➤ The free summer of Playground Games 🎮

Two years ago, our Forza Horizon review began comparing it to a season, autumn. Here, if we were to do the same with the sequel, the season would undoubtedly be summer. The sequel to the Playground Games racing takes us back with its atmospheres a month, or even two, while sipping a drink on the Ligurian coast or the beaches of Nice. And the places mentioned are not at all a coincidence, because the map, tripled in the Xbox One version compared to the first episode, moves from Colorado to a curious reproduction of southern Europe, in this case the border between Italy and France to a point of the Amalfi coast. Let's say that the area of inspiration is more or less this, then, also considering the obvious proportions, it is a free interpretation that also involves the Tuscan countryside and Switzerland. If you are stimulated by the idea, nothing can prepare you for the beginning of Forza Horizon 2, certainly one of the most exciting of recent years and which has nothing to envy to the first chapter. An introductory live action video prepares us for the three dogmas of the title: deafening music, dream racing cars and total freedom. While we still listen to the echo of a crowd of young people shaking their bodies in a riot of tribal joy, we wake up in the hangar of a ferry, inside a lush Lamborghini Huracàn, discovering that we are docking the Ligurian coast for a run to the tune of Eric Prydz's Liberate. Perfectly chosen song that represents the flag of this sequel and that makes the fingers of our hand tremendously heavy ... on the accelerator. Arriving at the Horizon party, located as usual in the central area of the map and functional as a nerve center for the various competitions, we are greeted by the organizer, who offers us a new challenge, obviously becoming champions of the new Horizon Festival, we are here to this.

Forza Horizon 2 improves on virtually everything from the original chapter, taking the series in new directions

Time to take the field

Forza Horizon 2's career structure resembles that of the progenitor, the aim is always to win the Festival only this time the bracelets of various colors are no longer linked to the unlocking of subsequent competitions, but to the level conquered by the player with the accumulated experience points, indicating the level as in a role-playing game. It does not take long to understand the reasons, the proportions have changed considerably, not only in terms of the map, but also in the number of races that can be played and the various possible activities, as well as the "seamless" online integration, i.e. to play on the same map only against real opponents rather than against Drivatars. Each time we arrive in one of the areas that make up the map, a location is designated as the festival's central location, where a new sub-championship of the Grand Tour starts that takes us to the final of the festival.

There are ten categories of cars, divided into sub-classes ranging from two to five each, and every time you reach a new stage of the Tour you have to choose which one to enroll in and based on this choice, the four or five tests will be different. that we will have to face to move on to the next championship, to be activated by driving to the next location surrounded by Drivatars that splash from all over. To access the final of Horizon there are 17 championships to win (it is necessary to finish first in the ranking that arises from passing the stage tests), chosen as desired from all the car classes depending on what we most like to drive, without limitations. In fact, it only takes a few minutes to understand that another novelty of the title is the absolute freedom granted to the player. Except running into obstacles such as walls or guardrails, you can go almost anywhere, exploring the map immediately and destroying most of the elements of the scenario. To move around the map, the fast travel system also returns, which is no longer activated in the stations to be found on the map, but directly between the main locations of the Festival, those where the garages are located to modify the car or to subscribe to the different categories. of the championship, and only the credits are needed to pay for the transport, credits that decrease when destroying the discount signs scattered on the map. It is true that the first Forza Horizon also enjoyed a free roaming structure, but the exit from the roads was allowed only in certain situations, while now it has become almost an imperative, so much so that we often find ourselves happily mowing vineyards and meadows. The same races, always represented by closed circuits or paths, also integrate off-road events with great joy, this time the real flagship of the production thanks also to the presence of Jeeps and Pick-ups, in addition of course to rally cars. Among the most successful events we must mention precisely those with an open structure, which alternate short sections on asphalt with endless and spectacular off-road raids. In these cases there is no obligation to follow a precise path, even if indicated in the navigator, but it is sufficient to get on the various checkpoints, which are signaled remotely to provide a reference to the player, the rest is all at our discretion. Playground really risks a lot with this formula, the decision to minimize the repercussions of the dirt road on the car risked flattening the pleasure of driving, but instead everything works perfectly, and fun is always guaranteed. Unfortunately, there are side effects which we will discuss later.

Harder, better, faster, stronger

The possibilities offered by the Forza Horizon 2 map and the total freedom granted to the player bring the Playground product closer to a true open world free roaming, in terms of complexity it has little to envy to products such as Grand Theft Auto, while outings in the middle of nature they almost make you think of a The Elder Scrolls with machines. The comparison seems crazy on paper, but a few hours in the company of the title are enough to understand how everything is beautifully blended and the only real limitation seems to be that of not being able to go down on foot, since in certain areas of the map we will find ourselves running only by choosing certain cars, rather than others, and that the events of the championships end up remembering the activities of a Grand Theft Auto as the number and variety of driving style required.

