Forza Horizon

Forza Horizon
Original cover art featuring the SRT Viper GTS
Developer(s) Playground Games[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Microsoft Studios
Series Forza
Platform(s) Xbox 360
Release
  • NA: 23 October 2012[1]
  • AU: 23 October 2012
  • EU: 26 October 2012
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Forza Horizon is an open-world racing video game for Microsoft's Xbox 360 video game console developed by Playground Games in association with Turn 10 Studios. The game is the fifth release under the Forza series, although it was (at the time of its release) a spin-off of the original Forza Motorsport title scheme.[2] Forza Horizon 2 was released in 2014 and Forza Horizon 3 in 2016; Forza Horizon 4 was released in October 2018.

The game revolves around the fictitious Horizon Festival, a street racing event set in the state of Colorado. The game incorporates many different game-play aspects from previous Forza Motorsport titles, like the large variety of cars, realistic physics and high definition graphics. The aim is to progress through the game by means of obtaining wristbands via winning races, while also increasing their popularity level by driving fast, destroying property, and performing other stunts and antics. It features the physics of Forza Motorsport 4, which have been optimised to work on the 65 variants of terrain said to be present in the game. Players can drive off-road in select areas, while others, such as large cliffs, are limited by guardrails or other means.[3]

Gameplay

Forza Horizon features an updated version of the Forza Motorsport 4 engine. Here a Ferrari F40 races a biplane in a point-to-point race.

In an interview with Turn 10's creative director Dan Greenawalt, he stated the game was developed in close relation to real music festivals—namely Coachella—and that he envisioned a more relaxed game-play experience than other games in the Forza series, while keeping a more realistic handling style, saying "Everyone's hanging out in the same way they would at a summer music festival. It's summer, right? So you're there with your friends, in groups, things like that. So it's all the way through it.". Being the main theme of the game, a large focus of the game is on the festival itself and activities surrounding it, rather than just racing.[4]

Multiple race types are included, from drift to rally and point-to-point races. The roads feature both AI traffic and other festival drivers.[5] Players may challenge the other racers they encounter in a one-on-one race to a given location. The races start at the current location, and finish at a randomly generated way-point. The AI have the ability to use shortcuts to their advantage.[6] Races will take place at different times throughout the day/night cycle included in the game, including night races.[5] A skill system is implemented in the game; players earn street cred during races by driving aggressively. Acts such as drifting, jumping over obstacles and getting a car on two wheels all contribute to the cred. These can be chained together in a combo, which in turn affects the money players are paid at the end of a given race.[7] Cred also affects a player's popularity level in the game. As a player's popularity increases new special events are unlocked, such as races against helicopters and planes.[7]

Speed traps are present in the game, and players can challenge each other for the top speed in a given area. Cameras record player times, which can then be shared among rivals. Those rivals can then attempt to beat the shared time.[7] A photography mode is also included.[5] In addition to races, the map is scattered with barn find cars, rare classical vehicles that can be restored and added to the players garage.[6]

Other aspects of game-play include an auto-show, in which the player can buy or sell cars; a garage, in which the player can manually or automatically upgrade their cars, and a paint shop, in which players can create custom paints, liveries, and paint presets for their vehicles. When free-roaming, the player may encounter discount signs which, when smashed, give a price reduction on all upgrades from that point forwards. All paint presets are free to create and may be bought or sold on the marketplace for in-game money.

Development

Forza Horizon was developed by UK-based Playground Games, which is composed of employees who formerly worked at various studios renowned for earlier racing titles and series such as Project Gotham Racing, Driver, Colin McRae: Dirt, Colin McRae Rally, Race Driver: Grid and Burnout.[8] When asked about Playground Games' involvement, Dan Greenawalt said, "I wouldn't trust this partner as much as I do if I didn't expect them to surprise me and surprise our players. I have respect for their ability to come up with great ideas. So I think yes, they are challenged by the customers the same way we are to surprise them with innovation. That's how they see themselves, that's how we see them, it's how they see us. It's really a shared goal."[9]

