So I recently just read a new article that just came out concerning the Horizon series. The author keeps returning to Horizon 1, as he doesn’t think Horizon 2 has the same magic and feel. And honestly, I completely agree. Here is a quote from the article, summing up how I feel:
"When I play Horizon 2, I feel like it’s keeping me at arm’s length. I feel like it doesn’t really want me to celebrate the joy of automobiles, like it doesn’t really want to put me in the Horizon festival. The first Horizon aspired to all of those things, but the sequel wants to be a game and nothing more than that…The festival nature of the game has been toned down—to begin a race, drive to a spot on the map. Nothing is there except a floating UI prompt that says to press a button to begin the race. No tents, no crowds, no signs of a festival, just a UI prompt. Complete a series of events, move on to the next series of events. There’s no tangible progress being made. You’re not climbing the ranks of popularity, and wristbands don’t seem to do anything. Rather than placing you in the festival, Horizon 2 takes a step backwards and acts like any other game with a progression system…It might have been okay if you were racing against people, but you’re not. You’re racing against drivatars… The whole thing generally ends up feeling hollow… Horizon 2 failed to establish a compelling world. "
However, I disagree with the authors part about the intro. I think the most powerful moment of the game was the intro and the first 10 minutes of you driving to the Festival - THAT threw you into the festival, THAT made you feel like you were a part of the game, and that was amazing. After that though- nothing. I didn’t feel anything, it felt generic and boring, unlike Horizon One, which kept me on my toes and wanting to be at the festival until the very end
What do you guys think about this. Aside from the many more features H2 has, at it’s roots, which one do you prefer?
I like Colorado better and I still go back and play Horizon 1. I liked the feel of it being a music festival, and Horizon 2 is just a… festival?
Horizon 2 by a long shot. No tents to set up races?? Big deal. Go to the main festival hub, there ya go. Some of it does feel “lonely” but so did some of Horizon 1. I don’t care about a popularity contest, the unlocking of perks was a great idea. Mostly useless? I thought most of them were good and useful.
I love the wheelspins, I love the different championships. I hated the wristband points system in Horizon 1. I felt it rushed you through the game. Here the wristbands ARE the popularity contest IMO. (I have a gold wristband, look how much I have accomplished here at Horizon).
Horizon 2 is the best racing game I have ever played. And I am usually a hardcore sim guy. Forza 4 will forever be my favorite sim game…but Horizon 2 is the best racing game ever created IMO.
I still play FH1 too, it is very much its own game. The first two weeks or so of each game are a blizzard of showcases, balloons, invitations, barn finds, etc. After that though they can’t help but run out of things to give us to do. The difference between the two for me though, as you say, is the event experience. In FH1 I love the huge festival site and the sense of it being a place you can revisit and experience. Yet in FH2 the festival is just a single road, and the hubs in FH2 are more underplayed, can be driven up to, and don’t have have courtyards surrounded by crowds and need to be driven into.
I completely agree with you guys. Horizon 1’s festival atmosphere was just great. It gave that feeling that something great is happening in the city and you are a part of it. From the start to the end.
This is where Horizon 2 somewhat didnt live up to the standards.
Secondly the challenges, driving against and then defeating the Horizon festival top drivers felt very rewarding and gave that sense of achievement. Something Horizon 2 completely missed.
I so much hope the developers read this and bring these 2 features back in Forza Horizon 3.
2 Likes
I also agree with the article. I think ‘being kept at an arm’s length’ is a really nice way of describing it, but it’s really hard for me to pinpoint exactly why. I agree that the hubs are a little too underplayed, but one really big difference for me was the one-on-one races against specific characters. I know they want to use the Drivatar system, but for some reason, having actual characters in the world of FH1 made it feel much more immersive to me.
The other aspect of FH1 that I really appreciate was the diversity of the map. The FH2 map feels significantly bigger; a strong improvement over the map size of FH1, but in FH1 I felt like every corner of the map was really distinct looking… the red rock section, the snow capped mountains, that area that seems to be in permanent autumn, with the yellow trees. I think it boils largely down to the color pallet. The map in FH2 feels, in certain places just a little… homogenous to me.
All that being said, I still absolutely love FH2; for me it’s one of my all time favorite games. I think this comparison game can also be a bit dangerous, because nostalgia can play an extremely large part in the way we retroactively see things… oh well. Just my two cents.
2 Likes
I feel the same…Horizon 1 felt better and you got more of a reward for winning races, (making your way to number one best driver) Dont get me wrong i love horizon 2, but the first one was better in my eyes. And as an xbox one player, i cant wait till Forza Horizon 1 can be played on next gen…