Even before Forza 3 was released, it was expected to sell well. The tour de force sequel simply had more of everything that made the previous games good, as well as Turn 10’s hard work to create something that was far beyond what had ever been seen from a racing game on the Xbox 360. In reviews of Forza 3, the game has been scoring at the highest levels and has been winning all sorts of awards.

As we have seen in the past, however, excellent reviews, strong buzz and lots of awards don’t necessarily equal sales in the way that perhaps one might expect. In North America, which was considered by most to be the strongest market for Forza 3, the game checked into the sales rankings for the Xbox 360 at number 2, with Borderlands holding onto the top spot.

Surprising sales outside North America paint an interesting picture, with Forza 3 dropping into the sixth spot in Japan, while Forza 3 was able to achieve the top spot in the U.K. for an Xbox 360 title. The numbers in Japan are especially unexpected, with estimates that Microsoft has already been able to move 50,000 copies of the game since release. However, with no Gran Turismo 5 title to compete with it in Japan on top of the strength of the positive reviews, Japanese racing fans may have decided to give Forza 3 a try.

Right now, it is expected that Forza 3 should dominate Xbox 360 sales until Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 drops for the Xbox 360. However, our sources have indicated to us that Forza 3 does have longer term sales potential based on past experience with racing titles that seem to continue to sell over time. After experiencing Forza 3 for ourselves, we can tell you that even if you are not necessarily a typical fan of racing games, Forza 3 has the unique feature of being able to be picked up and played by anyone; and it simply looks great and plays well. We have to agree with the reviewers, in that it is a lot of fun to play and it offers so many different experiences within one game that are beyond just racing.