Forza Horizon Reviews
This review was wrote to my site and is owned by me
Publisher
Microsoft Studios
Developer
Playground Games
Release Date
23rd OCTOBER 2012 (US)
26th OCTOBER 2012 (UK)
The Forza series are renowned for creating some of the most amazing simulation racing titles of the generation. But with Forza Horizon they have pushed aside the 100% racing sim genre, and delved into something that actually feels quite special...
Now imagine if you will, What sort of game would be created if Need For Speed, Forza, Test Drive Unlimited and Dirt had a game baby? I am sure you have probably reached where I am going with this. Your right its Forza Horizon...
A lot of titles released these days are trying to mimic the style in which Forza became so well known, so it seems strange they would do a U-turn and create a more arcade style racer. I am a huge racing fan, and I am unbiased towards arcade style racers or sim racers. And I believe it was a brave move to turn the series in a new direction. This may not be so well received by the hardcore Forza fans.
The publisher Playground Games have done a fantastic job on their first project. Based In the Midlands in the Uk and built up of people from Ubisoft, Codemasters, Bizarre and Rare to name but a few, This makes up a pretty decent base for any up and coming studio! And if their future releases hit the same mark as this they are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.
One of the first things that you will notice is the soundtrack is simply amazing. Driving around a picturesque world in a Ferrari blasting out some awesome tunes on the Bass Arena radio station (there are 2 others equally as good, But Bass arena is my favorite!) Stunning visuals and gameplay really do capture the blend of Arcade racing whilst still with the edge that it feels like a sim racer!
From the developer...
“Colorado is your automotive playground in Forza Horizon – a landscape full of incredible vistas and unforgettable landmarks to enjoy, and home to the best driving roads you’ll find anywhere. In Forza Horizon, you can go where you want, when you want. Explore the hundreds of miles of drivable roads, take the perfect photograph at your favorite locale, or join your friends and rip through the dirty, dusty back roads. Powered by a full day/night cycle, the open roads of Colorado have never looked more beautiful, or more inviting, than in Forza Horizon.”
Forza Horizon feature something I have never seen before and it makes the game feel more like a Top Gear show, rather than a racing game. For those know are unaware Top Gear is a show where 3 middle aged men get paid lots of money to drive the crème de la crème of cars whilst being able to do whatever they like for example pitting a Mercedes Benz SLR Mclaren against a cruise ferry over a distance of 1320 miles from Heathrow airport to Oslo, Norway. Well in Forza Horizon you get that in showcase events – I wont go into too much detail and ruin these landmark races but if you played the demo the first one you are racing a Mustang Plane whilst in a Mustang!
There are 70 festival events, 30 street races, 10 showcases and 7 Star Showcases which makes for quite a lot of racing fun. The ranking in the single player works on 2 separate scales. The first is your popularity. This increase as you do drifts or near misses and a vast array of other driving bonuses and as you get more popular you unlock the showcase events. The other is in the form of points earned from winning races. You start off with a yellow wristband and as you win more you then unlock the next wristband and at the same time unlock more races.
Another feature that s is a great addition is Barn Finds – Over the radio whilst you are driving around the presenter will announce a Barn find rumor. You will get an area that the barn is located in and then its up to you to get there and begin searching – The barn will contain a rare car in terrible condition like the Aston Martin DB5! Or the BMW M1!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Full details of the “Forza Horizon” Season Pass have now been released, including newly announced content that makes the Season Pass an even more tremendous value to Forza Horizon fans. In addition to monthly DLC car packs and exclusive bonus cars, the “Forza Horizon” Season Pass includes automatic access to the “Forza Horizon Rally Expansion” pack at no additional cost.
