The majority of these releases really won't be seeing the light of day until the spring season, so maybe in a way, I'm using the term "upcoming" a bit loosely. Actually, this section is made up of the racing games that seem to have a rather solid and firm release schedule. In other words, the developer gave a date of release. Now, as you may know, games DO get delayed (the sad truth of GT4 thus far), so these release dates should not be taken as the gospel. So, without any further delay, let's get into the games!

Forza Motorsport

Publisher : Microsoft Game Studios
Platform : Xbox
Racing Type : Simulation
Release Date : April

Sony and Polyphony Digital may have the simulation genre down and perfected, but that really hasn't swatted off a few companies who have tried (and failed) to steal GT's crown. We've seen GT-like games from SEGA, Codemasters, Capcom and Namco, but they really haven't come close to the meticulous detail and features offered in any Gran Turismo title. Micorsoft hopes to challenge that with their new racing sim in the form of Forza Motorsport, a racer that will do everything GT does, and then some.

While the car list may be only a third of GT4's, the developers promise a selection of vehicles that people would want to drive, rather than some of the slower 60-hp compacts offered in the GT franchise. Not only that, it's the only racing sim that has the Porsche and Ferarri licenses, something that GT4 doesn't even have.

But it's not just about the cars, Forza Motorsport hopes to change things done in the GT franchise by offering visible vehicle damage that can also alter your car's performance, as well as bigger tuning options, the ability to swap car engines, extensive graphical custmozation for the car's body, and of course, online support, which was taken out of GT4.

I've tried the demo a little bit, and it seems like that Forza Motorsport can take on the GT franchise, but as to what the final retail version holds, we can only wait and see. Micorsoft really hasn't let us down in the racing games for the Xbox system, knowing how great the Project Gotham Racing and RalliSport Challenge games are. Forza Motorsport could be the thrid jewel in Microsoft's racing crown. Release has been slated for April, but seeing how this game has already seen a couple of delays, we can't say that this date is golden.

NEXT!