Forza Horizon 3 is officially a spin-off of the Forza Motorsport franchise. While titles from the latter cater to hardcore racing gamers, the former is actually more of an open-world title that has players behind the wheel.
Forza Horizon 3 will be launched for the Xbox One and Windows 10 on Sept. 27 and is part of the Xbox Play Anywhere program of Microsoft that allows for cross-platform play between the Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs.
Early reviews on the game have been mostly positive, which should make fans of the franchise even more excited for the title as its release date draws nearer.
The Verge's Chris Plante claims that Forza Horizon 3 has more in common with car-focused movies such as The Fast and the Furious franchise compared to Forza Motorsport, as the vehicles function more as action heroes rather than simple vessels. That is not a bad thing, as the game drops the rules of racing games in favor of functioning more like a joyride simulator.
Mike Fahey of Kotaku added that with the 350 vehicles to unlock and discover that can be driven across the vast Australian terrain featured in the game, the only obstacle that players will face in having fun while playing Forza Horizon 3 is determining what to do among the many activities offered by the title.
Fahey added that while the review embargo on the title has been lifted, there are still some limitations in place. As such, he is not able to take screenshots of Forza Horizon 3, including his favorite activity of discovering priceless classic junker cars in abandoned barns.
Luke Reilly of IGN, meanwhile, praises the deep levels of personalization and customization in Forza Horizon 3, along with the highly malleable career mode and the ability to play personal soundtracks.
"Horizon 3 can be bent to your desires like never before in the series," Reilly wrote.
However, Reilly claims that in Forza Horizon 3, while the cars are the stars, the work that has been put into the game's environments is what is even more remarkable. The greatest strength is the sheer variety of landscapes featured in the game, and while the map is not as large as the one in The Crew, the terrains are vastly different from one another.
Polygon's Colin Campbell loves the fact the game is "super laid back" on how he spends his time. While the open world is accessed gradually through a points system, the many activities available to gamers keeps Forza Horizon 3 fresh at all times.
Hardcore racing simulation fans will not like Forza Horizon 3, Jonathan Gitlin of Ars Technica wrote, but these gamers are not who the title is designed for. For gamers looking for a fun and crazy time behind the wheel, Forza Horizon 3 is very much worthy of a look.
