Forza Horizon - PGR lives!

[neoadorable]

OK, once more, i can't find anything here about this...

http://www.amazon.com/Forza-Horizon-Xbox-360/dp/B0050SYDEQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1350217083&sr=1-2&keywords=forza+horizon

The demo was fantastic, this looks like it's going to be one of my fave games of the year. i thought it would be a silly linear story-thing like The Run, but even though there does seem to be a story (which is not needed i think), it's more like Hot Pursuit in that you get an entire region to freely drive around, choose events etc. PLUS it's got the Forza sheen (better graphics than F3 by far), PLUS the car collection, PLLLLLLLUUUUUSSS the fun and madness of PGR!!! Yes, Project Gotham has been revided! balloons and confetti when you finish a race? check. Points for pretty much anything you do? Check. ok, so they're not Kudos, but they're still points!

This looks amazing! This gaming season has from lame to awesome in like a month, it makes last year look pale in comparison.

[RadishTM Veteran]

I was pleasantly surprised by the demo too, loved the Mustang vs. Mustang race. Definitely buying the game on release day (Y)

[+virtorio MVC]

Open World Forza sounds good to me.

Giant Bomb has a good Quick Look showing what you can except to be doing in it:

http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-forza-horizon/17-6675/

[MightyJordan]

Yes, Project Gotham has been revided! balloons and confetti when you finish a race? check. Points for pretty much anything you do? Check. ok, so they're not Kudos, but they're still points!

I wouldn't personally go as far as saying this is the revival of PGR, as in the demo, I didn't think it played like PGR. To me, it felt more like the gameplay of Test Drive Unlimited mixed with the theatrics of DiRT 2 (or Need for Speed ProStreet).

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

Definitely looking forward to this game, got my MS Wireless Racing Wheel waiting in my basement for it in fact. I prefer a tad more arcadey racer myself, do not like the super realistic ones all that much, so think I will dig this even more than previously.

[HawkMan]

It actually has the PGR DNA in another more significant way.

PGR's engine was actually a full heavy simulation engine at he back, that was tuned down to semi arcade. and Horizon of course has the full Forza power behind it.

[what]

I guess I'm the only one who found the demo boring. Car handling was awful, engine sounds were dull, music/voiceovers are terrible, and they don't even use controller vibration over dirt terrain. Overall it was a pretty lifeless experience, I wasn't drawn in at all.

I would give it some plus points for the graphics, but when everything is brown, it's difficult to justify.

[~Johnny]

I actually love the IQ on this game, whatever AA / smoothing their usng is ridiculously good - it's got to be the smoothest and cleanest console game I've ever come across. Easily better than Forza 4 as well. Makes me wonder what kinda of ridiculousness the Polygon reviewer was talking about when he derided Horizon's graphics.

On the topic of car handling, I didn't find it any more different than Forza, with most of the assists turned off. And the brown... well, the demo only shows a brown area of the map. It does include cities and forests and other more colourful areas in the actual game :p

[MightyJordan]

I guess I'm the only one who found the demo boring. Car handling was awful, engine sounds were dull, music/voiceovers are terrible, and they don't even use controller vibration over dirt terrain. Overall it was a pretty lifeless experience, I wasn't drawn in at all.

I would give it some plus points for the graphics, but when everything is brown, it's difficult to justify.

Yeah, I wasn't too into it either. I only played it for about 15 minutes, so can't really give a detailed opinion until I try it again (maybe tonight), but what peeved me the most is that it's another step backwards in the series in terms of framerate. I can't remember what the framerate in the original Forza was, but I know that Forza 2 was 60FPS with 30FPS replays, Forza 3 was the same as Forza 2, Forza 4 was the same again, but for some bizarre reason, when playing in the cockpit view, the rear-view mirror is 30FPS, and now Forza Horizon is completely 30FPS. That really takes a lot away from the experience for me. There's no real sense of speed like in the previous games (and the Gran Turismo games, and pretty much any PC sim around); they've tried to compensate by going down the EA route with the Need for Speed/SHIFT games of recent years: motion blur and shaky cameras, but that just doesn't work.

[Dotdot]

Getting bought day 1, why? So I can has TopGear challenges online :D

[HawkMan]

Yeah, I wasn't too into it either. I only played it for about 15 minutes, so can't really give a detailed opinion until I try it again (maybe tonight), but what peeved me the most is that it's another step backwards in the series in terms of framerate. I can't remember what the framerate in the original Forza was, but I know that Forza 2 was 60FPS with 30FPS replays, Forza 3 was the same as Forza 2, Forza 4 was the same again, but for some bizarre reason, when playing in the cockpit view, the rear-view mirror is 30FPS, and now Forza Horizon is completely 30FPS. That really takes a lot away from the experience for me. There's no real sense of speed like in the previous games (and the Gran Turismo games, and pretty much any PC sim around); they've tried to compensate by going down the EA route with the Need for Speed/SHIFT games of recent years: motion blur and shaky cameras, but that just doesn't work.

