Sports Games of the Decade: Racing Game of the Decade

Gold: Forza Motorsport 3

The Forza Motorsport series debuted as an Xbox exclusive (and still is an exclusive today), and by all accounts it has been able to stand up to stiff competition from Gran Turismo and other racers over the years -- the series has only improved since moving on to the current-gen systems. While Forza 3 offered a comprehensive single-player mode, where it really shone was in multiplayer. The Xbox Live online play is what truly separated Forza from the rest of the pack. The ability to tune your car as well as customize your car with a custom paint job, and even sell your design in the Auction House, personalized the entire experience on a brand new level. The customization aspect is something that the Gran Turismo series (our silver medal winner) has not been able to touch up to this point. While the 2000s were a great year for racers, Forza Motorsport 3 clearly outshone the rest of the pack when it came time to vote as a staff.


Silver: Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

The Gran Turismo series is the icon of the race. Almost everyone has played a Gran Turismo game, from the incredibly deep (650 vehicles) Gran Turismo 2 to the Prologue to the just released Gran Turismo 5. There is a lot to like about the series, and Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec was picked as the better of the two Gran Turismo titles of the past decade by the OS staff. The game was a highly anticipated title that launched just months after the PS2 hit store shelves. The game featured just over 180 vehicles, good graphics, typically great Gran Turismo physics and tons of things to do. The only thing that kept Gran Turismo 3 from being the best of the last decade was the lack of dedicated online play, which made the overall package nothing quite like Forza Motorsport 3. Still, Gran Turismo has been Sony's horse in the sim-racing duel, and it has been able to more than hold its own in that race.

Readers Choice: Forza Motorsport 3

Forza Motorsport 3 edged out Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec 19% to 17% in what was one of the closest races in our readers choice voting. Also receiving a lot of love was the write-in category, with users picking a variety of games which we didn't list in the poll. However, no other single game garnered enough votes to get more than 5% of the total.