Forza Horizon 3- Better Than Ever...
Often seen as challenging Playstation’s Gran Turismo, it is
little wonder Forza has had such a presence. And it’s market grew wider still
as the first Forza Horizon made an entrance in 2012, bringing a more arcade,
open world style take on the driving simulator Motorsport series.
Built on the same solid race mechanics as its more serious predecessor,
Forza Horizon’s popularity took off and it was soon evident that there was an untapped
market just waiting for Turn 10 and Microsoft Studios. Not willing to let the
standards of the Forza Motorsport series drop, Playground Games was handed the
reigns of the valuable project and put their own expertise into making Forza
Horizon 2 an even bigger success. This also allowed the freedom for yearly
instalments of the game which has continued to keep the broad Forza fan base
engaged.
With so much success to this point, it is not surprising how
highly anticipated a third Horizon game would be. And as that first trailer
launched, showcasing some incredibly impressive graphics in an as yet untouched
country, Forza Horizon fans around the world were more than ready to get back
into the festival and see what new experiences Forza had to offer…
History aside, its time to dive in to Forza Horizon 3 and
get some tires squealing!
Taking a slightly different route than the last two games of
the series, Horizon 3 will have you creating your own festival instead of just
participating in it. On a jigsaw style map resembling the Australian east coast
you are given notable destinations and tasked with creating an expanding a
Horizon Festival at most of them. Starting in Byron Bay you’ll be thrown in the
deep end performing ludicrous stunts aimed to impress and hopefully attain
Fans. The more fans you have the faster
you will be able to take your festival to new locations with different tracks
and events.
There is no way to describe that first glimpse of the
Australian landscape presented in your very first moments with Forza Horizon 3
except to say- Wow! It’s immediately evident that such a visually stunning
piece of work has had a lot of love and attention put into it. You could be
forgiven for crashing a few times in those first races (not that I did *ahem*)
because the scenery speeding past your window is just so eye catching and you
want to take it all in.
True to its name Forza, which is the Italian word for “strength”
or “force”, there is plenty of fast paced action to be had. Boasting over 350
cars that garage is fuller than ever before! The speed with which you are
propelled across these varied landscapes is adrenaline inducing and it’s so
much of the reason why Forza Horizon is such a thrill to be immersed in.
From Australian rainforests, to the stretching coast of the
Twelve Apostles, beach side cities like Byron Bay and Sunshine Coast, to the
red dusty sand dunes of a more central Australian “outback”, Forza Horizon 3 is
bound to impress. And while the wide landscapes and starry nightscapes are
certainly something to be in awe of it’s those little details which had me smiling.
Street signs, wheelie bins, plastic outdoor chairs… there are so many iconic Aussie
things that Playground Games have paid attention to and given us the opportunity
to utterly destroy!
Forza’s generosity is one thing that has not changed over
the Horizon series, except to be improved. Barn Finds are still there, offering
a few Aussie legends in the mix this time. And you will be able to claim some
free cars to get you started on the first several races.
There is a reward for just about anything you do. You’re
rewarded for your picket fence destruction as much as you are for your accuracy
in a drift zone. For catastrophic fails as well as perfect driving. Which means
no matter how you play this game you’ll be feeling pretty great about the
results. There really is something to appeal to everyone here.
Throughout the game you’ll have your Irish festival
coordinator, Kiera, and your “slightly unconvincingly Aussie” mechanic, Warren
guiding you forward and teaching you all you need to know. Your onboard digital
assistant, ANNA, is back and better than ever. You've also been given the ability to choose your own avatar and a name or nickname from a preset list which the in game characters will refer to you by. Vanity plates are included wo give your cars that little bit more of a custom feel.
ANNA is now able to be commanded via
voice control or with the D-pad on your controller (for console players) you don’t
even have to access your menu most of the time. With such a great power team
you won’t be left wandering aimlessly around unless you want to be, and
objectives are always clear.
So guided gaming is definitely there, but what about a free
roam approach? There is so much to keep you entertained in the world around you
that you’ll likely never be bored. You have speed traps, stunts, special
events, and even a new drone mode (ideally designed for content creators) to
keep you entertained. You’ll find drivatars of your friends cruising the world
with you and you can instigate a convoy for a casual drive with friends, or
challenge them to enlist them to your club. Multiplayer additions have been
made as well for Horizon 3 with Coop, Online Adventure, and much more now
available. Online club creation has been brought in too.
All the above already makes for a truly sensational game.
But Forza does not stop there! One of the greatest and most unique features for
Forza has always been the deeper level customisation. It’s been a key feature
of the Motorsport series for some time and was included in Horizon 2. As with
everything else, it’s now bigger and better. For those who love to create their
own vinyls, tune the car to the enth degree, Horizon 3 will let you do so. It
will also encourage you to share your content and will provide in game monetary
rewards if your work becomes popular.
While this feature was active in Horizon 2, it’s been fine-tuned
and has become far more lucrative so is well work a look. Of course this also
means that there is as much benefit for those who want a unique car without all
the effort. Customisations can easily be downloaded and applied to your car in
no time, so everyone benefits here!
A new feature through your menu is the auction house. If you’ve
got a car you want to get rid of, or you’ve created a one of a kind monster and
want to see how much it will fetch at auction then you’re in luck! With both
bidding and buy out options, cars can be bought and sold at will between
players so you’ll always have in your garage the cars you really want.
Behind all of this rich and immersive game play you will
have multiple radio stations playing different genres of music. There are more
stations now than before and the addition of your own customisable radio
station which will play all your own music should you not find what you want
elsewhere.
There is so much to talk about with Forza Horizon 3, and I’ve
really only scratched the surface. It really is a game which can appeal to
anyone, car fan or not. And what I love most about Forza is that they have
managed to create variety without compromising on quality.
Forza Horizon 3 is
available on Xbox One and PC, and is Play Anywhere enabled for Win10.
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