Though Forza Horizon is in the hands of an outside developer, Dan Greenawalt believes such risks are needed to meet the vision for the franchise. "Of course it's a risk," Greenawalt told VideoGamer.com, "But some of the best racing games in the last twenty years have come out of the UK racing game development studios, and that's Black Rock, and Slightly Mad, and Bizarre Creations, and even Criterion Games. There's a whole lot of these great racing game developers in the UK, and the talent Playground Games has attracted and distilled down into this team gives me great faith."[10]

Development of the environment began with research on almost 30 real-world locations. After initial research, creative director Ralph Fulton stated that there was "one clear winner", Colorado, USA.[11] Trips were made to the state to take footage and over 50,000 still photos for reference. The goal, stated Fulton, was to "build our own take on Colorado".[11] Initial world design began with a 2D layout which then evolved into multiple areas created with 3D models. The game features several types of landscape including snow-covered mountain roads, plains, foothills, and an area inspired by Colorado's Red Rocks Park; all are featured in a fictitious form alongside the game's Horizon festival location. The developers stated that finding ways to transition between these areas was one of the greatest challenges.[11] Flora and fauna are also visible in the game for increased realism and depth.[11]

Extremely rare unicorn cars such as the Ferrari Dino 246 were added to increase the game's community presence; developer Playground Games awards these rare cars to players for community involvement.

A partial reveal of the vehicle list began on Forza's Twitter and Facebook pages on 23 August 2012.[12][13] The list includes a 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge, a 2012 Hennessey Venom GT, and a Lamborghini Countach LP500 QV, among many others.[14] A season pass was confirmed for future downloadable content (DLC) on 25 September 2012. It allows players to download the first six car packs, consisting of six cars each, gives players five exclusive cars, and will grant access to the game's rally racing expansion pack slated for 18 December 2012 release.[14][15] Vehicle selections vary between monthly instalments, and each vehicle can be purchased individually if players so choose. These vehicles include the Lamborghini Aventador J, Gumpert Apollo Enraged, Alfa Romeo 8C Spider, 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Halo Edition and the 1993 McLaren F1. Unicorn cars — cars that are rare and unobtainable through conventional means — can be given to players by the developer for community involvement in both in and out-of-game situations and events.

The 1000 Club was released on 16 April 2013, as a free DLC pack in the Xbox Marketplace. It was designed to extend the gameplay of Forza Horizon by adding new achievements and in-game medals. It includes two free cars, the Ruf CTR2 and the Ford F100. With the 1000 Club, each car in the game has about five or six in-game achievements that can be unlocked. By completing some of these achievements, players can unlock Xbox achievements.

Community Manager of the series, Brian Ekberg, announced in September 2016 that the game has reached the "End of Life" status, meaning that the game and all its DLC has been removed from storefront effective 20 October 2016.[16]

Soundtrack

The game's soundtrack contains several dubstep tracks, with a demonstration showing a variation of Avicii's "Levels" remixed by American music producer Skrillex. Three fictional radio stations are featured, all catering to different styles and genres of music. Some featured songs are from highly popular producers, while some are from lesser-known artists, and multiple Australian artists, such as Cut Copy and Empire of the Sun. Playground Games worked with DJ Rob da Bank, also being the founder of a music festival, Bestival. He curated the featured songs and design of the festival, giving a more authentic experience. In an interview with DJMag, he said, "I was brought on board right at the start as a sort of creative consultant. Not just overseeing the music soundtrack, but also the design of the festival within the game, how the radio stations work in the car, and loads of other bits — including how you never put toilets near the food areas.[...]"[17][18]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic85/100[19]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid9/10[20]
Edge8/10[21]
EGM8.5/10[22]
Eurogamer9/10[23]
Game Informer8.5/10[24]
Game Revolution[25]
GameSpot8.5/10[26]
GameTrailers9/10[27]
GameZone9.5/10[28]
Giant Bomb[29]
IGN9/10[30]
Joystiq[31]
OXM (US)9/10[32]
Polygon6/10[33]
The Daily Telegraph[34]
Digital Spy[35]