Here’s the complete rundown of content available to “Forza Horizon” Season Pass owners:
Month One Car Pack
The Month One Car Pack for “Forza Horizon” will be available at launch and will include six cars for use in “Forza Horizon”:
· 2012 Ferrari 599XX Evoluzione -- It’s notable that Ferrari considers itself a racing team first and automaker second. Leaving no gaps in the realm of elite performance, the XX line was created to bridge between Formula One and production cars. The Evoluzione has only 30 more horsepower than the previous 599XX but is a full second faster on Ferrari’s exclusive Fiorano test track.
· 2012 Lamborghini Aventador J -- Sparing no expense, and designed in a total of six weeks for its one prospective customer, Lamborghini created the open-air Aventador J. In its cockpit you won’t find any climate control—for obvious reasons—or navigation; they would simply add weight. Powered by the standard Aventador’s 700 horsepower 6.5-liter V12, the roofless—and ruthless--J can easily achieve speeds north of 180 mph.
· 2012 Gumpert Apollo Enraged -- One of the biggest and best-kept secrets of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, the Gumpert Apollo Enraged dropped jaws at its unveiling. The ultra-exclusive three units of production are street legal, but realistically are ready-to-race track cars.
· 2012 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider -- In the tradition of the open-air Giulietta of the 1950’s, but with all the performance and technology of the 8C Competizione Coupe, the 8C Spider is as graceful as you’d expect from an Alfa. It is also ready to pounce given a little motivation. Its body lines are supple; its interior boasts exposed carbon fiber and aluminum.
· 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 -- Revamping a classic car to match its predecessor is a difficult trick in the car business. The 2012 Mustang Boss 302 does so in every way and then some. Pure fun mixed with nostalgia doesn’t get much better than this.
· 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air -- Before the terms “stanced” or “tuner” were even a thought in the mind of any car enthusiast, there was the ‘57 Chevy. The Bel Air was the most upscale of the bodies sporting the most chrome and a golden grill. Whether you keep it classic, flourish it in flames, or drop in a big block, it will always get looks.
The Month One Car Pack is included free for “Forza Horizon” Season Pass owners, or available individually for 400 MS Points.
Six Monthly DLC Car Packs
Beginning in November, “Forza Horizon” fans will enjoy a steady stream of monthly DLC cars and the “Forza Horizon” Season Pass will give you instant access to all these cars as they are released. Each monthly DLC pack will include six incredible cars bound for Horizon Festival greatness – from cutting edge supercars to eminently drivable classics and all points in between. Individual DLC car packs will cost 400 MS Points but Season Pass owners will have access to the first six monthly DLC packs, from November 2012 through April 2013, at no additional cost. As always, fans will be able to use their DLC cars in a variety of monthly DLC-focused community events, contests, and challenges, including photo contests, Rivals events, and more.
Forza Horizon Rally Expansion Pack
The Forza Horizon Rally Expansion Pack will include new events, new cars, and new achievements and will cost 1,600 MS Points as a standalone purchase. The Rally Expansion Pack is included in the cost of the “Forza Horizon” Season Pass. Look for more info on this exciting expansion pack in the weeks to come.
Five Exclusive Season Pack Bonus Cars
In addition to the Month 1 Car Pack, the six Monthly DLC Packs and the Rally Expansion Pack, “Forza Horizon” Season Pass owners will also receive five exclusive Season Pass bonus cars, with one car delivered monthly for the next five months. Season Pass Bonus Cars will be available for download on the third Tuesday of each month from November 2012 through March 2013. The Season Pass Bonus Car for November is the 2006 Lamborghini Miura Concept. Look for more details on future Season Pass Bonus Cars in the coming weeks.
The “Forza Horizon” Season Pass will cost 4000 MS Points and represents savings of more than 15 per cent over buying the individual content packs. Look for the “Forza Horizon” Season Pass, available for purchase on Xbox LIVE at launch.
