So with much anticipation, yesterday I opened my copy of Forza Horizon 2 of course for the 360.
UI/Console
The UI was obviously based off of the Xbox One version, but with various things left out of this version seems a little cumbersome at times. Using the bumpers to scroll between pages must’ve seemed like a shortcut to them but it would have been more obvious to just be able to use the d-pad up and then across. The “Online Roadtrip” option is a little misleading because it implies freeroam functionality as in the Xbox One version. Instead you are led to a random lobby for a series of related races, which so far seem to be enjoyable and a good way to link online race play. The lack of online freeroaming, however, has been a major downer for some, meaning you cannot roam the map with other players unless they are on your friend list and invited into a session. The leveling system which seemed to make sense in the first title and awarded you with showcase unlocks is replaced by a confusing system of useless levels and the saved points in which the player can buy perks. There are no level rewards and the player now only has one level for both multiplayer and singleplayer game types. I also would have been nice to have the car show view as seen on the XB1. It would not have required much processing power.
Graphics
The car graphics are pretty much on par with Horizon 1. I didn’t expect anything better, as long as they were no worse. They are obviously lower resolution than the XB1 version, but it makes no sense to compare them directly and instead put this game head to head with 360 titles like FM4, FH1, and GTA V. The world and road design on the whole seems very organic and well thought out. The road layout has a much better flow to it than the original Horizon. That said, the open spaces are very empty and boring to drive through. It’s like a barren green wasteland between some roads with sporadic trees. There was more offroad detail in GTA V even. The option of cutting across empty space to reach checkpoints seems like a cheat and actually encourages sloppy driving when playing against AI or even some unsuspecting players online who will hug the driving line and not take the shortest path possible.
The texture quality varies greatly. The roadway textures in particular were lifted right out of Horizon 1. Some rock textures including a dark gray shale look amazing in this game but others such as a gray cliff face show their low resolution quality. Building textures look very bland when looking from afar although some do appear better when closing in. Overall the graphical quality has a slightly more jagged appearance than the 1st game that is there when you look for it, but not immediately obvious. Straight lines and edges are not as sharp as they should be and hopefully could be cleaned up along with some of the textures in a future update. In addition portions of the game seem to form a random hodgepodge of elements from FM4, Horizon 1, and Horizon 2 XB1. The hot pant wearing girls from Horizon 1 make appearances before races and some animations are lifted verbatim from the first game within concern for their fitting in with the new game setting. Floating icons for races and stunts are also low resolution and can be an eyesore when cruising. Races starts appear as icons in the middle of an empty highway which seems a little odd since Horizon 1 featured race start trailers and fans.
Physics
The physics are very much simplified from the Motorsport series and even since Horizon 1. Cars are WAY easier to handle. My chosen car, the Camaro hugs the track better than I can remember it. Horizon 2 is a casual game aimed at a social audience, hence my confusion with the inclusion of full tuning on the XB1 version. In addition to the greatly eased physical model, there seems to be little difference in traction and handling when transfering to different driving surfaces. Handling on road, grass, or gravel should have completely different characteristics yet seem to handle nearly the same. There seems to be a slight amount of speed loss when colliding with things such as the first Horizon, but not enough in my opinion. While there might be a Forza like “feel” to the game, Horizon 2 is feels arcadey to me.
Overall
Overall Horizon 2 on the 360 is a decent buy if you are tied to the 360 for now or have no plans on upgrading in the near future. It accomplished what I wanted it to, and that is provide a new landscape for my afterwork cruising and relax time. In some areas in came through, while in others it cannot compete. The landscape is nice to drive (on roads, as the offroad portion is nothing to be proud of), and it has a nice selection of cars in which to do it but the overall experience will be much to short for dedicated players, not rewarding enough for those used to obtaining cars at a faster pace or would like reward cars as in the past, and overall not as deep an experience in multiplayer as FM4. The race series would have been nice in Horizon 1 for lobby play, but the lack of public free roam, multiplayer reward cars, or custom lobbies drops it down. I was lucky enough to have a gift card for this game and picked it up for free, but otherwise I would have waited for a price drop or two.
Grade - 7 of 10. A game I will put some quality time in but flawed enough that it won’t get a top grade from anyone but a true Forza lifer.
-k