Everything that made the progenitor great has been revised and improved, the hidden billboards to be destroyed are back, but they are now of various types and able to offer different rewards not only the discounts for using fast travel, as mentioned, but also real experience boosts. Then there are the photographs and speed cameras, which now also calculate the speed in a predetermined stretch like the tutor who for some time has also arrived on our highways. Custom liveries and lost jewels also return, cars to be found in the map wisely hidden and which facilitate free exploration every time we are notified by the radio that in a certain area there may be an old racing car to be found and put back together. Each maneuver in the game is rewarded with a score that can be increased using the multiplier, real "lines" can be created by chaining various actions, thus increasing the player's experience and the credits earned to buy cars, liveries from other players, assets racing and power ups. It's still. Could the special stages be missing? Obviously not, so let's get ready to face, in addition to the tricolor arrows of which so much has been said, another series of vehicles on the edge of reality, but calibrated on the old continent, in which the game is set. As usual, these tests give us the same special cars used to overcome them. Not paying for having substantially improved everything, Playground has included many new features, such as the dynamic weather system, which finally brings rain into the series and in a spectacular way with puddles that gradually form on the asphalt and then dry in the sun, a slot machine to play every time you level up that gives us credits and new racing cars and a perk system to enjoy a series of benefits for the single player campaign and more than 700 total events, a dish of truly enviable richness. Along the roads, what are called Unmissable Challenges have also been scattered, which allow you to grab the protagonist car, passing a time trial on a pre-established track, the difficulty of which is indicated on the map by selecting the icon that represents it. There are dozens of them and they are stimulating with their way of introducing challenges with predetermined difficulty that do not depend on the skill that you decide to attribute to the Drivatars as happens for normal races. We estimate that 100% completion of the single player campaign can take up to 100 hours, bringing the Playground racing game to the side of true free roaming on wheels.

Tell me who you are and I'll tell you how you drive

Inheriting the graphics engine and system from Forza Motorsport 5, Forza Horizon 2 makes use, like its more serious cousin, of Drivatars, a new concept of cloud-based artificial intelligence, capable of memorizing and learning the driving styles of players. The result is excellent, even more than before, and makes us say goodbye to the sad lines of cars, or "trains", completely unrelated to the presence of the player with an even more remarkable effect precisely for the open spaces in which the Drivatars are they find to move marking an even more evident detachment than the machines moved by the CPU and which represent the normal traffic on the roads of Horizon 2.

Drivatars are not only offered in races, but are an integral part of the game world, mixing with traffic, also resulting in unpredictable dynamics and opening up a whole new series of possibilities. It is possible to challenge them simply by positioning yourself behind with your car, while the presence of special professional Drivatars allows you to win large amounts of credits. This choice had a cost, Forza Horizon 2 is a sequel clearly devoted to social, those who prefer solo sessions will find a long-lasting campaign full of things to do, but it is clear that the connection to the network is essential to download the behaviors of the Drivatars and to challenge and the friends that they continually bring to mind as we read the gamertag as they whiz through the countryside. The same multiplayer modes often appear in the single player, never being invasive but on the contrary fundamental to understand some dynamics, such as that of the Clubs, real teams in which players can join to face the races, or the gathering, where it is possible to watch the cars and exchange liveries (by the way, remember that the Resources4Gaming.com Club is already there waiting for you!). Everything is seamlessly integrated, so much so that just enter the menu to convert the campaign into the Grand Tour Online or Free Exploration, but we will talk more about these modes in a specific paragraph. So what is the downside? The Darius Flynts from the first Horizon are now the toughest Drivatars, so much so that the various characters to be faced have completely disappeared, taking the place of the final bosses. As a consequence, the story has been strongly affected, an aspect that was not particularly strong even in the original, but the fact is that there is no real purpose or identification with the protagonist apart from winning the festival, which in the end represents a small part. of the many races available. The cutscenes intervene only to tie together the succession of championships to be won in order to finally have access to the final race of Horizon, but they are very short, involve no more than two characters and are swallowed up by the enormous amount of content of the game.

A question of balance

The driving system must have been discussed at length by Playground programmers, inheriting also in this case the heritage of Forza Motorsport 5, a complete settings system returns, which allows you to customize every aspect of the game, from driving aids, to the system of damage, wear on the wheels and the engine, tuning, trim and much more. Basically also in this sequel everyone can create the game they want, setting the difficulty level according to your needs, but earning fewer credits if you decide to use the aids.

The setting of the races and the type of map, however, suggest a choice towards markedly arcade horizons, further reinforcing the soul more "caciarone" compared to Forza 5, and maybe that's right. We are only slightly perplexed by the choice to open off-road races even to cars clearly unrelated to the type of competition, finding yourself plowing wheat fields with a Lamborghini or a Dodge Viper could annoy someone, but find a logic with the party spirit of the title and it is fun in a liberating way, as it whizzes by leaving tire trails on wheat fields or vineyards. Taken the right way, Forza Horizon 2 is one of the most fun and rewarding titles to play in recent years, which is also particularly demanding if you decide to deactivate all aid. In addition to the aids there are also damage to the cars that can only be aesthetic or even mechanical, but even if activated, just to ensure driveability in the extreme situations to which it is called, they lead to defects in trajectory and stability, but rather to the total unmanageability of the vehicle. Finally, we appreciate the presence of two hundred machines, all included on day one, and the removal of tokens to be purchased with real money, which avoids any danger of "pay to win" or "pay to play" mechanics.

