

The three pack of cars includes the special Forza 3 Genesis Coupe, the HKS Genesis and the Rhys Millen Racing Red Bull Genesis.

Next month on December 8, the Hot Holidays Car Pack will be released which includes the Ferrari 458 Italia, and more with information on what it contains to be revealed closer to launch.

More information on the Hyundai DLC can be found through here.

Full PR through the break.

*LONDON – 17 November 2009 -* After launching to universal fan and critical acclaim on Oct. 23, the “Forza Motorsport 3” engine is still firing on all cylinders as today marks the release of the “Hyundai Genesis Coupe Car Pack,” downloadable for free on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Additionally, Turn 10 and Microsoft are giving fans even more reasons to celebrate with the “Hot Holidays Car Pack” Game Add-on, including 10 late-model year cars available on Dec. 8.

The “Hyundai Genesis Coupe Car Pack,” now available for free on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, includes the Rhys Millen Racing Red Bull Hyundai Genesis Coupe, the HKS Genesis Coupe, and a one-of-a-kind “Forza Motorsport 3” Genesis Coupe. Now fans have the opportunity to expand their already-epic “Forza Motorsport 3” car rosters and experience for themselves several iconic variations of the 300-horsepower Genesis Coupe.

The “Hot Holidays Car Pack,” releasing Dec. 8 for 400 Microsoft points, will feature some of the world’s most anticipated super cars and purpose-built race cars of 2010, including the recently unveiled Ferrari 458 Italia. To give players a taste of the “Hot Holidays Car Pack,” the brand new 2010 Audi S4 will be available as a free download.

Since each of the vehicles in the “Hot Holidays Car Pack” comes with its own fanfare and unique place in motorsports’ present and future, the team at Turn 10 will be unveiling and diving deeper into each car over the next two weeks on Forzamotorsport.net . Auto aficionados should be sure to tune in for daily photo trivia contests to guess the model, make, and year of each car, with the chance to win real prizes and other in-game rewards within “Forza Motorsport 3.” Check Forzamotorsport.net for more info on this and all future Game Add-on news.

Polyphony front man Kazunori Yamauchi’s told Autoweek the Forza 3 doesn’t match up in the realism stakes to GT. Them’s fighting words.

“Some base components of the game are very different from Gran Turismo,” he said. “It’s a little bit different from what a simulator is. You can feel it when you drive it.”

That said, the dev legend has tried out the Turn 10 racer, and conceded the game bears many similar characteristics to his game. Rather obviously.

“I was watching the guys at our company trying it out in the office. I tried it a little bit. It’s very similar in a lot of aspects to Gran Turismo,” he said.

GT5′s out in Japan next March. Forza 3′s out now. Thanks, CVG.

Microsoft has announced the Hyundai Genesis Coupe as DLC for Forza 3.

Set to hit November 17 three versions will hit. The Rhys Millen Racing Red Bull Hundai Genesis Coupe, the HKS Genesis Coupe, and a “one of a kind” Genesis Coupe will all arrive in a free pack.

Free is free whether you like the car brand or not.

Full PR past the break.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Nov. 2, 2009 – Few enthusiasts will ever get the chance to drive the 300-horsepower Genesis Coupe on a racetrack, but thanks to “Forza Motorsport 3,” millions of gamers worldwide will get to experience the thrill in the digital world.

Racing game enthusiasts will be able to test their driving skills in the Genesis Coupe in “Forza Motorsport 3,” launched in the U.S. on Oct. 27, exclusively on Xbox 360.

“Genesis Coupe’s participation in ‘Forza Motorsport 3’ will raise Hyundai’s awareness with driving enthusiasts and the very important youth segment,” said Joel Ewanick, vice president, Marketing, Hyundai Motor America. “The mission for Genesis Coupe was to create a pure performance car and for it to appear in such a realistic racing simulator is awesome.”

Developed by Turn 10 Studios, “Forza Motorsport 3” unites the racing game genre where players will live out their dreams behind the wheel of more than 400 of the most-beloved cars, including a roster of Hyundai favorites. The vehicles can be driven on more than 100 renowned real-world tracks and exotic road courses from around the globe. Breathtaking HD graphics and the most advanced vehicle performance modeling in a video game make “Forza Motorsport 3” the most realistic racing experience ever. Introducing a host of driving assists and adjustable skill levels, “Forza Motorsport 3” is a gripping pick-up-and-play experience for racing novices and seasoned pros alike.

