Intro/ Set The Scene
I’ve never been a fan of racing games. They’ve never spoken to me as a gamer…. Well Except for Mario Kart. Throwing a shell at someone and driving past them is a level of pettiest that warms this Grinch’s heart. For years now people keep telling me that I’ve been sleeping on the Forza Horizon Series, yet I could get past my misconceptions about racing games to give it a try. Finally, to prove everyone that I was right I decided to give Forza Horizon 5 a shot.
Here is how that went:
Gameplay
Let’s start with the good. So, I played it on Xbox Series S and X and right out the gate I was stunned with how good the visuals are. This feels like a next gen experience. Each car features extraordinary level of polish and detail that blew me away. There is a massive roster of cars to unlock and choose from and its dope that so many real car brands are represented. I haven’t driven a car that didn’t look photorealistic and have its own feel and identity.
A big shout out goes to the fact that they let gamers make tracks that others can experience. The community created tracks are divine. Many of them are so well crafted to the point that they are on par from the tracks the developers made.
They take that a step further by letting you add some of your custom flair to each car.
Cons
There are some faults though. I’m not sure why there are wheelspins and customization for Outfits and emotes. Wheelspins give you money, cars, clothes, or emotes. This is a game about cars…The wheelspin rewards should only be cars and money to buy more cars. The emotes especially make my stomach hurt and need to go away…period.
The story is very generic and bland. I get that people don’t really play this type of game for it’s narrative but if you are including one then at least try. The story was a complete bust.
SO, was I right or wrong? Did Forza Horizon 5 make me see the error in my ways or was I right all along?
Is This a Good Single Player Experience?
So I was Wrong. Forza Horizon 5 is a banger and while it hasn’t me sold on racing games as a whole, it has earned my respect as a fun game. There is lots to explore and do and it’s a chill experience to drive around Mexico’s diverse environments. It has its faults, but ultimately displays that this is a game anyone can enjoy.
Why This Passion Score?
A very Fun Racing experince with high quality visuals and lots to keep a gamer busy.
