The developers took the game from 3 years ago along with all its years of development and added a bigger map, more content and more vehicles. And this is just the starting point.
The last time I visited a game in the Forza Horizon series (and the first in the series), I discovered an interesting open-world racing game in the form of Forza Horizon 4, with hundreds of vehicles and customization options (both mechanical and cosmetic), racetracks of all kinds, interesting game modes, soundtrack Bouncing and in general - an interesting casual atmosphere.
So now that the new game is coming to us, I thought to myself: what can be improved in the last three years from the previous game? Just to clear the ear: the previous game is pretty close to perfection and got a 9.5 from me.
Over time, the guys at 10 Turn Studios have managed to improve the game to a state of perfection with additional vehicle packages, periodic events and the Eliminator mode which is a kind of Battle Royale, only with vehicles.
If I were to review this game today, it would get a round 10 score, since today it offers the full package I was expecting even then.
For those who have read so far and did not understand what all the fuss is about.
Forza Horizon is a racing game and an open world. What it means? That we travel around the world of a burglar (who in the previous game was based on Scotland) along with other players.
We compete in races, perform missions and look for new vehicles.
The world of a burglar is alive and changing all the time and can be played with friends and also completely alone.
So did the fifth game in the series manage to surpass the previous game? Very surprisingly - yes.
Who am I? what am I?
As usual in forza, it all starts with character design. This year we will be able to choose, in addition to our body colors, sex and hair, also the option of how they will approach us.
A woman will not necessarily be "she" and a man will not necessarily be "he" - it all depends on the choice of actor.
The player is also invited not to identify with binary sex and therefore can be called "They".
The developing guys also wanted to give those who do not have limbs the opportunity to identify and choose prosthetic limbs.
Interested in a place on the left foot, in a prosthesis? You got it! Do you prefer hands, prostheses instead? Also excellent! Our friends at 10 Turn Studios have certainly gone above and beyond and found a way for any player to connect with his character and create an actor he can identify with - regardless of his sexual identity or physical condition.
Please fasten belts
Armed with expectations and airbags (did you understand ??) I arrived in Mexico. We arrive in Mexico by plane and literally hop off the plane with a slight view of the map and what is happening on it. On the map of Mexico you can find a huge variety of regions. The areas range from open and green fields to a desolate and beautiful desert full of dunes to an active volcano. The central city is Guanajuato. Unlike the Edinburgh of the previous game, it is less significant here. This is actually great - Edinburgh is the part I least liked to hang out in the previous game and it's a game in favor of Burst Horizon 5. We can find tropical beaches, jungles, and what not.
Mexico looks amazing and it does not matter if it is light or dark and if it is summer or winter.
During the day the sun will dazzle and at night the stars and lights of the other vehicles will be reflected on our vehicle.
In the morning we will be able to see the beautiful sunrise through the mountains of Mexico and continue to spend a day on the glistening beach.
Mexico's best side stands out in this game.
People think Mexico is a desert (and tequila).
But just as the small state of Israel is not just a desolate desert, so Mexico is full of deserts and jungles, cities and open fields.
On the other hand, tequila I have not seen in any Horizon 5.
The level of graphic detail is amazing.This is a side that is reflected everywhere.
We can choose between two graphics modes, "quality" where the game will run at 30FPS but we will get the full range of graphics possible from the Xbox Series X console or in "performance" mode where the game will run at 60FPS.
I will always choose performance mode.
Once we understand that the difference between low and high FPS and the difference in graphics - we will always prefer to play at high FPS. Certainly when it comes to a racing game.
And the truth? I did not notice at all the graphic difference.
I guess the game is no longer rounded in 4K, there are fewer reflections and maybe even image smoothing has been neutralized. At a distance of a meter and a half from the 65 "screen I did not really notice the difference.
Highly recommend playing the game in performance mode and not in quality mode, despite its beauty.
On the track, on the street or in the field?
Anyone who is already familiar with Burst Horizon knows that there is no one type of route here.
All the racetracks take place on the vast map of Mexico and are built on it.
Are you GT people, do you like asphalt? Road routes with you.
Do you miss Need for Speed: Underground? Street racing is also here. In my case, I really like space and combination.
I found myself most enjoying the off-road and cross-country races, races that combine terrain along with high-volume and tire-laden road and vehicles and are all very enjoyable.
There is also a huge difference in whether the races take place in the dry season or the wet season.
