Forza Horizon 2 Game Review. Creative director Ralph Fulton says he wants the World of Forza Horizon 2 to be a happy place. The latest game moves the rollicking festival from Colorado to southern Europe, maintaining the cheerful atmosphere while the Rockies are replaced by the Alps. The hot-air balloons that hover over Horizon Festival will have to share space with storm clouds in the new-gen sequel, however, now that the series is adding dynamic weather.
I live through spring in the Midwest every year, so I'm not a stranger to storms. That said, I couldn't help but be impressed in the demo, watching as a spotless Lamborghini Huracan was hit by a rainstorm. As it started, the wipers kicked on automatically, dragging the windshield clean with each swipe. Droplets formed on the supercar's bright-yellow paint, merging with others to form trickles that streamed down to the now-reflective paving stones. The attention to detail is staggering, and while it's unlikely that I'll spend much time in the game ogling wet cars it's impressive nonetheless.
Once it's on the ground, however, you'd be foolish not to pay attention to the water. Puddles – which Fulton says are meticulously modeled, along with conditions including the atmosphere, particulates, and the way roads dry up – aren't merely just for splashing pedestrians. The puddles and slick roads affect your car's handling. If you're not careful, you could end up inadvertently discovering an alternate route as your vehicle slides and exits the road. That could be catastrophic in a close race, but the world is designed with alternate routes in mind.
Forza Motorsport 5 introduced the concept of Drivatars, A.I.-controlled vehicles designed to mimic each player's behavior. The idea being, your friends could race against reasonable facsimiles of you even while you're out running errands. Forza Horizon 2 is expanding that idea to accommodate Horizon's open-world format. You can cruise around southern France and northern Italy, taking on challenges as they come, or simply poke around for unlockables like hidden cars. Your Drivatar learns as you go, so players who take on your virtual self will face an A.I. opponent that knows about the shortcuts you've discovered – in addition to your style of driving.
Playground Games says the game will ship with more than 200 cars on disc, and they won't be blocked by microtransactions. Between discovering those and competing in about 700 different racing events, the studio says players are looking at more than 100 hours of racing bliss.
Platform: Xbox One
Style: 1-Player Racing (Multiplayer TBA)
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Playground Games
Release: September 30
