Having only extensively played the original Motorstorm and ATV Offroad Racing for the PS2 a long time ago, my references for racing games are a bit sparse. Going into it, Forza Horizon 4 is the first contemporary racing game I’ve played for longer than 30 minutes (looking at you Need for Speed: Rivals). Interestingly, I learned the Forza series does a sort of eventual obsolescence kind of like the WWE games. Where after a few years the game loses online support and gets delisted from the store. At least it’s not for nothing, as apparently third party license expirations are responsible for it. As disappointing as that is, the game is just as vast without online support and there were only a few modes I played PvP anyway. It’s simply the reason I’m starting with the fourth game in the series instead of the first.
Even without vast racing experiences I can recognize the top quality in every inch of this game. The graphics are gorgeous, the sheer volume of cars vast, and the amount of different race types dizzying. By hour 5 you’ll have practically filled up the world-map with how many markers there are for things to do. The game is also extremely accessible while still having tools for more experienced users. Tools like the life-saving rewind mechanic, car tuning to adjust to certain terrains, and vast difficulty modifiers make it so you can have a breezy journey or a tough trial, giving you bonuses depending on how difficult you make it. Not without purpose, in-game credits or earned wheelspins act as a constant stream of new toys to play with. Having spent no extra money on paid DLC or extra content I was easily left with over 50 cars by the end of my journey. Much like unlocking new races, the game always has something new to earn and test out.
Moreover, Forza Horizon has a season changing feature. Every real world week changes the in-game season from spring all the way to winter, giving a new appearance to the world and requiring you to change how you race. A select few races have predetermined weather conditions, like the showcase races (a personal favorite of mine), but for the most part it’s a constant state. It’s here where you really figure out what works and what doesn’t. Seasons like winter and spring will highly favor vehicles with greater traction while summer and autumn are a bit more lenient with high-sensitive turns. Not just races are affected either. For instance during the winter season you could drive over a frozen lake to cut through an area and save time, or maybe you have to go around because a river bed has filled up during the spring season. On the whole I really dug this feature and how it incentivizes playing at semi-regular intervals to see all there is to the game. A personal toggle for seasons when alone would be nice, maybe we’ll see that in a sequel.
Now Forza did take some getting used to. The fine controls and turning sensitivity is unlike any racing game I’ve ever played before. However after a while it really started to grow on me. Forza absolutely isn’t a mindless nitro booster game, but the satisfaction you get when you finally nail the rhythm of the racing is just as gratifying as when you would go flying off a motorcycle in Motorstorm. Even without online play Forza Horizon 4 is an easy recommendation for racing connoisseur and newbies alike. If that’s a sticking point though, the fifth game that recently came out looks just as good, is PvP accessible, and is next on my list to try. Otherwise with how the developers said they don’t have plans to delist the game anytime soon and with how often it goes on sale, there’s no better time than the present to pick it up.
Even without vast racing experiences I can recognize the top quality in every inch of this game. The graphics are gorgeous, the sheer volume of cars vast, and the amount of different race types dizzying. By hour 5 you’ll have practically filled up the world-map with how many markers there are for things to do. The game is also extremely accessible while still having tools for more experienced users. Tools like the life-saving rewind mechanic, car tuning to adjust to certain terrains, and vast difficulty modifiers make it so you can have a breezy journey or a tough trial, giving you bonuses depending on how difficult you make it. Not without purpose, in-game credits or earned wheelspins act as a constant stream of new toys to play with. Having spent no extra money on paid DLC or extra content I was easily left with over 50 cars by the end of my journey. Much like unlocking new races, the game always has something new to earn and test out.
Moreover, Forza Horizon has a season changing feature. Every real world week changes the in-game season from spring all the way to winter, giving a new appearance to the world and requiring you to change how you race. A select few races have predetermined weather conditions, like the showcase races (a personal favorite of mine), but for the most part it’s a constant state. It’s here where you really figure out what works and what doesn’t. Seasons like winter and spring will highly favor vehicles with greater traction while summer and autumn are a bit more lenient with high-sensitive turns. Not just races are affected either. For instance during the winter season you could drive over a frozen lake to cut through an area and save time, or maybe you have to go around because a river bed has filled up during the spring season. On the whole I really dug this feature and how it incentivizes playing at semi-regular intervals to see all there is to the game. A personal toggle for seasons when alone would be nice, maybe we’ll see that in a sequel.
Now Forza did take some getting used to. The fine controls and turning sensitivity is unlike any racing game I’ve ever played before. However after a while it really started to grow on me. Forza absolutely isn’t a mindless nitro booster game, but the satisfaction you get when you finally nail the rhythm of the racing is just as gratifying as when you would go flying off a motorcycle in Motorstorm. Even without online play Forza Horizon 4 is an easy recommendation for racing connoisseur and newbies alike. If that’s a sticking point though, the fifth game that recently came out looks just as good, is PvP accessible, and is next on my list to try. Otherwise with how the developers said they don’t have plans to delist the game anytime soon and with how often it goes on sale, there’s no better time than the present to pick it up.