The implicit promise ofForza Horizonis in the name.
And having others stare at them, too.
Another smash cut, then youre crashing through the jungle in a custom coupe.
I spent the whole time laughing in glee.
Forza Horizongames are always set in deliciously digitized approximations of some real-world location.
Forza Horizon 5largely fits into that framework, with some welcome tweaks.
The setting this timea coast-to-coast recreation of Mexico centered around the city of Guanajuatois divided into 11 wanderlust-inducing biomes.
The Horizon Festival itself, meanwhile, is no longer fully centralized.
(I won.)
Or at least, thats the way I approached things.
You could also just drive around aimlessly for the heck of it.
No one will yell at you.
Whats FH5’s multiplayer like?
Any test of a multiplayer mode wont be representative of what its really like to play.
Stay tuned for impressions of the multiplayer when Forza Horizon 5 is live and open to everyone.
The pinnacle of these is The Goliath, on the main stage.
At nearly 35 miles long, youd expect it to be a half-hour endeavor, easy.
I chose to race in a blisteringly speedy 2014 Lamborghini Huracan and finished in just 15:10:748.
Come in anything but first, and youll walk away with 750 pointsand, worse, no checkmark.
(You get more accolade points for the boss-style events.)
Theres no differentiating between a resounding loss or a nail-biting one.
On the one hand, this made me feel better about the few races where I came dead last.
Its enormously helpful, but is nothing next to the Forza-patented option of rewinding time.
Drove off a bridge?
Took a turn too sharply?
Just tap Y to zip back five seconds and have another go.
Theres no consequence for using itad infinitum.
There is incentive to learn how to drive without such aids, however.
Games like Destiny have proved the grind can always be a marathon.
But if youre skilled enough at Forza, it can be a sprint, too.
Your voice isnt tied to gender,thankfully.
Neither is your wardrobe.
In a series first, it’s possible for you to have prosthetic limbs.
The mind boggles when considering the sheer amount of work Playground mustve spent designing 500 vehicles that function distinctly.
The easier way is by playing a slots-like mini game called Wheelspin.
Rules are simple: Spin the wheel.
Get a free item.
(Most often its a sizable chunk of credits.)
you might speed up the leveling process by crashing through various XP-granting bonus boards strewn around the map.
I rarely if ever sought them out.
Why buy a YSL knockoff when it’s possible for you to splurge on a legit Koenigsegg?
(I also found myself leveling up at a satisfying clip through events.)
As much asForza Horizon 5is a game stuffed with stuff, its also a game stuffed with stats.
I can tell you, for instance, that my average speed is 81 mph.
(Top speed: 250 mph.)
Im not what youd call a safe driver, sporting an average rate of 21 collisions per race.
(Most in one race: 116.)
Disclaimer time: Im…extremely not a car guy.
In fact,Im generally anti-car, a fervent foot soldier inthe War on Carsand everything.
My character, Chunk, seemed to share similar thoughts at one point.
I mean, the games fleet is obviously wreaking havoc everywhere.
Need I remind you: 21 collisions per race!
Despite myself, Ive found myself thoroughly charmed byForza Horizon 5at every turn.
Of course, that was possibly the most photorealistic console game of 2020.
To wit: Every screenshot you see in this review was taken with the games photo mode.
For your friend, it might be the endless collectathon, or the sheer variety of modal races.
For me, its justfun, man.
It is just so relentlessly, infectiously fun.
If all this sounds a lot likeForza Horizon 4andForza Horizon 3and so on, yeah, okay.
Sure,Forza Horizon 5doesnt reinvent the wheel.
It doesnt need to.
Forza Horizon 5 is constant rise.
Its uncut MDMA (or so Ive heard).
