It is almost time to get fast and furious Xbox gamers. Forza Horizon is releasing on Oct. 23, for Xbox 360 and is being developed by Playground Games, which was founded by game designers formerly with studios renowned for earlier racing titles, such as Bizarre Creations' Project Gotham Racing series and Black Rock Studio's Split Second. The game is part of Turn 10's long-running Forza Motorsport franchise, but is considered a spin-off instead of the new edition to the series.
Some of the luckier video game sites have now had an opportunity to step into the driver's seat of the new Forza and so far the early impressions are favorable. According to Sterling McGarvey of GamesRadar, Forza Horizon, "feels like it occupies a sweet spot between Forza Motorsport's precision and the looser, more forgiving handles of a Ridge Racer game."
Forza Horizon is an action racing game set on the epic open roads of Colorado and the game incorporates many aspects from previous Forza titles, like the large variety of cars and the realistic physics and graphics. However the game is the first open-world title in the series and gets away from the series simulation style. This new twist in gamplay has fans worried, but McGarvey says the game is surprising.
"Forza Horizon is a pleasant surprise. Its vehicle handling feels immediately accessible, yet it can be tweaked for extra doses of both challenge and reward," McGarvey reported. "Its setting allows for a range of visual diversity, from mountains to deserts, and it looks to fuse the trademark tropes of Forza Motorsports' driving with the accessibility of more casual friendly racers."
Gieson Cacho of the San Jose Mecury News, wrote that Forza Horizon "nails the cars," and that the game's narrative is compelling.
"I was surprised to see how in-depth the narrative is with Forza Horizon, Gieson Cacho said. "A lot of extra work was put in to the cut-scenes that advance the narrative and introduce new competitors. This part of the game seems like it won't be a throwaway."
Forza Horizon is a risky venture for series. It is the first game not developed by Turn 10 Studios but Dan Greenawalt, the head of Turn 10 Studios told Videogamer.com in an earlier interview about the game that such risks are warranted.
"We have developed a team and a process and a vision that has been all done internally, and we've had great success," Greenawalt said. "There's of course risk. But I do trust their pedigree. Some of the best racing games in the last twenty years have come out of the UK racing game development studios, and that's Black Rock, and Slightly Mad, and Bizarre Creations, and even Criterion Games. There's a whole lot of these great racing game developers in the UK, and the talent Playground Games has attracted and distilled down into this team gives me great faith."
You can read the rest of GamesRader's thought on Forza Horizon here. Watch the game's trailer below and sound off about Forza's new direction in the comment section.You can also read about the game VIP membership here.
