Review: Forza Horizon 3 is a beautiful game set in Australia
Forza Horizon 3 is undoubtedly one of the prettiest looking games we've ever played. Australia has never looked this good in virtual form.
Most video games are set in only Japan, North America or Europe. The latter two continents were represented in the first Forza Horizon games while number 3 goes down under and it's a beauty.
There is a lot of talk in the video game industry about 4K, but I played Forza Horizon 3 on my humble 32 inch TV on Xbox One and was blown away by its quality. Many people say football/soccer is "the beautiful game", but Forza Horizon 3 takes that moniker for me.
Everything about the game looks pristine and clean. Whether you are driving in the sunny coasts of Surfers Paradise or even in the dirt of the outback, your jaw will drop. Even more impressive is the fact that this third game is bigger in size to Forza Horizon 2.
The huge size is a good thing in my opinion because there is a lot of things that you can see and do in Forza Horizon 3. The map size is perfect since it's not too small or too big. I remember getting bored driving in The Crew because it was too large for its own good. I didn't get that kind of feeling playing this game however.
One of the things I like most about this game other than the pretty graphics is the variety of events that you can partake in. There's more to the game than just doing circuit races around the city. Thanks to the addition of the outback, there are a lot of dirt race driving that you can participate in as well.
The dirt race events mean you can drive more than just the expensive sports cars. You can drive in jeeps, trucks and other 4WD vehicles. Another cool thing about the game is that there are events around Australia where you can earn money and fame without even doing races.
There are several "spot events" that you can do such as stunt jumps, drift challenges, skill challenges and more. It adds a lot of variety to the gameplay and you never get bored with such a diverse range of things to do. Speaking of diversity, you can now finally choose the ethnicity and gender of your avatar in this game too. You couldn't do that in the previous Horizon video games.
The diversity doesn't stop there too. Horizon 3 boasts an impressive soundtrack that covers a whole wide range of musical genres. This includes upbeat dance music, punk rock to even classical. It's one of the few games where I turned up the music and lowered the sound effects of the actual game just to enjoy it.
The game also has an impressive list of cars. There are over 350 cars available to drive ranging from the newest models of Lamborghinis and Ferraris to something more humble such as Fords and Holdens. You can even drive in your favourite car and make it participate in your own races.
New to this game is the blueprint system. Here you can search around the city and choose the type of races you want. This means you can essentially use your favourite car in as many events as you want and you are not forced to drive other things you may not like.
The customisation doesn't stop there. Much like other Forza games, you can alter the difficulty in order to suit your needs. You can adjust the physics for a more sim-based experience, or you can make things easier for yourself. Either way, this game caters for gamers of all skill levels.
Horizon 3 also caters for people that want to race online. The cool new addition is that you can co-op with friends around the world to finish the main campaign. You can do this with up to three other players and it's a total blast. Not to mention you can challenge others to a race, or you can just cruise with your friends just to embrace the scenery.
Forza Horizon 3 is the best racing game I have played on the Xbox One and it is also the best looking title on the console as well. The game is not just a pretty face either because the gameplay is also deep and there's enough content to keep you occupied for hours on end. If you own an Xbox One or Windows 10 PC, this is worth buying.
Verdict: 9.5/10
