Forza Horizon 2 Reviews
The first big open world racer comes to the new gen console with the Xbox exclusive Forza Horizon 2. I'll be blunt, Ubisoft's The Crew and PS4' Driveclub will have one hell of a job taking the podium from Forza Horizon 2
Forza Horizon 2 may be vanilla when compared to other open-world racers, but if so, it's one of the most well-produced vanillas ever made. While it could be bolstered by having more skill-based challenges and any kind of avatar customization, it impresses with technical brilliance, robust online integration, and graphical splendor.
I'm not a huge car guy, but Forza Horizon 2 makes me realize that I am someone who loves driving. It combines all the best elements of car culture and empowers players to take and leave the things they enjoy. For example, it has deep tuning options for you mechanics. You can adjust the level of air in your tires if you want. And if you don't, then don't even think about it.
It's going to be a busy season for racing games, with sim hopeful Project Cars, ambitious online "CarPG" The Crew and the social score-attack of DriveClub all jostling for attention. Horizon 2 sets an intimidatingly high bar for those games to meet on every front, but in one aspect it seems unbeatable. I can't imagine any of them are going to feel this happy.
Forza Horizon 2's foundation is stronger than the underwhelming tracks built on top of it
Counterintuitive or not, Forza Horizon 2 is a premier title.
Forza Horizon 2 easily records a podium finish ahead of what is going to be a busy winter for the racing genre.
This title is a blast. The whole "festival" thing just works. It sets a fun vibe without coming off as silly or childish. The racing is serious business, but there are plenty of ways to play that aren't so ardently competitive. The simple act of choosing a car from the garage and aimlessly driving in no particular direction is one of the more enjoyable things I've done on my new Xbox so far. A dizzyingly long list of events to complete seems is counterbalanced with the truncated Road Trip campaign. Online Freeroam offers plenty of stuff to do, and can be a great time with the right cast of characters. And the audiovisual package is a stunning piece of work that can take you by surprise with its majesty every now and again. Horizon 2 is a very good racing game with strong principles, entertaining modes, a ton of events, and an envious catalog of vehicles.
Forza Horizon 2 expands on the open-world arcade-sim hybrid in a plethora of ways big and small
There are few other racing games that can boast such impressive fundamentals as Forza Horizon 2, and certainly not very many with a world like this wrapped around them.
Forza Horizon 2 enriches the game formula of its predecessor with a structure able to mix very well offline and online elements, old and unpublished, confirming once again as one of the most balanced cross between arcade racing and simulation.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Importing the graphics and physics engines of the Forza saga into an open-world arcade racing game was an idea already well exploited in the first installment, but this return to Xbox One with Forza Horizon 2 definitely drives home the point with a next- achievement.
Review in French | Read full review
Forza Horizon 2 took the lead in the race for the title of the best car game of the year. Will DriveClub, Project Cars and The Crew be able to catch up with Microsoft's exclusive?
Review in Polish | Read full review
Evaluating Forza Horizon 2 is easy. The mistakes of the past are long over, and Playground Games has produced a demonstration of what stylish arcade racing should look like in an open environment.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
A good start to the long season! Arcade lovers will feel at home. Nice world, cool effects and lots of attractions. Just play, play, play and play!
Review in Polish | Read full review
All in all, Forza Horizon 2 is the exclusive best of the new generation, in a nutshell. A really solid driving title that will please fans of the most demanding genre and, at the same time, a speed title that will delight those who only want to enjoy the speed a few minutes a day.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Forza Horizon 2 is perfect in many areas. Visually, there is nothing to complain about, as it is not with the handling of the cars. The eye for detail is fantastic and the elaboration of additions such as Drivatars and music are also very well worked out. This added to the varied and spectacular modes, do ensure that minor negatives like the hitches and lack of customization are in the way of failure. Forza Horizon 2 is the best Forza ever!
Review in Dutch | Read full review
A near-perfect arcade racer, with gorgeous graphics, beautiful scenery and some of the best on-road and off-road driving around. With Forza 5's guts still inside it, you can make Horizon 2 as arcade-easy or demanding as you choose, and throughout the game shows a level of flair and invention that leaves its would-be rivals choking dust. It might not be the best racing game we'll see this year, but it sets a fearsomely high benchmark for others to beat.
Forza Horizon 2 offers almost everything that arcade racing fans crave, and it does so with style.
[W]hile one can appreciate a good binge session from time to time, Forza Horizon 2's immensely accessible design makes 20-minute sessions just as attractive.