great game. completed it now. but like horizon2 it has no function that you drive a suton make of car and you get money off upgrades. you need to drive around and find them witch is annoying so maby in the next xbox 360 vertion put that function back on.

Forza and its main rival Gran Turismo exist for a different audience than the casual boy racer: they're for car enthusiasts who will happily spend hours tweaking their suspension and tyre pressure, or adding another layer of lacquer to their go-faster stripes.

The Forza Motorsport franchise has come to epitomize the racing genre in the last several years. Through meticulous, painstaking detail, the series has become a gearhead's virtual paradise. That level of detail and realism comes with a price, however.

Forza Horizon is an attempt to fit the tried-and-true Forza formula into the mold of an arcade-style racer, using a pop-culture-heavy festival theme to tie it all together. For all of the pomp involved, with fireworks constantly shooting off and bands playing in the distance, Horizon is at its...

Forza Horizon was the driving game released into the wild, its cars cast off into the fun and fury of the untamed open road. It makes sense that its first substantial add-on takes to the wilderness, then - although the Rally Expansion Pack initially feels tame.

Forza Horizon is a wild, almost reckless departure for the precision engineered racing series.

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...

Forza hits the open road As the first open-world game in the Forza Motorsport franchise, Horizon is a rookie on the rise; The solo storyline sets you up as the new guy trying to make his name in the speed-celebrating, car-meets-concert Horizon festival.

DLC nagging aside, Forza Horizon is a solid arcade racer, if not the hardcore open world sim some were hoping for. There are plenty of challenging and enjoyable game hours here to be had, not just across the single-player mode, but in terms of leaderboard chasing and online racing, so long as the...

Plenty of game challenges; Beautiful scenery that makes exploration fun; Some unique race events

DLC nags; Fair level of in-game grinding required for cash; Won't please the full-on simulation crowd

The open-road is ripe for exploration.

+ Cars; cars; cars; + Visually stunning and detailed; + Horizon Festival backdrop is great; + Race challenges and events are diverse

- Repetitive radio soundtrack; - Forgettable storyline; - Less cars to unlock; - Lame NPCs and dialogue

By keeping just enough of the core experience the Forza series continues to provide, and by integrating the best elements from PGR and other titles, Forza Horizon really found a perfect balance between arcade gameplay and simulation.