Player3Podcast

IQR: Forza Horizon 2

Note: These impressions are based off of several hours of gameplay with demo of Forza Horizon 2. The very nature of a demo means that gameplay features, car selection, and online integration is limited. With that in mind, P3P presents its very first IQR (Incredibly Quick Reactions).

 

 

With under two weeks left until its release, Microsoft and Playground Games have released the demo for their highly anticipated title Forza Horizon 2, an open world racing title that releases digitally and retail September 30th. Featuring over 200 cars and a massive map, Xbox is poised to compete head-on with Playstation's brand new title Driveclub, releasing October 7th.I had a chance to sit down for a couple hours with the Forza Horizon 2 demo, and in a word "Wow". The graphics, the driving mechanics, the online integration, even as far down as the soundtrack (a little biased because they have a Chvrches song) combine to make an experience that left me coming back for more. Let's take these reactions in list form.1. Graphics - Forza Horizon 2 is set across Spain, France, and Italy, and does a wonderful job capturing the magnitude of driving long distances (even in the limited demo map size) while also paying attention to the smallest of details (pavement textures, individual blades of grass, etc.).  The game is stunning, a pure representation of what the Xbox one is capable of. The world is beautifully rendered. While smaller details pop into the scene later than some would like, to me it took nothing away from the immersion provided by impressively long draw distances.Running at 1080p/30fps locked, the world and the cars maintain their graphical integrity even with a lot going on on the screen. Stylistic choices like motion blur at high speeds add to the intensity of the driving experience.

 

The car's themselves are gorgeous replicas of their real life counterparts both inside and out. Though I am not one to use the in-car camera, it was hard to pass up the feeling of being behind the wheel of your race car. The dash instruments, wheel materials, and lighting in the car were amazing, even if I was just driving the most basic beginner car offered in the game. The view from outside of the car was equally stunning.

2. Controls - I am in no way a professional when it comes to racing games, in fact I would consider myself quite terrible, but there was something very accessible about the driving experience with the default driving assists in place. I only flipped my car twice and spun out once! After about 20 minutes of driving time, drifting became second nature and very rewarding. The force-feed triggers add a small yet immersive element to the game as you are moving at high speeds. 

There were a couple opportunities in the demo to race with high powered cars, and driving was equally accessible in those. At no time did I feel overpowered by the car I was driving, unless I was making driving decisions that resulted in crashes.

3. Gameplay - Driving in the open world between challenges, races, and events was just pure fun. The opportunity to explore and take in the beautiful views provided by the game was just as satisfying as winning a race or defeating a challenger. The shared world experience allows you to encounter other drivers in free roam, and at specific places of the map you can challenge each other to races. The online experience for the most part was seamless. It took a little bit of time to find a free roam server, but while the game searches it allows you to drive around the map.

Overall, Forza Horizon 2 was fun and, in my opinion, that's all that matters when it comes to reviewing a game. I would purchase this game in a heartbeat, even as a less than stellar racer.

IQR Score: 9/10

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