Forza Horizon Review (XBOX360)

What do high-speed racing, a giant free roam map,

and catchy electronic music have in common?

 

Forza Horizon

 

So, the premise of the game is that there is some sort of Horizon Festival going on for racers to go race in, and you enter in it as a total nobody. But the way the game throws you in is BEAUTIFUL!

 

You are just watching a very nice/expensive yellow car just drive down a beautiful country road, immediately showing you how amazing the graphics are, and listening to some lady talk about this guy on the radio, and then you see this red car, also very nice/expensive, fly past the nice yellow car. Now, in most games you would probably just watch to see what happens, and that's what everyone expects when they are watching this cutscene. But then, rather than waiting, you are made, without ANY WARNING, the driver of the yellow car. You then just follow the green line on the road, and chase after the red car. You don't actually have to beat the red car, but it makes you feel like this is very urgent, and you have to pass him.

 

This is just one of the many moments Forza Horizon will throw traditonal racing games selection screen out the window. To get to any of the races in the game,  rather then picking it from a menu, you have to drive directly to the location of the race. But, when you are bored, it is very nice to just stumble upon a race, rather then selecting it. It adds that feel of doing things on a whim, rather then looking at a screen of different races you can enter.

 

But it gets even better. You could just be bored, and feel like driving through a fantastic landscape, but none of the tracks really fit what you are in the mood for? Just drive in free roam! You can go ANYWHERE on a map that is huge! And the whole thing has been made with beautifully crafted roads, country houses, and even a giant festival square with cheering crowds.

 

But, what if you want to have a goal WHILE you're driving to your next race. Well, for those of you who want to fling yourselves into racing, they have a sort of score system. If you've ever played any of the PGR games, this might sound familiar.

 

Every time you drift, go on 2 wheels, pass an opposing car smoothly, or just squeeze between 2 cars on the highway, you get "popularity points". These points add on to your rank among the other "Horizon Racers". It is VERY entertaining to build up a huge point combo along the way to my next race.

 

But, for the people who absolutely MUST have a reward, don't worry, those popularity ranks give you something.

 

Every 25 popularity ranks you gain, you get access showcase event. These events are crazy events, where you will race against things that (most of the time) are flying. So far I've raced against a hot air balloon, a plane, helicopter. It's really amazing to be driving 130 MPH in a muscle car, and have a plane pass above you only 15 feet above your car, shaking the camera. But, you have to race whatever car the event gives you, but if you win, you get the car. And money. Money is always good.

 

So, with TON of cars, amazing graphics, this game is a masterpiece. I bet you're waiting for me to list the bad things about the game, but I can't really think of any. This game is amazing.

 

Game Rating: 9.5/10. Impossibly Amazing.

What it costs: $59.99

What it's worth: $59.99