Greetings Backloggers! It’s been quite a while since I’ve managed to finish a game of the backlog, and the numbers really show it. Let me tell you, game conventions and summer sports are great fun, but play havoc with the game completion list. But hey, I did finally finish something, mostly while waiting for The Crew 2 to unlock and download back in June.
I’d started Forza Horizon a few years ago, back when it was a Games With Gold freebie, and I was testing cars on Forza Horizon 2. Then my racing setup moved to a different floor of the house than the Xbox 360, and trying to finish the game with a 360 controller just wasn’t appealing to me. Enter backwards compatibility on the Xbox One, and the vastly superior Xbox One controller.
Let’s get this out of the way first: the Xbox One controller is still no substitute for a good, or even mediocre, wheel and pedals rig. You simply can’t get the fine level of control out of an analog stick and triggers that you can from a steering wheel and full-size foot pedals. That said, the Xbox One controller is a huge improvement from the 360 controller for these purposes. Since my racing wheel only works with Xbox 360 and PC, and I spent tremendous number of hours with an Xbox One controller while working at Turn10, I can make do pretty well.
Usually the view you’ll spend the most time in. Screenshot via MobyGames
With Forza Horizon 4 set to release on October 2nd, wrapping up my session with the game that started it all seemed like a good plan anyway. Horizon is interesting, both for being the series starting point, and for the hints of what’s to come.
Compared to the later games in the series, Forza Horizon feels remarkably restrictive. The Colorado of Horizon is a fairly open world, but players are restricted to the various roads and trails the mark the map. Every wooden fence, and chainlink barrier may as well be a forty-foot tall steel wall for all the success players can have getting through them. Doc Brown’s famous “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!” may well apply to Forza Horizon 2 and its successors, but not to Horizon.
Still, the framework that characterizes successive games is familiar. Players start as a no-name racer, challenged to work their way up the Horizon Festival and unseat the reigning festival champion. Races are categorized by wrist-band color, wild driving and aggressive stunts give recognition points that help players level up, Horizon Festival radio stations blare great music and festival updates, and barn finds turn up periodically promising ultra-rare cars which can’t be purchased in the marketplace.
Finding rare classics in barns remains a hallmark of the franchise. Screenshot via MobyGames
Of interest compared to later iterations of the game are a couple of features that appear only in the first Forza Horizon. A series of sponsor challenges give extra money and recognition for repeatedly accomplishing certain skills, such as jump distance, top speed, and drifting. Aside from sources of extra money, these challenges don’t really add anything to the game, and aren’t likely to be missed in subsequent games. Another change between Horizon 1 and Horizon 2 is the identity of the festival organizer. Perhaps putting on a show across multiple continents requires different organizers each time?
Forza Horizon’s map of Colorado encompasses a good chunk of scenery. Screenshot via MobyGames
Jumping into races is as fast and frantic as in any other Horizon series game, however. Given that this is an Xbox 360 game, there are no Drivatars representing real-life friends, just named AIs. Turning up the difficulty still provides a good challenge, however.
Sponsor Challenges gave additional credits and fame. Screenshot via MobyGames
Unfortunately, Microsoft sunsetted Forza Horizon in September 2016, much like they have recently done with Forza Horizon 2. This means that the game and DLC are no longer available for purchase from the online Xbox store, however, retail copies and existing purchases will still work. This also restricts the game to single-player, and causes some issues with finding liveries in the storefront, at least in Horizon. It’s another reminder of the ethereal nature of gaming in the modern digital age.
Paint and upgrade systems came from the robust Forza 4 model. Screenshot via MobyGames
Backlog Verdict: Forza Horizon is a good game, but if you’re hungering for an open world racer and haven’t played Forza Horizon 2, Forza Horizon 3, The Crew 2, or any of the other more recent games in this style, it’s difficult to recommend. There’s nothing technically wrong with the game, it’s just lackluster compared to the more polished, more recent competition. Worth playing for hardcore racing fans with nothing better to play, but everyone else is better off picking up something more recent. Did I mention that Forza Horizon 2 is still free on Games With Gold for a couple more days? Perhaps the Gentle Reader would like a peak at the upcoming car list
for Forza Horizon 4?
Previous Backlog Count: 1,197
Current Backlog Count: 1,282 (+85) I have no idea how this happened.
Backlog Burndown is a semi-regular feature on Marooner’s Rock. Read previous columns in the archives, and suggest future games to play in the comments!
