Forza Horizon 2 review
Have you ever driven a Lamborghini Huracan? It's the ultimate combination of jaw-dropping style and pure, primal power; blended together to make one of the most coveted supercars in history. No? Well I have. Actually I've been lucky enough to drive it off a ferry and speed through the sun-kissed streets of northern Italy, leaving bystanders in awe.
At least, I have done in Forza Horizon 2. And because the game is so damn good my experience is probably better than the real thing anyway.
Horizon 2 carries on the theme started so superbly by its predecessor by being built around a festival that celebrates all things cars. Only this time, the party has moved on to Europe and takes place across France and Italy, introducing all the wonderful scenery those countries are known for. Europe provides a brilliant backdrop for the sizable open-world you'll be exploring, one that'll have you pumping the breaks as you drive over bridges just to have a pleasant look at the ocean views.
Let me elaborate: Horizon 2 is stunning. Each of the 200 cars has been beautifully realised right down to the last detail. Whether you're a motor junkie or simply a casual car fan, there's no way you can't be impressed by what's on show here. Maybe even more captivating is the environment you find yourself in, be it the coastline of Italy or the countryside of France the visuals never let up.
Even more importantly, when it comes to competing in races the action remains smooth throughout with no noticeable slowdown at any point. Which is a good thing, as you'll be spending most of your time taking part in the plethora of championship events on offer.
Horizon 2 offers a bit of a twist on the original in that you'll be taking part in road trips to different towns and cities across the world. Before each road trip you're asked to pick a championship you'd like to compete in, and then you get given a choice of cars that you can use for that particular set of events. Once you've picked your vehicle you drive to the marked location on the map, giving you a chance to get used to the speed and handling in a free roam mode, and then take part in races to build up your name. The ultimate goal is to win enough events to qualify for the Horizon finale.
Adding a little extra to the Xbox One version is the addition of a dynamic weather system, which means rain can fall from the sky halfway through a race and you'll have to adjust your driving accordingly. Driving in wet and slippery conditions makes turning that much harder, while water shoots up from the road as cars struggle not to lose their grip. Not only does it affect gameplay but it makes cars look even more beautiful as the light glimmers off the rear windows.
Races involve either circuits where you'll be doing laps or point-to-point where you sprint from one end to the other as fast as possible. The action can also take place off-road and you'll find yourself taking down fences, drifting across farmyards and bunny-hopping over the hillside. The off-road sections really make for thrilling stuff, and a major highlight is when you're forced to take your electrifying supercar into a field mid-race and try not to spin out and lose control. Thankfully the rewind feature is still here so with a tap of a button you can go back a few seconds to try and eradicate your mistakes.
Accompanying you in the single-player story is a man named Ben, who happens to be a great racer himself and is your guide to everything that happens during the festival. Ben means well, but unfortunately the way he carries himself starts to grate before too long and you'll probably find yourself wanting to ditch him as fast as possible. He's like the overly friendly guy at a party who won't stop talking and somehow always manages to get the girl.
Luckily he's only really prevalent during the road trips so he's pretty much consigned to the occasional cut scene. We much prefer Anna, who you can actually talk to using Kinect.
Okay, so maybe you only talk at her, but it's a fun novelty nonetheless. Anna is your GPS, who you can activate anytime by saying her name out loud. From there you can ask her what to do next, or where the nearest event is. She even informs you when a friend starts an online road trip, so you can join them if you fancy it.
Asking her to pick something out for you will mark a location on your mini-map and a green line will appear on the road to guide you all the way to your destination. Thankfully Anna can also point you in the direction of extra content that drains up even more of your time, such as rare cars found in barns and Bucket List challenges.
The Bucket List involves a number of high-powered cars that are dotted around the world for you to get in and undertake challenges with. It could involve driving a high-powered Ferrari as fast as possible to a chosen location, or maneuvering a Ford Sierra Cosworth around a golf course to gain as many style points as possible within a given time. Ticking off tasks from the Bucket List is one of the most rewarding aspects of the game as it's a few minutes where you can just go crazy with enjoyable rides.
The thing that makes Forza Horizon 2 almost perfect is a feeling of constant progression. There's an XP system in place where you're gifted points for performing well in races, but you can also pick up points in another meter for driving stylishly and even recklessly. This means that simple short drives across town can see you accumulate a number of points just by crashing into a lamppost or pulling off an awesome drift round a corner. Why would you ever want to go back to a track-racing game when driving madly across an open world is this much fun? There are 315 roads to be discovered on the map and you'll be notified and gain XP every time you drive down a new one. There're also speed camera challenges, encouraging you to hurry through a road quickly to gain a respectable position on an online leaderboard.
The XP points are used to gain levels, and leveling brings up a wheel spin jackpot game where you can win credits or cars with every turn. Leveling in the skills meter will reward you with perks, which are small bonuses - such as getting extra XP points for doing certain things during a race - that help to boost you that little bit more as you get to the latter stages of the game.
Credits are the currency in Horizon 2, and you can use them to buy new cars, modify your existing ones or fast travel to specific locations if you don't feel like doing the drive. The car customisation has plenty of depth, as you can fiddle with the engine, exhaust and pretty much everything else until you have everything just the way you like it. You can also create custom liveries for specific cars and upload them so that anyone around the world can use your design, or use a livery built by another player if you think your ride needs to be spruced up quickly.
That feeling of being connected and always having other people to share your experience with is something Forza Horizon 2 tries to embrace, and online play is a few simple clicks away. Simply head to the main menu and select the 'Online Road Trip' option, and the game will attempt to find other players to fill your world. After that your single-player game will go on the backburner and you'll be meeting up with other players, heading to different towns and competing against each other. Multiplayer also brings back the King and Infected game modes from the first Horizon, both of which are great fun that we never get tired of.
We also couldn't go a whole review without mentioning the music, which is superb and adds to the festival and party atmosphere significantly. There are seven radio stations this time around, all tailored to a particular taste, and it's a soundtrack that rivals any we've heard in a video game. During certain points in the game the radio DJs will inform you of the latest goings on at the festival, and it all adds to the immersion.
The only meaningful criticism is that gameplay can start to feel like a grind leading up to the finale, when you're doing the same type of race over and over but just in a different style of vehicle. A greater variation on the racing modes - like the enjoyable Showcase events that see you compete against planes and trains - would have been welcome. A story with a few more lead characters other than bothersome Ben would also have helped, but as far as racing games go the narrative is still above par.
Forza Horizon 2 has the looks, it definitely has the style, it's built upon solid gameplay and despite the cheesy campaign it'll keep you coming back for weeks. The original is not only bettered, it's been blown out of the water and you have to admit it's a stellar advert for the Xbox One and what it can achieve. There are a good number of racing games arriving in the coming months but the first one out of the blocks will take some beating.