I'd like to begin my review of the demo of Forza Horizon with a quote from the fictional character Dominic Toretto and say, "Ask any racer. Any real racer. It don't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning's winning."
Forza Horizon is open world racing video game developed by Playground Games in association with Turn 10 Studios, is a lot of fun. This isn't the usual Forza experience, but you can still feel the soul of the series hidden with in this arcade racer. The game feels at times like a precision driver and at other times like driving in EA's Need For Speed: Most Wanted.
You can really tell that Playground Games really tried to incorporates many aspects from previous Forza titles, like the realistic graphics and precision controls., but it is still not exactly Forza and personally I can't wait for the next numbered edition in the series. However, the open-world element adds something so wonderful and different that I am glad the series to a temporary step away from the series' simulation style.
Forza Horizon's demo is available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, with the first drivable cars being the 2013 SRT Viper GTS, the Mitsubishi Evolution X and 1970s Ford Mustang.
The demo's one flow is the really long opening video sequence. The game opens with a video that shows people at the Festival, music and nice cars, but cannot be skipped.
The game gives you control of the SRT Viper GTS 2013 right at the start as you get into a quick open road race against the game's main antagonist the fictional street racing legend Darius Flynt. Defeating Flynt does not garner the game any kind of reward, but it is definitely a cool way to kickoff the game.
The first race is an off-race where you really feel the soul of the Forza series, except dare I say it is more fun. Drifting through sharp turns and side-swiping your competition can be a little more exhilarating than driving through a course without any type of mistake. The difficulty level can be adjusted and makes the game feel slightly more like other games in the franchise, but the game is still just more accessible.
The graphics are just beautiful. The demo features a number of events, including some from the Horizon Festival and some street races. After playing one of these events they automatically become rivals mode events. Where you can compete against the fastest lap time.
Playing the demo also unlocks a custom 2013 SRT Viper GTS, which will be available on Nov. 30 for those gamers who purchase the full retail release. I give the demo a 9.5-out-of-10. Forza Horizon releases on Oct. 23, for Xbox 360.