Enough with the Skrillex
Hey, I’m totally OK with a little wub-wub, but after hearing the same screeching Skrillex song over and over again, my psyche just couldn’t take the electronic abuse anymore. While Horizon’s audio offering features some big names like the aforementioned dubstep dynamo — along with compatriots Nero, Madeon, and even some rock bands — the soundtrack just doesn’t compare to the race tracks. Three radio stations are not enough, especially when they repeat songs so frequently. Plus, the aforementioned DJs are flat-out lame.
So here’s a pro tip, turn the radio off and listen to the engine under your hood. You’ll never get bored by the sweet sound of a Ferrari V12.
Multiplayer is mostly a miss
For those looking to go online, you’ll find serviceable multiplayer with a nice selection of race modes. A good number of these options, however, are pretty forgettable. Many of them are variants of tag, asking you to crash into players or avoid them altogether. These matchups lead to annoying, follow-the-leader style pileups and are just not fun. Standard circuit runs are more interesting yet pedestrian.
You can also choose to free roam with friends in Horizon’s wider world, which puts a co-op focused, less-structured spin on multiplayer pursuits.
CONCLUSION
While Forza Horizon can come across as demographic-mongering, interactive junk food, you’ll find a deeply engaging racing experience below its overly gaudy candy-paint top coat. This new installment in the series truly shines when it lets you live out your childhood fantasies, driving that car from the poster on your bedroom wall down a meandering motorway toward the sunset-soaked … well, horizon.
Score: 83/100
Forza Horizon will release on Oct. 23, 2012 for the Xbox 360. The publisher provided GamesBeat with a copy of the game for the purpose of this review.