In the dry season the grip will be maximum, the visibility will be very good, and then, a sandstorm.
That is, we do not see from a shower and the high speed does not help to finish the track.
Moving on to the wet season.
Harder references, much more understeer than before.
And the show? Here the situation is at least as bad as in the sandstorm, except that in addition, it rains, lightning storms rage and the roads are wet.
The highlight of the races are the Expeditions and Showcases. Expeditions are a pickup ride across Mexico to discover new places and the Showcases are definitely one of the better things you can experience in a race title.
This is a long route that includes huge jumps, a motorcycle competition, boats and planes in a whole event that is all madness and visuals.
Showcases are the event that will make you say "Wow, what a game!". In addition, the game takes care of the player's good feeling.
On the radio you will hear about your exploits as the end competitors that you are.
As a breakthrough tradition, you are not a simple driver who deserves to build his reputation, no.
You are a top driver, experts in your job.
You open your eyes in the morning from a blow from an alternator, you mix fuel in a carburetor, you wash your hands with diesel and every Horizon festival looks at you.
Apart from these huge events, there are also sub-quests.
As in the previous game, there is a movie being filmed and we have to drive it or a workshop where Vocho, a cute beetle found in one of the barns, is improved.
Note - Wacho is the name of the beetle in Mexico.
For all this, there are tasks scattered on the roads - accumulating points in drifts (slides) from side to side on the road, Trailblaizer where there is a starting and ending point and what happens in the middle is already up to you and ramps for long jump.
All the events are very enjoyable.
I really like the trailblazer - there is nothing like taking a massive vehicle in the field to get in a straight line (as far as possible) to your destination and try to run over everything that is under the tires.
A burglar whips you every time you play and reminds you how amazing you are.
Did you download 100 cacti around the map? Take points.
Did you find a car in an abandoned barn? Take points and vehicle.
Did you receive a vehicle and complete all the existing vehicles from the same manufacturer? Get points and a car.
Did you get points? Level up and get another car.
Turn the zodiac and you will get money to buy more vehicles. Everything you do will give you money, experience points (XP) and new vehicles.
All shiny metallic
Speaking of vehicles - there's a scary amount of vehicles here. Over 400 vehicles just at launch (this is before the DLCs) and the range is insane - from Ford Focus to Ferrari F40, naked bugs to a monstrous Ford F150 that I feel like loading loads of shopping from the writer in the box.
Even legendary retro vehicles like the DMC Delorian that I wanted to return with in the future just to check out what's going on with the Breakthrough 6 to innovative vehicles like the Ford Bronco and the only interesting Toyota today, the GR Supra.
Anyone can find themselves playing in a game with any vehicle.
True, the Ford Deluxe can not compete with the Lamborghini.
This is where a burglar's improvement workshop comes in.
Every part of the vehicle can be improved including end-to-end changes of propulsion, engine replacement and new directions.
The workshop has been upgraded and offers more improvement options than the previous game, including the option to choose a gear with ten gears (all for the sake of putting the right gear in the third turn!), Adding a turbocharger (or two) or even taking a super charger. Rear / front drive can be replaced with AWD.
That's how I was able to turn track vehicles like the Lamborghini and Nano into a rally car by raising, changing tires and inserting a more suitable engine.
So too I turned a 63 year old Beetle into a professional and fast track vehicle.
Unfortunately, the online version of the game I played did not fully work, but the events worked! Apart from regular races and Convoy (convoy), there is the Battle Eliminatior mode from the previous game.
The Arcade mode still stands out where a group of players have to
complete missions together to win and is still one of the more fun modes.
It's amazing that a racing game manages to be fun at all without competing.
The bottom line
I can not really review all the content that Forza Horizon 5 brings with it.
The amount of content is huge and there are a lot of aspects that I will not be able to touch on at all in one coverage: from the shooting mode, to the various events and even future events that I will not be able to cover in the present.
Bottom line, Microsoft did a kind of EA - just successful: they took the game from 3 years ago along with all its years of development and added a bigger map, more content and more vehicles.
This is just the beginning.
But this point is amazing! Not only do I return to Forza Horizon 4 at least once every two weeks, the new game is bigger, more beautiful, more interesting and more fun.
Unlike a lot of EA games - here the upgrade is really worth it.
And if Microsoft continues along the same lines of Forza Horizon 4 and continues to provide more great content - they do not really need Forza Horizon 6.
Sorry if there's some miss spelled words it's cause of google translate.