Of the online, of Kinect and of ANNA

Forza Horizon 2's online can be accessed at the push of a button, that of the menus. From here you go to the social section, which also includes challenges with friends, and you can activate two modes: Grand Tour Online or Free Exploration. At that point, while you return to drive freely in the game, the code looks for a free session, each one can contain up to 12 players at the same time, in which you are entered to run. Once you find one, traffic, weather conditions and time of day are synchronized and you start driving, led by a group leader. In the case of the Grand Tour Online we find ourselves running on the net in a structure very similar to that of the single player with a series of subsequent events that make up a ranking in which you have to excel at the best of the stages.

Playground modes also appear online, such as the one in which you have to hit the King of the group and in which the one who holds the crown for the longest time during the test wins. The nice thing is that between one stage and the next you move around by driving and that there is a time limit to do so, under penalty of losing a large reward in credits and experience. The other thing is that to get to the other stages you can run wherever you want, even ignoring the streets, giving rise to scenes of ordinary madness. In Free Exploration, on the other hand, the whole map opens to the group that runs from one side to the other, deciding from time to time which event to activate among those selected and appearing on the map itself. In any case, you continue to accumulate experience points and good credits even for the solo campaign to which you can return from the same menu as before. There is also an implementation of Kinect which, however, is limited to the voice assistant called ANNA, which acts as a navigator which can be asked to be directed to a certain location. Our friend does even more since, if requested, she shows us the useful event closest to us, not only with the Tour races, but also with discount or fast travel billboards, but also with hidden cars to look for. between barns and hills. Unfortunately there is no Head-Tracking function which for those who use the view from the dashboard is quite functional.

Xbox One achievements

As usually happens with the titles of the Microsoft Studios lineup, Forza Horizon 2 also bestows its objectives in a constant and generous way. Even just arriving at the end of the Festival (in about 15 hours of driving without counting the time spent in the menus or in the accessory activities of the game) he finds us with about half the loot without realizing it. The 1000 points will be the prerogative of the most tenacious and those willing to be in the company of Playground Games no less than fifty hours, but time runs faster than the racing cars of the game.

Walking around Italy

One of the aspects that will probably be discussed about Forza Horizon 2 is the aesthetic one, the game is a real marvel to behold thanks to the native 1080p resolution and 30 frames per second, truly granite, and which take an evident step forward compared to the Xbox One launch titles, making it the classic title to show to friends in the living room home. Whichever of the five visuals are used to drive, the one from inside the cockpit returns for all 200 cars, it is not uncommon to find yourself open-mouthed from time to time. Of course, a higher frame rate would have been preferable, but the stability is total, in about fifteen hours of play we have never seen an uncertainty in the frame rate, if we exclude a slight pop-up of the background using the fastest cars, but really cheap stuff considering that the whole map is loaded in streaming without interruption. The lighting effects, the particles that explode from car crashes at night, the progressive puddles of water and the drops that settle on the bonnet help create truly memorable moments. Highly saturated colors move away from the territories of photorealism, but this has never been a goal of the developers.

But it is the gigantic map that is the absolute protagonist of this production, in its beauty and variety it is one of the best settings ever seen in a racing. Obviously for us it is a particularly low blow, given that it is easy to recognize many Spanish locations in the scenarios of Montellino and Castelletto (as mentioned, there is a lot of Liguria and Tuscany), but also Nice is not easily forgotten. The mammoth soundtrack moves along the same line, still surgically shaped by DJ Rob da Bank, as many as 150 songs distributed along seven radio stations, three of which can be selected from the beginning, which perfectly convey the atmosphere of the party. World hits such as I Got U by Duke Dumont are flanked by young artists from Hospital Records, such as Reso and Fred & Grafix, but the real masterpiece comes with the presence of Levante, an imaginary Tuscan broadcaster that broadcasts only classical music. The apotheosis comes head to head with the hot air balloons, accompanied by a persuasive The Flower Duet by Delibes, one of the most bizarre and dreamlike moments in the history of racing. The various radios still feature Spanish speakers who comment on the races and give some advice on the secrets that can be found, always an appreciable addition. Images and music take on equal importance in Forza Horizon 2, achieving a harmony that other productions can only envy.

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Tested version Xbox One Resources4Gaming.com

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Forza Horizon 2 improves on practically everything from the original chapter, proposing itself as a true sequel capable of taking the series in new directions. The unexpected off-road vocation turns out to be a winning card, best representing the sense of freedom that the product wants to communicate, even if some might not appreciate its lack of realism. But it is only one aspect of a mammoth production. The amount of stuff to do and see is simply impressive, with a setting that never ceases to amaze with its breathtaking views and a structure that marries the single player campaign with the online modes in rare harmony. The summer of Playground Games captivates like few other racing titles can do, even if the presence of a story that links the steps that lead to the final race of the festival is affected. If you own an Xbox One, there's no reason not to make it yours.