Further fueling the imaginations of its evergreen community of painters, tuners and photographers, “Forza Motorsport 3” features improved customization tools and brand new ways to share creations with the world via Xbox LIVE. Painters and tuners will be able to showcase complete artistic creativity through the celebrated Livery Editor, customize cars with the deep tuning garage, and share their designs in the “Forza Motorsport 3” Auction House and Storefront. To celebrate the flourishing “Forza” community, Hyundai will be gifting a free downloadable vehicle package on Xbox LIVE on Nov. 17, 2009. The package will include the Rhys Millen Racing Red Bull Hyundai Genesis Coupe, HKS Genesis Coupe and a one of a kind Genesis Coupe. The Hyundai Genesis Coupe will also boast its own race series within the Career mode of the game. Hyundai is also developing an online photo and video upload contest for “Forza” gamers who can show off their best in-game photo and video of the Genesis Coupe in action.

YOUTH INFLUENCE

Ø With the help of growing economies, young people (ages 25 and younger) the world over are embracing consumerism for themselves and influencing the tastes and purchases of others.

Ø Teens in the U.S. have spending power in excess of $172 billion per year and influence $565 billion of their parents spending.

Ø The Millennial generation will make up 28 percent of the U.S. driving population by 2010.

Ø Racing video games primarily appeal to males 18 – 30.

Ø Males 18 – 30 spend more time playing video games than they are watching television.

HYUNDAI AND AND MICROSOFT

Hyundai’s relationship with Microsoft developed out of a lust for high performance automobiles. The Microsoft team met with Hyundai staff at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas in November of 2008 to discuss possibilities around the upcoming 2010 Genesis Coupe.

Turn 10 Studios, a Redmond, Washington-based racing video game developer created internally by Microsoft Game Studios, embarked on the meticulous process of scanning Genesis Coupes with high level detail and consulted Hyundai’s premier drift racer Rhys Millen to provide real-world feedback on the gameplay and vehicle renders for accuracy.

“It is exciting to have your own car in a video game. I was very impressed with the realism of the game with things like hood pins and exhaust outlets showing up in precise detail,” says Rhys Millen, driver of the Red Bull Hyundai Genesis Coupe race car and founder of Rhys Millen Racing. “The Turn 10 game developers were very accurate in portraying the driving experience as well. For example, changing tires alters the handling of the car just like in the real world.”

To perfect the look and driving feel of the Genesis Coupe in the game, Turn 10 developers spent many hours scanning every inch of the Genesis Coupes. The attention to detail even resulted in a perfectly captured Genesis Coupe exhaust note.

Extending this unique partnership even further, “Forza Motorsport 3” will also feature in-game advertising of Genesis Coupe on billboards, building exteriors and JumboTrons, made specially for the game.

Fans will be given the opportunity to test drive the most realistic experience ever as “Forza Motorsport 3” makes a public appearance at the Hyundai stand at the SEMA Show from Nov. 3 – 6, 2009 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Forza 3 releases today. You should buy it. If you want to see why, check the video after the break. It’s the game’s first 14 minutes, with us playing fairly badly: fortunately, not even our driving “skills” can detract from the quality.

So. Off you go.

DO NOT PIRATE VIDEOGAMES.

Ok, with that out of the way, here’s an after-school-special-friendly example of why pirating’s for suckers. See, if you somehow managed to nab an illegitimate early copy of Forza 3 or Borderlands, you’re cruising for an Xbox Live permaban.

“You know, when you play a pre-release title on LIVE when I know you shouldn’t have it, it’s not hard for me to figure out,” tweeted Xbox Live Director of Policy and Enforcement Stephen Toulouse.

Now, if your retailer of choice merely broke the game’s street date, that’s another story. Toulouse explained:

“Don’t worry folks, anyone who bought a copy early is ok. In general, if you got a receipt, play away. These are illegit copies we’re hitting.”

He said nothing, however, about people who stole either game from a retailer. Our guess? You scoundrels are probably in the clear. Well, online anyway. But the police probably won’t touch your precious Gamerscore. Probably.

Turn 10′s Dan Greenawalt says it would be “very difficult” for another development team to “replicate” what the firm has done with Forza Motorsport 3.

