After a week off, I’ve come back to the Xbox offices and one of the big games of the summer is in. Forza Motorsport 2 is a game that many of us have been looking forward to although as a Project Gotham man myself, I’ve been extra critical of its arrival. The first Forza game was a fine racing sim, but it never quite grabbed me with the same level of excitement that Bizarre Creations’ racers did.

Forza Motorsport 2 has really impressed us all though.  Forza 1 fans are quick to point out some of their favourite features and how they’ve improved – for starters the customisation is even more crazy than ever before.  The cars look incredible, better than in any other game out there at the moment and every car has realistic damage when you find yourself careering into a concrete barrier.

Getting used to a track racer again took a few attempts and some serious paint scratches, but after a while I was tearing up the courses in a tuned VW Golf R32.  The game feels really solid with tight, realistic controls and a selection of over 300 cars will have motor heads salivating.  You can play the whole game through in single player or with your friends to get all the accolades and unlock all the cars and achievements too.  It’s got me hooked and I’m looking forward to Forza 2 coming out in Europe on June 8^th.

When we’re not racing each other this week, we’re building vast armies of mammoth tanks and tackling the NOD menace in Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Kane is back and kicking ass in the new Command & Conquer, and the addition of the alien Scrin race only serves to add even more fun to the mix.  We’ll see you on Xbox Live for a victory dance with the Live Vision Camera soon!

If strategy’s not your thing, don’t miss Spider-Man 3 which came out last week.  The web slinger’s first next generation outing is seriously impressive, with a full-scale Manhattan to explore and Black Spider-Man to control.  Following the plot of the movie, the game also has a bunch of extra bosses and missions from the comic books that will keep you playing for months.  It may not quite be as big as Oblivion and its expansion The Shivering Isles, but it’s still one of the biggest and most entertaining adventures out this summer.  If you’ve never played a Spider-Man game before and think it might be up your street, you should definitely give this one a go.

As for us though, we’re trying to skin an Aston Martin DB9 Coupe to look half as good as some of the submissions we’ve had from you in our Forza Motorsport 2 competition!  Just sign up to the Xbox newsletter to find out how to enter and get a chance to win the game together with a Wireless Racing Wheel.

By Mark Eveleigh, Xbox.com Editor, Gamertag: Making Sparks