Forza Horizon Preview - E3 2012

The Forza series has always been the undisputable champion of simulation racing on Xbox 360. The games have traditionally been developed by Turn10 studio, and released every few years. With Forza 2 through 4 being available on Xbox 360, the announcement of Forza Horizon may have come as a surprise to some. With Forza 4 being released just last year, did the series really have enough gas in the tank to support a yearly release schedule?

Well, the answer is still up in the air. That’s because Forza Horizon isn’t a sequel or a typical entry in the franchise. The game is being developed by Playground Games, which was founded by game designers formerly with studios such as Bizarre Creations (Project Gotham Racing and Blur) and Black Rock Studio (Pure and Split Second). This means a ton of racing experience is going into the project, and is being channeled with the help of Turn 10. It’s a recipe for a racing game success, if there was ever one.

We got to check out a short gameplay demo of the game at E3 2012. The goal was to reach the next event location before your opponents. It wasn’t a typical Forza experience – we started off alone, as our opponents dropped into the race at various points along the track as the race went on. It was an asymmetric experience, not unlike some of the stuff recently seen in Need for Speed. The single car available in the demo handled well and Forza players will be instantly comfortable with the controls. The game uses the same engine as Forza 4, but the developers took steps to tweak the technical aspects. Although the improvements to the lighting system and the daylight cycle were not in the demo, they are said to be notable in the final product.

Also a first for the series, there were some off-road sections on the track. Unlike the perhaps problematic over-exaggeration of non-asphalt experience found in previous Forza games, Horizon now embraces going through different conditions. Though the developers confirm there will be no ice or snow, players will be able to race through dirt and gravel, with these track sections feeling appropriately during the demo.

As mentioned, the game takes places in an open world, with the setting reminiscent of the Colorado state. Turn 10 has actually sent a couple of staff members there, to document its various vistas and have used that as inspiration. Although it isn’t based on any real locales – as that was never the goal, developers say – Horizon’s roads have instead been designed with gameplay in mind. From winding roads to four-lane highways, there will be plenty to see and do.

Forza Horizon’s focus will be on progressing your character from being a nobody to the most popular guy in the crowd. Starting off doing local events, players will later venture out into the open world and get invited to sponsored competitions. There will even be actual characters in the game as well as a light narrative, but it’s said that all focus is still on the racing. Developers promise a variety of events, from organized to street, including some very unique ones that are specific to a sponsor, such as classic/supercar mixes. Outside of organized competition, players are free to roam the world, and will be able to engage in pickup races with AI opponents just by challenging them on the spot.

Playground Games and Turn 10 are also focusing on the game’s multiplayer offerings. The Rivals system from Forza 4 will make a return, albeit in a different form, presenting players with endless leaderboard opportunities. From competing events to posting speed cam records, everything in the game will be tracked, shared, and compared online and with your friends lists. There will be the usual lobbies for all events, as well as the return of playground style challenges. As the game now takes place in an open world, some events – such as Cat and Mouse – can take advantage by letting players hide in buildings and offroad locations, for example.

There is one thought that may immediately come to mind when discussing Horizon’s style and event types – the Dirt series from Codemasters. Turn 10 readily admitted to us that there are certainly elements of various successful racing titles that influenced the guys at Playground Games. However, Horizon promises to be a unique and authentic experience – a simulation within the structure of an arcade experience. If the game is able to pull it off remains to be seen, but regardless of the result, it’s good to see a series expand into new niches within the genre and offer more competition to the current top franchises.

Forza Horizon is a new direction for Turn 10 and Microsoft’s flagship racing experience. It’s likely that we’ll continue to see Forza games within the simulation realm, but the success of Horizon will define whether or not there is a future for this series in the recently popular niche of off-road and Monster-fuelled racing. The right mix of ingredients is there, so only time will tell when Forza Horizon releases in October for Xbox 360.