Game: Forza Horizon 3
Consoles: Xbox One (reviewed), PC
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Playground Games
Australia is one of the more angelic countries/continents on Planet Earth. It features lush forests, sandy beaches, metropolitan hubs and many more varied locales to visit. Everyone won’t get the chance to make the trek over to Aussie; luckily, Playground Games lets us fill in this bucket list bullet point from behind the wheel of dazzling automobiles. Fora Horizon 3 reaches the pinnacle of open world racing excellence by giving you more of everything: more cars, more regions, more secrets, more events and more importantly, more control. This current-gen racer manages to take the finest elements of Forza Horizon 2 and blends them into a sequel that far exceeds other competitors on the market.
The last time we participated in the Horizon Festival, we competed amongst several other competitive racers within Southern France and Northern Italy. For this go-round of free roaming racing, we get to call the shots now that we’re the director of this installment’s event. Moving this racing festival all the way over to Australia is a godsend; there’s just so much more to see and do now that you’re in control. The new map is is massive and is packed with all types of street races, PR stunts, Showcase challenges and a wealth of secret cars that are just waiting for you to discover them. It feels amazing to rush through rain forests, hit high speeds on long highways, drift over water during beachside races, get big air during daredevil stunts etc. With over 350 cars waiting to be added to your garage, it’s clear that you’ll never tire of completing these events in all types of designer rides.
Forza Horizon 3 sets itself apart from its predecessor in many ways. A wealth of new radio stations offers more variety in the musical offerings you’ll listen to as you ride. What’s cooler about this feature is the addition of tracks that awards you with extra XP during the entire song’s duration. Your online friend’s Drivatar’s can be found through the game’s world; beating them in a one-on-one race means you’ll get to add them to your convoy. The new 4-player co-op option lets you group up with live players and complete portions of the campaign, which is one of the better additions to this year’s sequel. Gaining more fans is your ultimate goal during this new festival, so every thing you accomplish helps lead you closer and closer to spreading the influence of your huge racing gala. Watching your festival hub locations grow even larger feels great and gives you more of a reason to maximize your fan count.
Playground Games does an incredible job of letting you live out your wildest dreams involving expensive showroom automobiles. All of the custom races you can put together are fun, but there’s so many other options that allow you to drive in cars you may never handle in real life. Danger Sign Jumps, Drift Zones, convoy competitions and new outlandish Showcase events do a great job of letting you pull off amazing feats. Acquiring XP, gaining more credits, buying new cars, unlocking new skills/boosters and getting random rewards from prize spins are still an integral part of making this racer so convivial.
Bottom Line
Forza Horizon 3 is the ultimate open world racer. Moving the festival over to the more varied continent of Australia was the best move Playground Games could have made. This decision results in a much larger map to trek through, which means you’ll have more to do and way more exciting tourist attractions to admire. Running this festival as the chosen event planner feels so much more gratifying since you can plan your own racing events, build up your fan base and make sure your festival spreads all throughout Australia. Driving across Surfers Paradise in video game form is just one of the many awesome experiences this racer features. If you own an Xbox One, Forza Horizon 3 is a must have.
Score: 10/10
Pros:
- Australia not only looks alluring, it’s also a much bigger locale full of fun missions
- Taking over the reigns as Horizon Festival Event Planner freshens up the experience
- Thankfully, every thing you accomplish goes towards getting you XP and widening your festival’s scope
Cons:
- None to speak of, really…
