Review | Forza Horizon 2

While I’ve generally enjoyed Forza Motorsport, there’s something about the original Forza Horizon that I really dug.  Now with Forza Horizon 2 hitting the Xbox One, the fun starts again.

Featuring over 200 cards, the game retains a high level of detail with unique driving mechanics that make each vehicle feel different.  You have SUVs that feel heavy but with plenty of power, supercars that are fast as hell and plenty of cars in between that allow you to be successful under a variety of driving conditions.

Taking place between Italy and France, the game’s world is quite large and offers up plenty of gorgeous areas to explore. By contrast, the original Forza Horizon had players in Colorado, so Forza Horizon 2 really ups the ante when it comes to the amount of region that is there to be discovered.  Players will also once again accumulate Skill points, which unlock points that can then be used for perks, such as getting a discount on cars.

Some of my favorite parts of the game were driving through the countryside, where you could run through all sorts of environments, which is certainly a departure from the world-renowned racetracks of Forza 5.  Going cross-country not only provided some pretty areas to drive through, but also was fast-paced and exciting.

Gamers will also come across some challenges found in the Bucket List, which are activities outside of the usual races, which included Barn Finds and Playground.  I also dug the fact that you could use whatever cars you preferred to use as I headed towards the Horizon Finale, rather than forcing me to get behind the wheel of cars that I didn’t care for.

When jumping online, I really liked that the game adapts the experience to the time of day you are in, so that if you are playing at night, you’ll find games that take place in the evening. Multiplayer games were relatively smooth in my experience and I found myself really hooked by the Rivals mode, in which you race against your friend’s event records.

It should also be noted that the game uses the same AI component as Forza 5, so that your friends are found during your career races with realistic driving skills and decisions being played out.

Forza Horizon 2 also looks gorgeous, both in daytime and nighttime races, while weather effects like rain provide some excellent visuals, while the game’s audio is also top notch – from the roaring sounds of engines to the sound of tires moving about the gravel.

Gamers who enjoyed the original Horizon are easily going to enjoy the sequel, with more cars, better visuals, improved handling and addictive game modes to boot.

Final Score: 4.5 out of 5