Ray Willmott reviews Forza Horizon 2…
Once known as special, occasional releases, Forza Motorsport games now come at us annually. Sadly, most people would rather forget last years’ Forza Motorsport V, if not just for the microtransactions. While beautiful and full of detail, the Xbox One launch title could be considered the first real slip-up Turn 10 Studios have made with the franchise.
Fortunately, Forza Horizon 2 puts the franchise back on track and then-some.
Where Forza games are generally recognised for having some of the most beautiful looking cars, Horizon 2 also boasts absolutely glorious scenery and location shots. From Italy to Southern France, players will journey through Europe as part of the travelling ‘Horizon Festival’ and attempt to beat out their competitors and become festival champion.
The attention to detail recreating Nice and Tuscanny and Provence is just astounding. My eyes melted watching these areas unfold while I drove past, almost at the speed of light. Whether you’re gawping at the sun setting, the recreation of houses, the night and day effect or the dynamic weather conditions, even if you’re journeying through valleys and along long stretches of road, Horizon 2 is simply breathtaking.
But mechanically, the game is also an absolute delight. You can quite simply jump into Forza Horizon 2 and lose 4-5 hours without even realising time has passed. It has a real, honest to goodness hook and will keep you entertained with all types of events, whether you’re racing against the AI, competing against your friends, tackling Bucket List challenges or just cruising. The map is littered with side missions and objectives and conceals at least 50+ hours of gameplay across all activities.
The Bucket List challenges are a new feature this time around, enabling you to take the wheel of famous cars and engage in equally notorious activites, whether you’re recreating the scene of a film, or seeing the sights every tour guide recommends. The first challenge is simple, requiring you to drive from point A to B in a certain time frame, but there are also other activities like chasing the sun down, to passing speed cameras at the fastest speed possible. The challenges range in difficulty and are enough of a re-sell on their own.
There are also a wealth of boards around the map which net you experience points by smashing through them. Get them all to earn a special reward. On top of that, earning XP enables you to change car attributes, such as improving drift quality, the acceleration of your car, the handling and any other number of things.
But the game really comes to life online. Playground Games have devised an environment that really thrives when other people on your friends list are playing the game. You can tail your buddies car and challenge their ghost to a race. You can even encounter perfect strangers if you’ve enabled the option in your game. While you’re cruising around, you’ll constantly see people you recognise doing their own thing, but also random AI cars and even animated crowds cheering you on. Playground have done a remarkable job inhabiting this space and giving it a real, three-dimensional feel. Not just through the graphics and the sounds of car engines revving, but by actually dispelling the illusion that you’re alone at Horizon Festival. That this really is a grand event that attracts people from all over the world.
Whether your car of choice is a Lambourghini or a Chevy, whether you’re a hardened Forza/car-racing game veteran or a casual fan like me, Horizon 2 has something for everyone’s tastes and is, unquestionably, the car-racing gift that keeps on giving. Yet another big reason to invest in an Xbox One, this Christmas.
Pros
- Gorgeous Graphics
- Stunning car-handling
- Addictive and replayable
- Effortlessly engaging
Cons
- Occasional frame-rate stuttering
Rating – 9.5/10
Ray Wilmott
Originally published October 3, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
