Buzz
Temporarily putting aside the racing enthusiasts' hobbies, from competing with friends and others online, the presence of casual racing games often serves the most basic needs that not everyone realizes or acknowledges. It's the ability to borrow the virtual world to allow gamers to control the most outstanding speed machines on the planet, vehicles that no matter how hard one works, most of us would find it difficult to own. That is the beauty of the game in particular and the virtual world in general, contributing to turning the loftiest dreams of humanity into reality.And among the masterpieces in the racing game market, Forza Horizon always has a special place in the hearts of fans.In the midst of the shifting trends, transitioning from enjoying yearly releases of Need For Speed around 2006, 2007, more and more people are turning to play realistic simulation racing games, focusing on the accuracy of physics effects, creating a feeling as if you are controlling real-life vehicles. However, the casual racing game market, with attractive, beautiful, and captivating titles, has surprisingly seen a decline. Thanks to this situation, Forza Horizon, originally a spin-off of the long-standing simulation racing game series Forza Motorsports, has carved out a unique niche, even though the most recent releases often don't bring significant changes to gameplay or player retention strategies.
That's when we realize we are in quite a paradox. I once had a conversation with some strangers on Reddit and found that Forza Horizon's success is not due to its exceptional uniqueness but because it creates an experience that no other game can replicate. While the world is becoming weary of open-world action or shooting games, the open-world racing game genre is lacking. Ubisoft's The Crew 2 lacks its own character, and Need For Speed Heat no longer exudes its old charm, or more accurately, the gaming community's taste has gradually shifted away, no longer attached to street racing culture as it was in the Underground, Most Wanted, and Carbon era nearly 20 years ago.Amidst the severe scarcity of open-world racing games with a variety of vehicle choices and diverse tracks, Forza Horizon 5 returns like an old spiritual dish, but no matter how much you indulge, it never gets old. It's another example of the saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.That's also the reason why, launching the game, bidding farewell to the serene English countryside, and arriving in the tropical land of Mexico, you'll feel like this is Forza Horizon 4.5 rather than part 5. Simply because there are no significant changes, at least in controls and sensory aspects. Welcoming you to the Latin American land is a vast, diverse space, from lush ancient forests to the profound plains of the Chihuahuan desert, to cities, small towns, and finally, the coastline tinged with the golden hues of the sun. Nothing stands out in Forza Horizon 5 that hasn't appeared in other games, but they are all games that focus excessively on hyperrealism. It's a masterpiece simultaneously satisfying speed enthusiasts and allowing players to marvel at the natural wonders of Mexico, making Forza Horizon, in general, and part 5, in particular, a unique title.
I choose to believe that Playground Games' new game is a sightseeing driving game. The only difference is that the game has story missions, intense races only to serve two things. First, for players to earn money to upgrade and buy new cars, and second, to ensure the adventure to the Horizon festival in Mexico doesn't become boring. That's exactly what you experienced in part 4, set in the UK. And just by looking at the success of part 4, more specifically, close to the release of part 5, the game still has a lot of dedicated players after 3 years of release. You can see that the formula created by Playground Games never gets outdated and never fears players feeling bored.They start taking players to Mexico with an engaging and grand opening, no less spectacular than part 4, introducing players to races and formats, from asphalt to dirt roads, from rally to off-road racing, with different vehicles serving each stage. Gradually, as players accumulate enough points to unlock the next chapters of the story, players will become overwhelmed by events flooding the map, as well as overwhelmed by the number of vehicles to own, or the achievements players can accomplish when completing races, long jumps, hitting high points in front of traffic cameras, or showcasing skills on the streets like drifting or avoiding cars. In other words, in Forza Horizon 5, you won't lack things to do, whether it's racing, or simply exploring the vast virtual world of Mexico.
When it comes to the main characters of the game, we must acknowledge an undeniable fact, that except for a handful of new vehicles recently released by famous brands, all the speed machines in part 5, at least at the time of the game's launch, are the same as those in the previous installment. However, their allure has not diminished. From family saloons, modern supercars, legendary JDMs, to vintage cars with sky-high prices, whatever you fancy, the game has it.Alongside an impressive lineup from almost all the renowned brands worldwide, features for tuning cars, upgrading bodies, and parts are back. Take a 911, for example; you can turn it into a road beast, competing fiercely in every race, while still transforming it into a conqueror of any challenging terrain, from ancient forests to the deep Chihuahuan desert, from vast plains extending to the horizon to cobblestone roads leading to historical houses with a deep Spanish colonial history...But let's not dwell on the impressive open world of Forza Horizon 5, let's delve into the depth of the in-game vehicle system. After tuning the car, you can also apply eye-catching, unique designs with vinyl wraps. And even if you're feeling lazy, the game has a mode to choose designs from other players. On the flip side, you can create your own custom designs and share them with all other players.
