Ford Racing 3

The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions received mixed reviews, while the DS version received unfavorable reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine wrote: "If you're a Ford nut, you've got a nice little virtual showroom here, with a competent racing game to boot." Tom Price of Official Xbox Magazine praised the variety of vehicles, stating that it "is probably the biggest draw", but criticized the sound and outdated graphics. Official Xbox Magazine UK criticized the soundtrack and wrote that "it's not by any means the worst driving game ever made", but that "much like the Ford brand itself, there isn't really much in the way of glitz or glamour to it either." Douglass C. Perry of IGN reviewed the PS2 and Xbox versions. Perry criticized the graphics and music, and concluded: "My first and final impressions of this game? Blech. Ford Racing 3 is not a travesty, but it's not any good either. The best thing that can be said about it is it's filled with 55 Fords. And if you like Fords, well, they're here for you. But I cannot say that you'll have fun or find any kind of thrill driving them, looking at them, or enjoy collecting them, which is kind of the whole point behind this cheap-ass, mediocre, and minimal effort." Scott Alan Marriott of X-Play praised the Xbox version for its graphics and scenic race tracks, as well as its support of Xbox Live, but he criticized the controls, writing that "the cars and trucks don't grip the road tightly at all, resulting in a loose style of driving that often feels like you are nudging a boat on water instead of steering radial tires on asphalt." Greg Mueller of GameSpot reviewed the Xbox version and wrote: "Despite the license and some interesting gameplay modes, Ford Racing 3 comes off feeling generic and far less distinct than the real-life vehicles the game attempts to capture." Mueller further stated that the game "is a passable choice for fans of arcade-style racing because of its forgiving race physics and variety of gameplay modes. However, the game hasn't changed much since the previous installment in the series, and sim fans will be disappointed with the simplistic gameplay and weak vehicle customization options. Additionally, there are already a ton of arcade-style racing games on the market that do all of this better. The game does have some amusing moments, but it's ultimately a forgettable racing experience." Mueller later reviewed the DS version and wrote that "while the console versions of Ford Racing 3 have halfway decent racing mechanics and online play, the DS version has neither of these things, and it looks ugly too. The end result is a stiff, lifeless husk of a racing game that will disappoint even the most forgiving of Ford fanatics." IGN reviewed the DS version and felt that it was better than Visual Impact's previous game, Burnout Legends, while writing: "Ford Racing 3 is severely mediocre, but still not nearly as bad as some of the racers that hit the Nintendo DS in the past few weeks." David Chapman of GameSpy criticized the Xbox version's outdated graphics, generic sound effects: "The worst part though has to be the small selection of cheesy rock music that plays over and over until your ears bleed. Thankfully, the Xbox version supports custom soundtracks, so the torture is a short-lived affair." Chapman concluded that the game "winds up being a victim of its own mediocrity." Nate Ahearn of TeamXbox praised the gameplay and the option of customizable soundtracks, but criticized the sound effects. Code Cowboy of GameZone, reviewing the Xbox version, criticized the soundtrack but praised the gameplay and graphics, and concluded: "It's a simple, Ford-glorifying collection of racing adventure. It could be better in a lot of ways. There are a lot of faults to this game, but in all it's very playable and does provide some genuine fun." Code Cowboy later wrote about the GBA version: "The tracks look great — as long as you are not moving, which makes for a boring race! Once you engage in the race itself, your car is a pixilated mess and the scenery comes and goes at random. One moment you are heading towards a barricade, then it disappears…. only to reappear just in time for you to strike it. All along the courses, the scenes change, morph and vanish, which leads to a frustrating and confusing experience. Although some of the cars are detailed enough to tell what model it is supposed to be, most of them are vague, generic blocks with wheels."