Review for Forza Horizon 4. Game for PC and Xbox One, the video game was released on 02/10/2018
But how cool was Project Gotham Racing 4? A timeless masterpiece, a multifaceted, fun and current game still today. Why are we mentioning it to you right now? Well because it's the first thing we thought about when Playground Games announced the presence of the seasons in its latest effort, Forza Horizon 4 for PC and Xbox One. Project Gotham Racing 4 had a dynamic weather system with 10 different types of weather conditions. Of course, we are not really talking about real dynamic seasons but for the time, eleven years ago, it was a real revolution. What Playground Games offers today is the natural evolution of that peculiar feature but in an open world key. Will it be just as surprising?
Inserting a plot into a racing game is superfluous, and Playground Games certainly didn't make this mistake. Iteration after iteration, however, the company has been able to create a game universe full of details, coherent and extremely engaging for the player, who will find himself completely immersed in the world of Horizon festivals. In short, there is no need for expensive and bizarre counterproductive gimmicks to bring innovation to an arcade racing game, and the Forza Horizon series is tangible proof.
With the advent of the seasons, however, the cards on the table have been reshuffled: the variety of events has grown exponentially, or rather the variables that come into play in the characteristic events of the Forza Horizon series have grown. Road races, clandestine races, off-piste races, stunt missions and much more: for those who love speed this title is a huge amusement park always ready to offer new stimuli and challenges. This is also possible thanks to the location chosen, the United Kingdom, which has an enormous variety of settings and natural landscapes from which to draw.
When it comes to Forza Horizon 4, one cannot fail to mention the absurd versatility of its driving system. It is possible to approach the game as a real arcade racing or, if you like, change the register and turn towards greater realism. This was already possible from the first episode but Playground Games was able to expand this feature to reach truly remarkable goals today. Thanks to detailed menus it is possible to modify the CPU skill, deactivate the trajectory assistant but also modify the set-up of the individual cars to adapt them to the different tracks and, indeed, to the weather conditions. By doing this, the game takes on a very different difficulty curve and the victories obtained at the higher challenge levels will allow you to earn much richer rewards! Versatility, but without disappointing anyone.
How much is the car fleet? There is talk of more than 450 specimens. Yes, you got it right: the number is truly impressive and the most famous brands all participate in the Horizon festival. There are also numerous vintage models, work vehicles and supercars. How to unlock this billion vehicles? There are various possibilities: you can get them by completing events, buy them with the game coin, win them at the wheel of fortune or buy them from other players.
Good, good, do not heat up: if the last sentence made you turn up your nose, rest assured: Forza Horizon 4 does not have any type of lootbox. Tickets to participate in the wheel of fortune can only be obtained through game actions and will allow you to win not only cars but also credits, new horn tones and customizations for your avatar. The purchase of vehicles from other players instead works through an auction system, but even here the only way to win one is by investing the game currency, which in turn cannot be purchased with real money.
Speaking of customizations, the capillary car aesthetic editor returns once again, which will give players the opportunity to make their racing car unique. For the lazy, however, there are the liveries made by the community: give us all an eye because in the previous episodes you could find real masterpieces. As mentioned above, even your avatar is customizable in the accessories it wears, too bad it is not the same as regards face and body. In fact, there is only a limited number of pre-packaged models to choose from. Among the novelties we also find the possibility of buying real estate along the entire game map, as well as finding a real job. No, rest assured, you have not been catapulted into the world of Persona: Playground Games has well thought of making the experience offered by Forza Horizon 4 even more immersive by introducing this possibility as well. No embarrassing mini-games though: everything will take place in full harmony with the rest of the gameplay since the works always involve means of transport.
Before we talked about the versatility of the driving model, Forza Horizon 4 however offers versatility also on the online side. Unlike other competitors, the Playground Games title does not in any way require the player to be connected to the network to continue his adventure. Everything can be tackled offline and what would have been the other 71 players on the map are replaced by the well-known Drivatars, now a distinctive element of the Forza brand. For all social animals, on the other hand, online is a real godsend. At each session the map will be populated by 71 other players always visible with whom it will be possible to interact both in competitive and cooperative mode. When you access a specific event then, there is a practical matchmaking that will try to aggregate other players around the world to start the race.
The graphics sector is flawless, which on PC finally manages to score on the first try, thus leaving behind the numerous technical problems of Forza Horizon 3. The optimization of the engine in particular amazes: even with a mid-range configuration it is possible to reach 1080p at ultra details, while maintaining a framerate nailed to 60 frames per second. Here, the only real technical problems have emerged in the audio sector, which sometimes “jumps” for a few seconds for no apparent reason. We hope a patch will fix the problem soon because the tracklist put together for this Forza Horizon 4 is really respectable.
Forza Horizon 4 is the fruit of many years of hard work. Playground Games has honed its creature to an impressive quality both in content and in the game system. This fourth iteration of the brand is a concrete, varied, fun and versatile product. You can face it alone or online, with an arcade or simulation approach, following the main competitions or getting lost in the thousand frills that the experience offers. The ultimate racing game? Maybe not yet, but this time Playground Games came damn close.
► Forza Horizon 4 is a racing type game developed by Playground Games and published by Microsoft Studios for PC and Xbox One, the video game was released on 02/10/2018