Forza Horizon received "favourable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[19] Scores range from a two perfect scores given by Jeff Gerstmann of Giant Bomb and David Wahlström of Eurogamer Sweden to a 60% approval from Philip Kollar of Polygon.[29][33][36] The majority of scores were of an 80% approval rating or higher.[19] It ranked in the top 20 Xbox LIVE titles for the first two months following its release.[37]

Eurogamer deputy editor Oli Welsh called Horizon "a big, exciting game that finally brings car enthusiasts together with the realistic open roads they crave."[23] Welsh noted that the control scheme and realistic handling allows players to enjoy driving even the slowest of cars.[23] GamesRadar's Sterling McGarvey felt that sometimes the cars lacked precise handling, but gave high marks for the game's environment and vast amount of activities to do.[38] Matthew Kato of Game Informer praised the game's visuals. He gave high marks for the dynamic day/night cycle and the detailed environment and vehicles.[24] He also praised the online multiplayer, including the game's Cat and Mouse multiplayer chase mode. Kato did note that much of the open world is blocked by guardrails, thus blocking a player's ability to chart their own paths during events such as a race against a plane.[24]

In a more critical review Polygon's Philip Kollar noted that he felt the open-world environment felt empty. He further criticised the game's aggressive and expensive DLC plan. He stated that while the content is not forced on the player "it feels like the game is desperate to squeeze your wallet empty."[33] Kollar said that Forza Horizon "is at its best when it drops the sim pretence and embraces its arcade nature".[33]

Non-video game publications gave high praise for the game also. The Digital Fix gave it nine out of ten, saying that it "marks a new direction for the series and one that deserves your attention. Not only does it provide top notch visuals, a fantastic summer soundtrack and a wealth of racing options, it makes a traditionally sterile racing simulator just down right [sic] fun."[39] The Daily Telegraph gave it a score of four stars out of five, calling it "a thrilling, charismatic, feel-good racer. They are the definitions that matter."[34] The Globe and Mail also gave it a score of eight out of ten, calling it "a refreshing take on the racing genre that successfully straddles the line between serious car porn simulation and arcade-like bang 'em up games (including its voracious hunger for your "quarters")."[40] Digital Spy similarly gave it four stars out of five, saying, "It will be interesting to see how Forza Horizon fares against Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Criterion's new open world racer that is out next month. But in the absence of that review, it is clear that Playground Games has seriously raised the bar in all areas for the non-linear racing genre with Forza Horizon, and others will now have to play catchup."[35] The Guardian likewise gave it four stars out of five, stating, "The game's most compelling aspect is its almost RPG-like popularity engine, which encourages you to see every slight kink in the road as a means to show off. If driving like a hooligan without having to face any consequences – in cars you'll never be able to afford – sounds appealing, then you'll love Forza Horizon. Whether by accident or design, Microsoft has hit upon a format that gives its flagship driving franchise the credibility it previously lacked."[41]

In Japan, Famitsu gave it a total score of 36 out of 40.[42] One reviewer said, "The way you participate in events and run races on public roads serves well as a new direction for the series. Earning popularity for things like drifting and other stuff makes it fun to just drive around, but I still wish there was something more unique to this game. I have to give top marks to the graphics and ease of play, though."[42] Another reviewer stated, "This used to be a really stoic racing simulator, but this is more of a driving game designed to be easy to pick up. I feel like the controls are more forgiving, too, and the open-world freedom makes the whole thing a lot more approachable."[42]

Notes

  1. ↑ Additional work was provided by Turn 10 Studios.