“I’ve got huge respect for Yamauchi and what the Polyphony Digital team does, they’re a great developer. But do I personally feel confident that it would be difficult for any other racing game to do this,” he told CVG. “We run our physics at 360Hz. I don’t know of any other game that does that. That takes a commitment to physics, not just about making sure you have beautiful graphics.

“Forza 2 had great physics and okay graphics. Now Forza 3 has great physics and great graphics, because we learned more about the box. But we still prioritize physics first, not graphics first. That is one of the differences.

“Gran Turismo is a great game and when it comes out I’ll play it. But I think that without the partnerships and without the commitment, it will be very difficult for another team to replicate what we’ve done.”

Oh boy. More through the link.

While Microsoft announced this week that Forza 3 will have a ten-car DLC pack and two new tracks available on day one, the voucher card in the retail version we’ve just cracked open clarifies that 30 extra courses are to be given away along with the ten cars in two track packs.

The Sidewinder Proving Ground Track Pack contains 18 tracks from Forza 1 and 2, while the Benchmark High Speed Ring Track Pack contains 12 tracks from the “ultimate physics playground of open concrete,” according to the card. The courses are variations on two tracks.

We just tried downloading the content but it doesn’t look as though it’s there yet. See images of the redeem card after the break.

The game’s out on October 23.

Installing Forza 3′s second disc, essential if you’re going to get the game’s full experience, takes around four minutes: watch the video after the break as proof.

The extra DVD contains 1.9Gb of data, such as car packs, tracks and environments.

If you don’t have enough space on your 360′s drive, the game asks you which car packs you want to install. You won’t see that in this movie as we’d cleared out a bunch of stuff beforehand.

Look and see. This was grabbed from the retail version, which releases on October 23.

GT5 goes beyond reality? Microsoft worldwide dev boss Phil Spencer laughs in the face of the fourth dimension. He has Forza 3. And Forza 3 is “the only racing sim that’s shipping this generation,” apparently.

Seriously. He said this to Gamasutra:

Gama: In this era of PS3 and Xbox 360 games, where third-parties are almost never shipping console exclusives, certainly Sony’s been very strong on, well, “our strategy, then, for differentiation is to use our first-party organization to make solid, important, AAA exclusives.” Is that how you see it, too?

PS: Absolutely. And to ship them! That’s an important part of our strategy. Look at Forza shipping next month: the definitive racing sim this generation. You could say it’s the only racing sim that’s shipping this generation.

You go, Phil. Maybe Forza 3 goes beyond super-reality. A place where the super-real ceases to be real. Hit the link before the wormhole deepens.

The first Forza 3 reviews are now live, and it’s all looking pretty safe if you were thinking of investing.

Today’s the embargo deadline for reviews of the Turn 10 racer, so we’ll keep adding them as we go along. If you’ve got one you want us to flag up, just stick a link in the comments.

The game’s out on October 23.

• OXM France – 19/20
• Eurogamer.fr – 8/10
• IGN UK – 9.4/10
• IGN US – 9.4/10
• Team Xbox – 9.5/10
• Gamespy – 4.5/5
• G4 – 5/5
• Gamer365.hu – 9.5/10
• JeuxVideo.com – 17/20
• Xboxygen – 5/5
• NowGamer – 9.2/10
• Videogamer – 10/10
• GameDaily – 9/10
• Xbox360Achievements – 93%
• MSXboxWorld – 9/10
• GameReactor.no – 7/10
• CVG – 9/10
• Gamer.no – 9/10
• 1UP – A-

Holy car exhaust Batman! Turn 10 has released the full list of cars included on both discs of Forza 3.

There’s over 400 cars on it – 400 we say.

All are fully customizable and tunable from over 50 manufacturers and run the gambit of American muscle cars, European roadsters, purpose-built race cars and high-tech Asian imports.

Again, there’s over 400 of ‘em.

Get the list on the official website.

Microsoft said this morning that Forza 3 will get a “free Game Add-on car and track pack, available exclusively by way of a one-time-use token card included in every new copy” of the game.

The Turn 10 racer releases on October 27.

Your free cars are:

• ’65 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA
• ’64 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage
• ’81 BMW M1
• ’60 Chevrolet Corvette
• ’69 Dodge Charger
• ’57 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
• ’80 Fiat 131 Abarth
• ’67 Lamborghini Miura P400
• ’71 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R
• ’65 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe

PR after the break.

