Imagine racing through a forest at midnight in the pouring rain or being told to drive a Ferrari "like you stole it" to a specific location, and you'll have an idea of what these creative challenges represent.īut the true genius of the Horizon games is in how they offer real cars and authentic handling to please gearheads while simultaneously providing a much more game-like experience than what's found in rigid, traditional driving simulators.
"Bucket list" challenges - objectives, the game suggests, that simply need to be completed before leaving this year's festival - sweeten the deal. The next evolution of the best-in-class Forza graphics engine delivers full day and night cycle with spectacular weather, lighting, and visual effects. Off-road racing is a very real thing in Horizon 2, with players challenged to careen through Italian vineyards and hilly fields of lavender that sometimes prove much more challenging than driving on pavement. Show moreįorza Horizon 2 expands on the formula established in Forza Horizon by providing players a bigger, truly open world to explore, more objectives to complete, and prettier graphics - especially if you're playing the Xbox One edition, which builds off the next-generation visual benchmark established by Forza Motorsport 5.
With more than 100 hours worth of challenges - plus additional objectives sure to be offered via updates - this is the sort of racing game that will keep both gearheads and casual racing fans occupied for weeks or even months. Players constantly earn rewards, whether they're engaged in official races, trying to complete side missions such as the imaginative new "bucket list" challenges (think: jumps, journeys, and joyrides), or simply going for a ride along a beautiful ocean-side highway. But that just scratches the surface of what's available in this expansive racer. As in the first game, players can expect a lengthy series of championship races that encourages them to experiment with a variety of authentic real-world cars. After conquering the American West in the first game in Forza Motorsport's spin-off series, Forza Horizon, FORZA HORIZON 2 shifts the franchise's titular racing festival to southern Europe, allowing players to race across urban, rural, inland, and coastal areas of France and Italy.