Best of Britain
Forza Horizon 3 was the first game in the Forza franchise that I had actually played. Racing games aren’t of huge interest to me unless they’re Mario Kart or have some gimmick to them. When I had realized what Forza Horizon was with the Horizon festival I was intrigued. Getting to drive through my home country of Australia was a blast, driving through the outback or up the coast with incredible visuals. That is all topped by Forza Horizon 4 which journeys to my country of birth, Great Britain, as you battle the
As theForza Horizon side of the Forza franchise develops so does social media in thereal world and the importance of your influence level feels even more crucial.You’re essentially racing your way through the UK to gain more followers andbecome a super famous racer. That aspect is included in every aspect of ForzaHorizon 4, you aren’t just racing around a track, the whole world is your racetrack. You can’t just be a pro at the organized racing around the countryside,you also have to show the world you can handle yourself on the streets, in thesnow, on the cold beaches, through the forests and even on movie sets.
Easily the coolest part of my Forza Horizon 4 experience so far has been the side mission of you becoming a stunt driver. Playground Games have made the great decision to acknowledge the vast amount of films that are made in the UK and turned it into an aspect of their festival. But what makes it even better is the James Bond car pack. You can spend your time just performing stunts whilst driving around in James Bond cars! Leap off hills in an Aston Martin like you’re a crazy Sean Connery or Drift along the beach in Bond’s underwater car. All the cool ones are there.
Speaking of cars, there are a huge amount of them and every single one has, once again, had extra love and care put into their detail and designs. I haven’t driven a car for seven months and the ability to sit there and choose one, see what it looks like inside and out and then hop in and drive them is the closest thing I’ve got right now to driving around and that in itself is a reason to pick up the game. Cars are easily unlocked as well, you constantly feel like you’re getting new cars to add to your evergrowing garage. You can find classic British cars hidden away throughout the map or you unlock them via wheelspins which rewards you constantly with various unlockable items.
The overall festival aspect of Forza Horizon is still at the game’s heart as you drive around to a really well coordinated and organized playlist which is separated into radio stations. My favourite so far has actually been the classic radio station and there is something really cool about starting a race when a classical song hits a note and you go flying down the street. Each race has an amplified festival feel to it where you don’t just feel like you’re racing but you feel like you’re actually taking part in the festival and entertaining fans.
One of themain aspects of Forza Horizon 4 that they want you to like this time around isthe changing of seasons. The game cycles through different seasons and each isquite a change in terms of which car you choose and how you choose to drive.You can’t be battling in the snow with a classic James Bond car but that carwill also be a really good choice for a great summer’s day race. Your choice ofvehicle is a much more important choice in the game when in previous ForzaHorizon games I never really put much thought into it. That might just be menot knowing heaps about cars but at least now the game is teaching me a thingor two about it.
When you start up Forza Horizon 4 on your XBOX you are greeted with a cinematic opening screen of a car driving through the British countryside. The music is swirling as the car moves through the scenery like water down a stream. Then the season starts to change and you’re introduced to the visuals of snow falling around the car or leaves flowing past it and this same calming nature is found mixed in perfectly with the game. It is mixed with the exhilarating feeling of previous Forza games which have been about speed and acceleration. When you play Forza Horizon 4 you go on a racing adventure with your car of choice, an adventure that you can’t have anywhere else. An adventure that is easily the best racing game on Xbox One.