Forza Motorsport 3 Eyes the Finish Line with Full Car and Track Lists plus Free Launch Day Add-ons
LONDON – 7 October 2009 – Racing fans and car lovers the world over are counting down the days until the much anticipated release of “Forza Motorsport 3” on Oct. 23, exclusively for Xbox 360. With the finish line in sight, Turn 10 and Microsoft are looking toward the winner’s circle as they officially release the game’s full list of cars and tracks on Forzamotorsport.net. On launch day, that list will grow even larger with the release of a free Game Add-on car and track pack, available exclusively by way of a one-time-use token card included in every new copy of “Forza Motorsport 3.” To celebrate these announcements, the team has also released the game’s official online trailer, featuring never-before-seen gameplay footage.

Putting the speculation amongst the buzzing Forza community to rest, Turn 10 has lifted the curtain on the more than 400 cars and 100 tracks to be featured in “Forza Motorsport 3.” The garage roster includes 30 Ferraris, 28 iconic Porsches, as well as cars not previously available in any racing game, such as the new Aston Martin DBS, Dodge Viper SRT-10 ACR, and the 2009 Acura ARX ALMS race car. “Forza Motorsport 3” players will be the first to fully paint, customize, and tune these incredible cars and more.

Additionally, the Motorsports Legends Car Pack gives players another great reason to be excited about picking up “Forza Motorsport 3” on launch day, delivering 10 classic race cars and roadsters, on top of two extra tracks: the brand new Benchmark High Speed Ring and the returning circuit Sidewinder Proving Grounds. On Oct. 27, this pack will be exclusively available via a one-time-use token card included in every new copy of “Forza Motorsport 3.”

The Benchmark High Speed Ring is best described as an old airfield and hangar converted into a race track and automotive playground, perfect for all manner of creative “Forza Motorsport” hoonage and multiplayer mayhem. The track is characterized by 3.96 miles of rough surfaces and huge open areas, featuring a massive oval, an 8-lane drag strip, and an airplane hangar that players can drive (or drift) through.

The free Motorsports Legends Car Pack includes these 10 cars hand picked by Turn 10:

· ’65 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA

· ’64 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage

· ’81 BMW M1

· ’60 Chevrolet Corvette

· ’69 Dodge Charger

· ’57 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

· ’80 Fiat 131 Abarth

· ’67 Lamborghini Miura P400

· ’71 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R

· ’65 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe

“Forza Motorsport 3” is rated PEGI 3+ for Everyone and will be available in the UK on Oct. 23, 2009. To access and download the new online launch trailer, visit: http://edelmanadmin.psni.com/public/Forza%20Motorsport%203/Videos/ or Forzamotorsport.net

-ends-

Forza 3 reviews are embargod until October 8, Gameswire reports.

A UK media source confirmed this bit of news to the site, so come 8:01am BST/3:01am EST, you should start seeing reviews pop up on the net.

Wonder if it plays as good as it looks. We’ll find out soon enough.

Forza 3 players will be getting the Ferrari 458 Italia as DLC not long after the game’s release, according to Turn 10.

Proof that the shiny, sexy, roaring beast is headed our way comes in the form of a video showing all things Ferrari over on Kotaku.

It’s drool worthy, and past the break.

Game’s out October 23.

Merrrrrrrrwwww.

MS just released a range of Forza 3 Avatar clothing to “complete your demo experience,” according to the Nelson.

The demo’s now available in all regions.

There’s a video of Forza 3′s “exclusive” Ferrarris after the break, and extremely pretty they look too.

We’re still a little unsure as to what “exclusive” means as regards the car manufacture and Microsoft’s upcoming race – see here for background – but we’ll do a little nudging.

It’s out on October 23.

A press release headed, “Ferrari exclusive to Forza 3!” just sailed through our newsreaders: get it here.

And it says:

“Exclusive to Xbox 360! Forza Motorsport 3 will include 29 classic models from the legendary manufacturer, including iconic cars such as the Ferrari 250 GTO, Ferrari 512 TR, Ferrari F40, Ferrari Enzo, and Ferrari 430 Scuderia at the title’s release on the 23rd of October.”

We’re just checking with MS as to what “exclusive” actually means here.