References

  1. ↑ Jackson, Mike (4 June 2012). "E3 2012: Forza Horizon release date confirmed". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  2. ↑ McInnis, Shawn (5 March 2012). "Why It's Not Too Early to Get Excited Over Forza Horizon". GameSpot. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  3. ↑ "Forza Horizon -- Behind the Scenes Episode 1". Microsoft Studios via YouTube. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "'Forza Horizon' interview: Turn 10 on the festival-inspired racer". Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 "Forza Horizon -- Behind the Scenes Episode 1". Microsoft Studios via YouTube. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Forza Horizon -- Behind the Scenes Episode 2". Microsoft Studios via YouTube. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Kubba, Sinan (9 October 2012). "PSA: Forza Horizon demo is go go go, also new screens and dev diary". Engadget (Joystiq). Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  8. ↑ McInnis, Shawn (5 March 2012). "Why It's Not Too Early to Get Excited Over Forza Horizon". GameSpot. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  9. ↑ Hicks, John (5 March 2012). "Forza Horizon (Preview)". Official Xbox Magazine UK. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  10. 1 2 Gaston, Martin (6 March 2012). "Forza Horizon is a risk, says Turn 10". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Forza Horizon -- Behind the Scenes Episode 2". Microsoft Studios via YouTube. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  12. ↑ Schommer, John (12 September 2012). "Forza Garage: Horizon Roundup 9/12/12". Microsoft Studios. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  13. ↑ "Forza Horizon Car Roster". Microsoft Studios via Facebook. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  14. 1 2 Schramm, Mike (25 September 2012). "Forza Horizon gets a Season Pass, $50 for access to all DLC". Engadget (Joystiq). Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  15. ↑ Hinkle, David (18 September 2012). "Forza Horizon post-launch plan includes monthly car packs, first 'expansion pack' on Dec. 18". Engadget (Joystiq). Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  16. ↑ Osborn, Alex (24 September 2016). "Original Forza Horizon for Xbox 360 Reaching End of Life Status Next Month". IGN. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  17. ↑ "'Forza Horizon' interview: Turn 10 on the festival-inspired racer". Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  18. ↑ "Rob Da Bank interview". DJMag.com. 10 December 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  19. 1 2 3 "Forza Horizon for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  20. ↑ North, Dale (12 October 2012). "Review: Forza Horizon". Destructoid. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  21. ↑ Edge staff (18 October 2012). "Forza Horizon review". Edge. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  22. ↑ Carsillo, Ray (23 October 2012). "EGM Review: Forza Horizon". EGMNow. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  23. 1 2 3 Welsh, Oli (12 October 2012). "Forza Horizon review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  24. 1 2 3 Kato, Matthew (12 October 2012). "Forza Horizon - Forza Gets That New Car Smell Again". Game Informer. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  25. ↑ Tan, Nick (15 October 2012). "Forza Horizon Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  26. ↑ McInnis, Shaun (12 October 2012). "Forza Horizon Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  27. ↑ "Forza Horizon Review". GameTrailers. 16 October 2012. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  28. ↑ Splechta, Mike (19 October 2012). "Review: Forza Horizon is an adrenaline filled, masterful spin-off". GameZone. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  29. 1 2 Gerstmann, Jeff (12 October 2012). "Forza Horizon Review". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  30. ↑ Reilly, Luke (12 October 2012). "Forza Horizon Review". IGN. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  31. ↑ Mallory, Jordan (15 October 2012). "Forza Horizon review: Baby, you can drive my car". Engadget (Joystiq). Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  32. ↑ Mahood, Andy (12 October 2012). "Forza Horizon review". Official Xbox Magazine. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  33. 1 2 3 4 Kollar, Philip (12 October 2012). "Forza Horizon review: into the sunset". Polygon. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  34. 1 2 Hoggins, Tom (29 October 2012). "Forza Horizon review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  35. 1 2 Laughlin, Andrew (17 October 2012). "'Forza Horizon' review (Xbox 360) - For the love of the open road". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  36. ↑ Wahlström, David (23 October 2012). "Recension: Forza Horizon". Eurogamer Sweden. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  37. ↑ "Top LIVE". Official website of Larry Hryb, director of programming for Xbox Live. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  38. ↑ McGarvey, Sterling (12 October 2012). "Forza Horizon review". GamesRadar. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  39. ↑ Phillips, Andrew (25 October 2012). "Forza Horizon". The Digital Fix. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  40. ↑ Nowak, Peter (26 October 2012). "Latest Forza trades grim sim realism for bang-em-up fun". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  41. ↑ Boxer, Steve (16 October 2012). "Forza Horizon - review". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  42. 1 2 3 Gifford, Kevin (17 October 2012). "Japan Review Check: AKB48, Borderlands 2: Forza: Horizon". Polygon. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
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