Thanks to Turn 10 Studios and Microsoft, I recently got to spend part of an afternoon playing with a preview of the new Forza in West Los Angeles. For 2012, the very successful Forza Motorsports franchise returns with Forza Horizon on the XBOX gaming console. This version of Forza deviates from previous ones in that it offers “open-world” driving in a Colorado setting. There are some familiar roads and terrain but it wasn’t designed to be an exact replica. The new format is set at Forza Horizon, one part music festival and one part car show. Continue reading...

Gone are the real-life tracks around the world in which you have to play for hours to get upgrades and receive new cars. Players will not find race cars in Forza Horizon as it deviates from previous versions by putting more emphasis on road cars. Don’t expect to see the same cars from the other series either. We did not receive a total car count for the game but were told that there were a lot and that we can expect to see new car packs before and after the game releases on October 23, 2012. Some of the most important aspects of Forza Motorsport 4 did carry over, including the acclaimed physics and graphics engines. The cars in the game simply look amazing. Players of Forza Motorsport 4 should also be happy to learn that their profiles and rewards carry over to Forza Horizon.

The music festival in Forza Horizon is where you can find everything necessary to upgrade your car including shops, car dealerships and your garage. The music theme carrries over into the gameplay as well. Renowned BBC Radio DJ Rob da Bank selected the music for the in-game soundtrack. Players can sift through the music via three in-game radio stations playing current pop music. Gameplay is familiar if you’ve ever played any of the other Forza games. If you’re new to the series don’t worry, as the learning curve is relatively easy. You can choose to follow the racing structure of the game in which you are pitted against computer-controlled drivers in various on and off-road racing events, or you can simply explore the Colorado countryside.

During the time I played the game I was able to drive an SRT Viper, Volkswagen Corrado, Boss 302 and a Subaru WRX. The cars were as varied as the racing events I participated in. In one event, I raced a P51 Mustang airplane while driving the Boss 302. As a reward for winning, I was awarded the Boss 302 to put into my garage. Drivers receive both compensation and prizes during each event and can increase their credibility by drifting and near misses with traffic, among other things. The more credibility you establish for yourself, the more exclusive the invitations for races become.

For those that simply want to explore the world, there is an enormous amount of stuff to see and do. While en route to a race in the STI I decided to challenge a Mitsubishi Evo X on the road to a street race. Unfortunately I did not win due to the fact that I ran into another car on the road. Traffic is prevalent throughout the game and cars do experience damage but don’t worry, your car’s damage is only cosmetic. Although I didn’t experience it myself, I was told that while exploring you can discover “barn finds” throughout the fictional landscape. Rare cars are placed throughout the world and when players find them, they can keep the cars for themselves in their garage. One of the new and more unique features of Forza Horizon is the day/night driving scenarios. I’m not 100% sure as to how often the time changes but I was able to experience nighttime driving for a short time during my 45 minutes playing the game. Daytime driving is as to be expected but the nighttime driving situations are very fun and challenging. The lights from the Horizon Festival, fireworks and the moon provide just enough light to help keep you from crashing quite as often.

We were not given the opportunity to experience online gameplay but were told that players would be able to drive around the world freely, challenge each other to races for money and showoff their rides.

Forza Horizon will be available on XBOX on October 23, 2012. 

Full disclosure: Turn 10 Studios and Microsoft invited me to play the game at their facility in West Los Angeles. I was there for an hour or so and enjoyed a bottle of water while playing a preview of the new game.