Our resident racing enthusiast Bennett Ring is back to test drive the latest racing simulator, this time Playground Games' Forza Horizon. Utilising his very impressive simulation gear including a full racing cockpit and German Steering wheel, it's safe to say Bennett knows his strengths.
Forza Horizon is a strange attempt to diversify the Forza brand, but threatens to dilute what makes Forza so special in the first place. Thanks to a sloppy handling model, it lacks the precision required of its predecessor, so sim racers will probably struggle with the controls. Meanwhile arcade racers will struggle with more advanced driving techniques such as counter steering and throttle feathering.
Check out the full review for more.
Posted 11:56am 17/10/12
Posted 10:05am 18/10/12
Is it better or worse than the last one for drifting?
Posted 06:12pm 18/10/12
Posted 11:12pm 31/10/12
Yes cars drift, but not every car, at least not without making an effort. I haven't played FM4 to compare, though I played the earlier versions, but it seems a reasonable simulation to me. I can certainly tell the difference between various cars, or even performing upgrades/tweaks on a car. Get an AWD appropriately upgraded, leave TCS on, and it will stick to the road unless you really try to get it loose or put two wheels in the gravel.
I didn't feel micro transactions were forced down my throat at all. I did one to get the map (discount signs and barns) early on though so maybe it keeps suggesting that if you don't do it.
I agree somewhat with the cosmetic only damage model but I think it's a line they had to draw given the intended audience for the game is surely trying to get some of the more arcade focused racers like myself on board rather than the hardcore simulation fans.
The Audio is a delight on my home theater setup. The radio stations got turned off a while back. I need to hear when to change gears and the limited track selection gets old fast.
Jaggies are there if you get into the realm of custom decals though they mostly do a good job of applying some form of AA to remove them.
I haven't tried multiplayer yet. The Rivals system, race against your car club/friends/anyones ghost car, is great fun as long as you have a few folks to compete with.
You can do a few PR stunts at an outpost (only the Skills Stunt is particularly difficult) to have it be free to teleport there. Once you've unlocked them all and have a decent car to cruise around in getting to the next event is never going to take more than a few minutes. Besides, if you're not having fun doing it then maybe you aren't driving the right car or driving fast enough. :)
I can see myself easily passing the 100hr mark before I retire this game back to the shelf.