“Play and Win” Incentives: Players who purchase and play “Forza Horizon” during the first week of release will receive a free gift car – the Saleen S5S Raptor; a unicorn car typically only available from the “Forza Horizon” community team.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now to make you aware this game does feature collectibles BUT they appear on the map once you have discovered the road. And for an achievement you need to discover all of the roads so these 2 achievements should go hand in hand They also offer you discounts on the upgrades for your car! So smash 1 get 1% discount and so on... I am exploring as much as i can early on in order to save myself some money later into the game. There is one achievement which requires you need to have played Forza 3 or 4 and got to at least Driver Level 10, in order to unlock some loyalty cars but that can be done at a later date if like me and have deleted your save. All in all though the achievement list looks good and nothing as of yet looks overly difficult to get you get rewarded at each stage of the wristbands so you wont get fed up with not unlocking achievements. Apart from the loyalty achievement the list looks spot on
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Multiplayer
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The multiplayer consists of Circuit races, Point-To-Point Races, Street races,Infected,Cat and Mouse,King and Free Roam.
The first few modes are self explanatory and are your "Normal" race modes
Infected - You begin with 1 "infected" player and they need to tag "survivors" who in turn become infected and so on
Cat and Mouse - You are split into 2 team - Each team has one "Mouse" and the rest of the teams are "Cats" - They have to try to slow the enemy mouse down so their mouse can cross the finish line before the other mouse.
King - One person gets crowned "King" at the start of the race which is an open area, and needs to hold dodge the other players trying to steal his crown for the longest time possible
Free Roam - This mode is great fun. This is the same as during the single player. Here you can drive around with friends unlocking roads, collecting discount signs and completing co-op challenges. These net you a serious amount of in game credits! I am currently creating the guide for this. And there is an achievement for completing 10. A few are easy trading paint, drafting etc. But others are travel from X to X in a certain car during sunset to sunrise - Another is travel 8000 miles. These are accumulative for all the players in the free roam lobby!
For all of the positives of Forza Horizon of course there are negatives. Luckily no too many
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CRITICISMS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My criticisms I have for Forza Horizon so far are if you don't have the money to buy a vehicle you can use tokens. This is the same if you want to get the barns to appear on you map and the discount signs, you can you the treasure map. This costs 5 “tokens” which only seem to be able to be purchased with Microsoft points. 5 tokens will set you back 400msp. As an example to buy the 2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport for 2,200,000 in game credits or for 5 tokens
And even though it is open world you still feel trapped by fences, or walls and i think it takes away the expectational fun i was looking forward to like i have in sandbox / open world games. I for one just want to launch my car from a cliff face and respawn, don't you?
The soundtrack is amazing, some great artists and the DJ makes you feel you are part of the festival, but the cars don't roar how i remember from previous Forza titles. I used to love belting through a tunnel hearing the engine echoing like a symphony. The Forza Horizon effects don't make me feel this way. They seem a little flat and UN-noticeable
Unfortunately as of yet apart from the showcase event the events themselves needed more thought. So far (and if i turn out to be wrong at a later date i shall edit this part) the event are all the same. I am yet to find a drag style event or drift event, I am currently 3 bracelets in so there is still time for those style of events to make an appearance
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A very solid release from Playground Games, Turn 10 and Microsoft Studios. With the amount of DLC announced there should be enough to keep even the hungriest of racing enthusiasts occupied for quite some time. With breath taking visuals and an astounding soundtrack it honestly has been a pleasure to play. The cars themselves too look stunning. And the transition from Night to day is a great touch added to the game. The showcase events are the most innovative element I have seen introduced in a racing game. Even though I usually hate games that have a “Rewind” function Forza Horizon is a must buy for any racing fan.
But
- Due to having to have a save on Forza 3 or 4 in order to unlock 1 of the achievements.
- Because you are able to buy cars with tokens purchased using Microsoft points which is something i despise in all games
- The engines sounding a little dull and the feeling of the game not being quite so open world as i would have liked, with the addition the majority of the events feel a little unimaginative and varied.
My review score will be 4/5 stars
4.0
