Review: Forza Horizon 2

Playground Games has teamed up with Turn 10 and Microsoft to deliver the highly-anticipated sequel to Forza Horizon: a well-known series that offers players an entirely different way to tackle racing in an open world. Did the new Forza Horizon 2 fulfill its all our expectations? Find out in my full review here on the blog!

First of all, it is undeniable that Turn 10 had already done a fantastic job with the Forza Horizon series, which despite being born in the last generation of Xbox 360, ended up revealing all its great potential, both on Xbox 360 and on the new Xbox One.

The series itself has always sought to distinguish itself through the way in which it pushed competitions to the limits and also the way in which players managed to customize, in a fun and complex way, the most varied aspects and additional details of their vehicles.

Well, as soon as we start Forza Horizon 2 for the first time, we are taken to an introduction video with real images, where we are, from the beginning, realizing that the game is located in a festive environment, that is, open, where everyone has fun and drives fantastic machines.

Forza Horizon 2 takes place in the area in southern Europe, right after the end of the introduction, we move on to a short journey behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Huracán, until we reach the first race, where everything starts to get more fun.

In fact, it is not exactly a race, since we have no direct competitors, nor a determined time to reach the final destination. However, when we find ourselves behind the wheel of one of these cars, and we see cars circulating and passing us around, there is no way to stop stepping on the accelerator to the fullest.

That's because leaving behind all those cars that appear in front of us gives us a fantastic championship experience. After arriving at the final destination, we will see the explanations that arise from Horizon, we will be able to select between some cars of the same series, to participate in an official competition that varies according to your vehicle.

When it comes to gameplay and vehicle response, Forza Horizon 2 stands out again with everything you're used to from the Forza series. The projection is so realistic that it will be necessary to calculate the right moment to brake, the moment to take your foot off the accelerator…

In order to provide the player with a unique and fun experience, the response of some of the vehicles is directly related to the machine we are driving (including customization). Lower range classic cars are much better on the road than more powerful cars like the Lamborghini.

One of the most important points, and one that most affects the way you play Forza Horizon 2, is what they call Drivatar. But after all, what is the functionality of this feature? Well, basically, this makes the information of the opposing cars (AI) based on the way of playing real players.

Instead of AI-controlled vehicles having various pre-set routes and driving styles, the game analyzes the way our friends and players around the world play the game, transmitting that way of playing to a Drivatar in our game.

One of the interesting aspects is that each car has the names of other existing players on Xbox Live. The most fantastic thing is that we can count on reactions and unexpected driving moments and very more human by other drivers.

They are real movements carried out by other players that allow driving moments that are much more random than those that can be found in a classic AI. On top of all that, it manages to convey a very broad sense of competitiveness and aggressiveness on the part of other drivers.

If you're interested in knowing what kind of vehicles you can buy, the game's catalog initially has more than 200 vehicles, from multiple categories and classes. Undoubtedly, it is not a very impressive number, and the truth is that new cars are already planned through DLCs.

Speaking of vehicles, Forza Horizon 2 has lots of customization options, both externally and internally. Forza Horizon 2 is something truly fantastic for all car license lovers.

The number of existing customization options is also very impressive, allowing them to change things like wheel alignment, angle, springs, aerodynamics, shock absorbers and, in the garage, you can purchase a large number of improvements, whether in terms of valves, cylinder capacity and much more.

The level of visual detail of Forza Horizon 2 is undoubtedly Fantastic. The title is presented with a resolution of 1080p (Full HD) at 60 fps. In general, the textures are of great quality, as well as the designs of the buildings and other structures present in the world of Horizon 2.

It's not all visually perfect, as we can see textures with little range of detail (or pixelated) at certain times, especially in a specific camera mode, but they are still small details for all the beauty provided by the game in a total index.

All weather effects are very well structured and blended with day-night cycle and advanced lighting effects. These are some of the most spectacular visual details we can find in any game today. The detail itself, when the rain falls on the car window, the shine of the asphalt, after falling water… all of this is being represented in an impressive way in Forza Horizon 2.

When it comes to the soundtrack, Forza Horizon 2 leaves nothing to be desired. Forza Horizon 2 has a collection full of electronic music and, interestingly, a classical music station where you can listen to works such as Mozart.

In all, there are more than 150 songs divided between the various available radios – yes, it is possible to listen and change radio stations while driving, with a simple click on your Xbox 360 or Xbox One controller. check out a official trailer below:

And you, what is your opinion about Forza Horizon 2?