Forza Horizon 3

Forza Horizon 3

Standard edition cover art
Developer(s) Playground Games[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Microsoft Studios
Director(s) Ralph Fulton
Producer(s) Adam Askew
Designer(s) Martin Conner
Programmer(s) Matt Craven
Artist(s) Benjamin Penrose
Series Forza
Platform(s)

Release date(s)
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer

Forza Horizon 3 is an open world racing video game developed by Playground Games and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. The game features cross-platform play between the two platforms. The game was released on 23 September 2016 for "Ultimate Edition" players, and 27 September 2016 for standard and "Deluxe Edition" players. It is the third Forza Horizon and the ninth instalment in the Forza series. As with previous Horizon games, Turn 10 Studios assisted Playground Games in the game's development.

Gameplay

Forza Horizon 3 is a racing video game set in an open world environment based in Australia,[1] with the map twice the size of that in Forza Horizon 2, and includes places such as Surfers Paradise, Byron Bay, Yarra Valley and the Outback. The game features a four-player co-operative multiplayer campaign[1] and cross-platform play, as it is a part of the Xbox Play Anywhere program.[2] A total of 350 cars are available to players at launch – the most amount of cars to be featured in a Horizon game as of yet.[3]

While previous Horizon games have depicted the player as one of the racers of the Horizon Festival, the player is now the director of the Festival, and their role is to make it the biggest festival in the world. As director, the player can hire or fire racers as well as organise and customise races and Bucket List events around the map using the new Horizon Blueprint feature. The player can customise the character's style and ethnicity, as well as being able to customise the vehicles with custom paints and designs, upgrades and body kits from more popular manufacturers Rocket Bunny and Liberty Walk.

More aspects of the game are Barn Finds and the Auction House. Barn Finds are where the player gets a notice of a Barn Find rumor, then goes out looking for it. The Auction House is where you and others bid on cars that other players put up for auction in real-time.[4]

Other features include "Playground Games", online free roam, and the continued use of Drivatar technology from previous Forza games on Xbox One.

On 2 November 2016, Turn 10 and Playground Games introduced a sneak preview of their upcoming snow expansion pack. The newest addition to the Forza series is the introduction of snow environments. On 28 November 2016, the expansion's title: Blizzard Mountain was showcased and a release date was confirmed for a 13 December window. Players who purchase the Expansion Pass will receive the Blizzard Mountain DLC, alongside another yet to be announced expansion. Players can also buy the pack separately through the Microsoft Store, alongside the Expansion Pass as well.

Development and release

Forza Horizon 3 is developed by Playground Games and was announced on 13 June 2016 during Microsoft's E3 Xbox briefing.[1] The game was released on 27 September 2016.[2] Owners of the Ultimate Edition version of the game received access on 23 September, along with six downloadable content car packs, and access to exclusive cars and events.[5] The cover vehicles are the Lamborghini Centenario[2] and 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor Race Truck. The game also makes use of Groove Music to play custom soundtracks.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic91/100 (XONE)[6]
86/100 (PC)[7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid9/10[8]
Game Revolution[9]
GameSpot9/10[10]
GamesRadar[11]
IGN9.5/10[12]
Polygon8.5/10[13]
Award
PublicationAward
The Game Awards 2016Best Sports/Racing Game[14]

Forza Horizon 3 received universal acclaim from critics upon release. On review aggregator site Metacritic, the Xbox One version holds an average critic score of 91/100, based on 88 reviews,[6] making it the most-acclaimed Forza Horizon title to date.[15][16] The Windows version holds a score of 86/100, based on 11 critics.[7]

Brett Makedonski from Destructoid gave the game a 9/10 citing that "It's a good dynamic, one that has worked expertly for three games."[8]

Nick Tan from Game Revolution gave the game 4 out of 5 stars saying that "You'll want to bend and curve around every corner in picturesque Australia landscape at least once, even if that's the only time."[9]

Miguel Concepcion from GameSpot also gave the game a 9/10 saying that "Turn 10 and Playground Games affirm the series’ status as the driving game for everyone. The new emphasis on off-road options isn’t at the expense of traditional races, thanks to the sheer volume of activities."[10]

Justin Towell from GamesRadar also gave the game 4 out of 5 stars citing that it "You won’t need to think much while you play it, but if you’re talking about places to just cut loose and enjoy the breathtaking scenery, Australia is a fine place to do it."[11]

Luke Reilly for IGN gave the game a 9.5/10 saying it "never loses sight of the fact that tearing through postcard-perfect locations should be fun, and it puts the tools in our hands to keep it that way, always. This is the racing game I’ve been waiting for, and it's officially my favourite thing on four wheels. A fair dinkum triumph, mates."[12]

Colin Campbell from Polygon gave the game an 8.5/10 saying that "Through a superbly realized version of Australia as well as a wide variety of terrain, cars and challenges, this free-roaming car simulation offers a valuable playbox. But it also managed to muster "cor blimey" moments that made me feel a whooping rush of speed and liberation."[13]

Notes

  1. ↑ Additional work was provided by Turn 10 Studios.
  2. ↑ The Ultimate Edition for the game was released on 23 September 2016, while the standard and deluxe editions were released on 27 September.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Slive, Marty (13 June 2016). "E3: 2016: Forza Horizon 3 Revealed, Release Date Announced". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Welsh, Oli (13 June 2016). "Forza Horizon 3 confirmed in impressive cross-platform demo". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  3. ↑ Stuart, Keith (21 June 2016). "Forza Horizon 3 – the mission to create the world's most beautiful racing game". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "Forza Horizon 3 game content". Xbox (website). Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  5. ↑ Paget, Mat (13 June 2016). "E3 2016: Here's What's in Forza Horizon 3's $100 Ultimate Edition". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Forza Horizon 3 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Forza Horizon 3 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  8. 1 2 Makedonski, Brett (20 September 2016). "Review: Forza Horizon 3". Destructoid. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  9. 1 2 Tan, Nick (20 September 2016). "Forza Horizon 3 Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  10. 1 2 Concepcion, Miguel (20 September 2016). "Forza Horizon 3 Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  11. 1 2 Towell, Justin (20 September 2016). "Forza Horizon 3 review: Moments of magic meet busywork and filler". GamesRadar. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  12. 1 2 Reilly, Luke (20 September 2016). "Forza Horizon 3 Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  13. 1 2 Campbell, Colin (20 September 2016). "Forza Horizon 3 review". Polygon. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  14. ↑ MacGregor, Collin (1 December 2016). "Forza Horizon 3 Races Away With The Best Sports/Racing Game at TGAs". Twinfinite. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  15. ↑ "Forza Horizon for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  16. ↑ "Forza Horizon 2 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
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