We here at NZGamer know that the Forza community is a strong one. We’re aware of the competitions that are put on, and know that when it comes to information on a new title you want to make sure only the best come back with information.
Unfortunately, the three of us attending E3 this year know nothing about Forza. I did, however, stand in line for 5 minutes to have a go at Forza 5 on a multi-screen setup before giving up and walking off. I think it was this dedication to the series (plus the fact that I’ve had to edit all the times I’ve called it Forze) that made me the prime candidate for what was to come next. In a Behind Closed Doors session with Martin Connor, the Lead Designer of Forza Horizon 2, me and a few other journalists got to see FH2 in action and learnt everything about what was going to make this stand out.
When it came to standing out, the one thing that Martin showed off almost instantly, was the fact that in FH2 there are no barriers for where you can go. Well, there are, but as he put it, there are “barriers where barriers would be”. What that means is that instead of bouncing off of that wooden fence and being guided back onto the track - the defined area you need to stick to - you simply smash through it as you would in real life.
Tearing through fields of wheat or grass will be an all new way to try and best the opposition in this more arcadey iteration of the Forza franchise. But just because it’s aiming to be more arcadey doesn’t mean the team isn’t taking this spin-off franchise seriously. Forza Horizons 2 will sport 200 cars, 700+ unique events, cross country races, challenges for every hidden unlockable car, will require 150 - 200 hours to complete, and do it all on a map 3 times the size of the one seen in the first Forza Horizon.
The challenges mentioned above come in the form of a Bucket List. You know, that list of things you need to do before you die. Well, when you find one of the hidden cars you get a car specific challenge that needs to be completed, and these look to include some of the hardest most insane challenges the developers could think up. Martin also mentioned that it would be possible to have new monthly Bucket List challenges thanks to the online connectivity.
Speaking of which, Martin assures me that the room of journalists that FH2 will be the same game on and offline thanks to the Drivatars. Just like Forza 5 you can race against people on your friends list who react and drive exactly as they would if they were playing against you. With the way it’s been set up you can go from offline to online seamlessly and they explain that there are not only no lobbies, but no waiting either. You simply drive up to an event that’s about to start, and go.
The last thing Martin shows us is what they call “car meets”. He says that they’re just important in this game as they are in real life…. so supposedly they’re important in real life too. In these Car Meets you’re able to meet up with your online buddies to check out each others rides and look at grabbing any upgrades or liveries that you might be interested in.
It all sounds like a winning formula, and it looks fantastic in motion, but whether or not these Meets, the Bucket List, and the open-world freedom without barriers can keep the fans happy will all be revealed on September 30th.
DC use mirrored water effects, check this picture, and plz don't use great water effects in the same sentence as DC again.
am so glad tuning is in.