In this installment, Playground Games is exceptionally generous. They understand that many players coming to Forza Horizon 5 have invested a considerable amount of time in part 4, racing numerous tracks and earning substantial money for their cars. People like that don't want to start the game from scratch. Therefore, they gift you not one but three different cars suitable for every terrain. From the Ford Bronco 2022 and Corvette C8 to the new Toyota Supra, you won't need to grind too much to kick off part 5; you can take them to the races right away. Regardless, in the middle of the game, you'll be overwhelmed by the abundance of content in both races and side events.As mentioned at the beginning of the article, Forza Horizon 5 is not just a racing game. It caters to players and knows exactly what they need. You want to personally control cars you've only seen in movies or on YouTube. From the AMG GT R, Lexus LFA, GTR R34 to million-dollar supercars, to legends of rally or off-road, part 5 has it all.And only when you sit in the car, start the engine to speed on the highways, do you realize the meticulousness of the sound design by the development team. Each car, each engine block, has a distinct sound. From the ear-piercing roar of the V10 inside the LFA at 9000 RPM, or the unique exhaust note of the Focus RS with its I4 turbo engine... car enthusiasts recognize these sounds as their true 'music', not the energetic soundtracks played on the radio while driving.
Having cars without exciting tracks would turn a racing game into a mere shell. That's why it becomes evident that the virtual world showcasing the wonders and landmarks of Mexico is not just a backdrop for the beloved speed machines. Everything in part 5 has seen a significant upgrade in terms of graphics quality and effects. Notably, the level of detail on object surfaces in the environment—from the ground and forests to houses—is developed at the highest quality. The coherence between the quality of the cars and the environment has the most substantial impact on the eyes of each player and is the aspect that most clearly creates an impressive visual beauty in the game.However, on PC at the current time, Forza Horizon 5 is facing a quite persistent issue that has been present since part 4, which is texture errors in Ultra mode. Some players suggest that before Playground Games releases a fix, users should set the graphics option to High or Extreme, avoiding the Ultra options. I, too, have noticed this graphic glitch, where houses and trees sometimes look strangely displaced due to low-quality textures, or the graphics quality in wide and distant scenes doesn't meet expectations, making it challenging to compare with the version on Xbox Series X.But in another aspect, comparing directly with the Xbox Series X, the graphics quality and the richness of environmental details in the PC version of the game, especially the quality of trees, road surfaces, etc., undoubtedly surpass the console machine costing more than ten million. Saying this is to realize that the PC game is still the pinnacle, but the cost to experience that beauty is not cheap at all.The game features ray tracing, but only in Forzavista mode for enthusiasts to admire their cherished vehicles. Within the game, SSR and custom cubemap are still applied to ensure optimal performance. The intricate details of the cars don't naturally generate reflections on the gleaming paintwork. However, due to the exceptionally high environmental quality, Horizon 5 demands a higher PC configuration compared to part 4 to push the graphics quality to the maximum, although PC optimization remains excellent.
Thanks to the open world where players can drive to every nook and cranny of the map, as long as the vehicle meets the terrain requirements. With formidable 4x4s, mountain climbing enthusiasts are in for a treat. Consequently, sometimes, to reach an event or race, just choose the destination, look at the screen to see which direction to take the 'skyway,' then take the off-road vehicle straight, without needing to follow Anna's GPS guidance. This playstyle also helps players discover many beautiful spots for in-game photography and partly allows them to appreciate the beauty meticulously crafted by Playground Games.Every screenshot, every gameplay clip, is just a very specific cut, so that when they are put together in this article, players realize the multi-dimensional and stunning nature of the in-game environment, a significant leap beyond the serene English countryside. The sensation of driving a 4x4 in the forest is no less than speeding on the highway with Bugatti or Lamborghini. It's something that The Crew, Need For Speed, or even Driveclub could provide, but none comprehensively like Forza Horizon. Sometimes, without choosing any specific event to participate in, just sitting in the car, selecting a route to drive, is a fantastic stress-relief method—a ritual that anyone who has played Horizon 4 has experienced at least once.
With graphics free from blind spots and gameplay that doesn't revolutionize but optimizes what makes Forza Horizon 4 one of the best racing games, part 5 retains the ability to captivate players in each adventure across the Latin American landscape. However, when the game's story concludes, it marks the moment when the game's enticing social features come into play. From player-created tracks for competitive racing to sharing decals and even custom configs for tuning cars for specific needs like drifting, off-roading, or pure speed racing. In this section, players can even gift and receive cars through the Horizon festival, previously known for hunting forgotten classic legends in part 4.One of Microsoft's solutions to keep players hooked on Forza Horizon after all these years is the introduction of new content, new races, DLCs, and storylines. Part 5 is no exception. To complete all races and events in the game at launch, it takes roughly 40 to 50 hours. But with new DLCs and fresh speed demons added to the game, players will eagerly return to Mexico, immersing themselves once again in the unparalleled beauty that few racing games currently emulate and portray effectively.
Forza Horizon 5, in reality, is not a flawless masterpiece. There are still a few issues related to weather effects and physics. However, based on the refined formula developed over four casual editions named Horizon, Playground Games maintains a distinctive identity without making the game unfamiliar to new players. Everyone who comes to the Horizon Festival gets the full experience. For avid racers who have long been attached to Horizon 4, this installment feels like a substantial expansion, taking us to a new land bathed in golden sunlight. The feeling is like that, but enjoying this work, the excitement and satisfaction remain intact without losing any allure.
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