30 or 60 doesn't affect the feel of speed. in any case the reason for dropping it to 30 is simple. it's not a sim, it's an while not fully arcade, it's more arcadey and as the title suggest, more of a PGR game focused on graphics and fun.

[srbeen]

This game is a conglomerate of sorts to all the previous top-selling racing games with their specific 'awesome' factors rolled into one, including micro-transactions. Its enough sim to be hard and enough arcade to be fun. Its a nice upgrade to the forza series which holds its clean sim but enough extras to be fun without ruining it or going overboard.

[Razorwing]

Tried the demo, didn't like it at all. Still staying with Forza 4.

[randominteger]

Getting bought day 1, why? So I can has TopGear challenges online :D

Top Gear challenges aren't in the game. All the races are on the open world of the Horizon festival.

[Mr.XXIV]

I think I'm gonna download the demo now. I loved Forza 3 and 4 so I can't wait to see what's in store for this one. :D

[HawkMan]

People. this is not Forza 5, it is not a sim like Forza so don't expect it to be, this is the fun more arcadey version of Forza, using the same engine, but made for those that don't think driving the same tracks over and over and over for lap times is all that fun.

[~Johnny]

Yeah, this is more like Test Drive Unlimited 2 done right :p (Though, notably on a notably smaller world - that's still plenty big). For a new studio's first game, they've done an amazing job.

[HawkMan]

Well unlike TDU2 whch was based on a real life location (thus also less work to make) I'm guessing that there's been far more thought into the track design and such here. That's been my main gripe with NFS since they started with Open world with the horrible underground series. Open word is nice and all. but the tracks don't have the feel and love of the properly designed tracks of the old NFS games, driving through the fall leaves on tracks that re actually made to be fun to drive on.

[Dotdot]

Top Gear challenges aren't in the game. All the races are on the open world of the Horizon festival.

I mean me and 2 mates are going to pretty much set our own challenges and emulate the TopGear ones where they all say pick the best RWD and drive from one side of the state to the other, or see whos fastest thru certain speed traps etc.

I know theres a free-play mode online so Im going to set a lobby up and were going to just go from there :)

Forza 4`s still the serious, laps and tuning game. This is "play ground". Which with Forza physics etc is bloody awesome.

[Lingwo]

I think i am going to have to try the demo!

Soon as you mentioned PGR, i wanted to try it. PGR4 next to the Assassins Creed series is probably my favourite game i have for the 360.

It isn't surprising the game is good considering it was developed by ex Bizarre and Codemasters developers.

[neoadorable]

Lingwo, PGR4 stands as may face car game.of all time! Glad most.people.liked the demo, not sure about what's complaint re.the music, this game appears to have tons of radio stations and songs, just like PGR. Love that Hawk agrees with me for once heh heh!

Mighty, never played much of the modern Test Drives or Dirt games, so can't be sure, you may be right. I just know this felt a lot like PGR to me, and we know some of the team was involved.

And I knew Larry would break out the racing wheel for this one, was expecting it!

Forgive the horrible typing...friggin Win Phone!

[Lingwo]

Tried the demo and.... pre-ordered it. I really liked it. The tracks the demo offer didn't really give me the PGR feeling, they were long and corners were easy but the wheel to wheel driving gave me the PGR feeling. Hopefully the full game will have some more closed circuits. You could also definately tell it was using the Forza physics.

Also how does the game look so good and still keep the framerate. This is the benefit of developing for a single platform.

[neoadorable]

Lingwo, its a game where you race against aiplanes! Its PRG wacky, for sure. Yes, the tracks are Forza, not PRG city driving. And I agree, the gfx are miles better than Forza 4

[therat]

Looking forward to this, normal Forza gets a bit too serious for me although I still play it.

[HSoft]

I guess I'm the only one who found the demo boring. Car handling was awful, engine sounds were dull, music/voiceovers are terrible, and they don't even use controller vibration over dirt terrain. Overall it was a pretty lifeless experience, I wasn't drawn in at all.

I would give it some plus points for the graphics, but when everything is brown, it's difficult to justify.

You're not the only one. I love the Forza games and have played many, many hours in all the Forza's to date. downloaded the demo for this one and was seriously un-impressed. Cars didn't seem to handle like they do on Forza 4. The actual races are pretty short. It's not really an open racing area. Yes you can drive around the map to your hearts content but the actual races are pre-determined.

I'll give the demo another shot to see if it rubs off on me a bit more but for now, I'm sure glad I did play the demo as was going to buy this and now I probably won't.