Game Review: Forza Horizon 2

Don't confuse Forza Horizon 2 for Xbox One with the second-generation driving game of the same name for Microsoft’s other current console — the Xbox 360 — because it's a somewhat different animal.

But as next-gen console driving simulators go, Forza Horizon 2 is the bee's knees. Unlike the PS4-only DriveClub, this game ticks pretty much all the boxes.

Want free-form fun? Forza Horizon 2’s open-world locale of south-western France and northern Italy offers a wealth of spectacular fast driving to be had.  
One minute you can be racing a modern supercar around ocean-side cliffs and the next you might be taking on retro rally cars through the vineyards of France and up into the dusty hill tracks.

Forza Horizon 2 brings back the Drivatar concept.  Introduced in its sister release, Forza 5, Drivatars are the digital AI representation of data gleaned from other Xbox LIVE drivers.  

It's been a while since I've played Forza 5, but in Forza Horizon 2 the Drivatar data seems to have been normalised somewhat.  The outrageously unpredictable driving lines of Drivatars past seem to have been toned down here.

How about car options? This game features enough game tweaking options, tuning characteristics, driving assist settings and colour, design and vinyl variety to sate any craving.

If you have your Xbox One Kinnect set up, you can give voice commands to your GPS unit ANNA, which will direct you to the next event or other special locations. Along the way you can take on head-to-head instant races with rival Drivatars.

Other events include standard checkpoint races, madcap cross-country events and high-tension sprints against the likes of a train of formation of jet planes.

There are bucket-list events where you temporarily grab a car to perform a one-off goal, such as a top-speed limit, or get plenty of air time through jump ramps.

At all times you are racking up XP to boost levels, to randomly unlock cars. Competing in solo or online events will also reward you with credits to spend on the hundreds of cars available. This Forza is less in-your-face than Forza 5 in terms of in-game purchases, but they are still there.

This game is just fun. There are so many options; you can spend your time hunting through the countryside to find a barn containing an unloved gem of a vehicle ripe for restoration.

Race through the night or rain in any chosen race genre and tailor the challenge to your own skill level, or join a club and race online with your mates.

The fun, festival feeling of Horizon 2 is really hard to find fault. Playground Games and Turn 10 studios have churned out a cracking new driving game that looks great, drives great and sounds great, but doesn’t grate.

If you're in the enviable position of owning both next-gen consoles (Xbox One and PS4), or looking for a reason to buy one, then choose the former's Forza Horizon 2 over the latter's DriveClub.